Environment

Cars line up at the south entrance to Zion National Park in Utah, bringing with them the urban soundscape.

America's Protected Natural Areas Are Polluted, By Noise

5:43pm May 04, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

A new survey shows that the sound of cars and planes and other forms of noise pollution are rampant across the American wilderness. In many cases, man-made noise is drowning out the background sounds.

Patent holder Bruce Barritt stops by the mother of all Cosmic Crisp trees. Cosmic Crisp was the result of breeding project at Washington State University in the 1990s.

Washington Apple Growers Sink Their Teeth Into The New Cosmic Crisp

7:23pm May 03, 2017

by Dan Charles

A new apple variety is on its way. It's called Cosmic Crisp, and farmers in Washington state are planting these trees by the millions. They're making a risky bet that consumers will like it.

Queue Listen Now

Oil pump jacks work behind a natural gas flare near Watford City, N.D., in 2014. The oil and gas industry is lobbying lawmakers to repeal a rule that aims to limit the emissions of methane, the chief component of natural gas.

Inside The Debate Over Repealing Curbs On Methane Leaks

5:14pm May 03, 2017

by Nathan Rott

A deadline is approaching for lawmakers to undo an Obama-era regulation that aims to limit the emissions of methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — from energy production sites on public lands.

Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo: "I am scared for my security, but I hope my God will keep protecting me."

This Ex-Child Soldier Went Undercover To Save The Gorillas

8:48pm May 02, 2017

by Sasha Ingber

Rodrigue Katembo has quite a resume: child soldier, park ranger, undercover agent, friend of gorillas and elephants. And now, he is a Goldman Environmental Prize winner.

Environment

Eliminating Energy Star Program Would Harm Consumers, Trump Critics Say

8:19am May 02, 2017

by Grace Hood

The Energy Star program saves consumers billions of dollars a year by boosting products' efficiency. But in his effort to shrink the size of government, President Trump wants to eliminate the program.

Queue Listen Now

Critics Oppose Executive Order Opening New Areas To Offshore Leases

8:19am May 02, 2017

by Greg Allen

President Trump's executive order to try to expand offshore drilling is being met with cheers in the oil and gas industry. But in coastal states like Florida, there's bipartisan opposition.

Queue Listen Now

Coal is piled up at the Gallatin Fossil Plant in Gallatin, Tenn.

Environmentalists, Coal Companies Rally Around Technology To Clean Up Coal

11:58am May 01, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

The industry has been in decline for years, partly because burning coal creates CO2 and warms the atmosphere. But there's a way to capture it — which has drawn praise from traditional enemies.

Queue Listen Now

Thousands March In D.C. To Protest Trump Climate Policies

7:56am April 30, 2017

by Jim Kane

Thousands of marchers converged in Washington, D.C. for what organizers called the People's Climate March, stopping in front of the White House to boo and yell "shame!"

Judah (left) and Josh Ridgeway drill a hole in the Tanana River at Nenana, Alaska to measure the thickness of the ice on April 13th.

Alaska Guessing Game Provides Climate Change Record

6:58am April 30, 2017

by Dan Bross

Months behind the rest of the country, spring is advancing across Alaska. And a contest that has residents guess the date of river ice breakup is showing a trend toward earlier and earlier melt.

The Peoples Climate March, is being billed as a mobilization for climate, jobs and justice.

Marchers Unite To Take On Trump's Climate Policies

4:36pm April 29, 2017

On the symbolic 100th day in office for President Trump, who has denied climate change, protesters are rallying in front of the White House to call for better environmental protections.