Environment

Environment

Environmental Advocacy Group Monitors Trump's EPA For Changes

5:12am March 06, 2017

Environmental groups are concerned about possible cutbacks to the EPA. Steve Inskeep talks to David Goldston, director of governmental affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

For The First Time In 146 Years Chicago Goes Without Snow During January And February

5:01pm March 04, 2017

by Michel Martin

Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist for WGN-TV and The Chicago Tribune, talks about the Windy City's changing weather, specifically the record-breaking lack of snow this year.

Farmer Georges Kouamé Koffi holding two cocoa pods. Chocolate is made from the almond-sized cocoa beans contained in the pods.

A Dip In Global Prices Creates Cocoa Crisis For Ivory Coast's Farmers

4:46pm March 03, 2017

by Alex Duval Smith

Ivory coast is the world's largest cocoa producer. But a bumper crop combined with a fall in the global demand for chocolate and a dip in cocoa prices are hurting the country's cocoa farmers.

The Culprit In Rising Western U.S. Smog Levels: Asia

4:46pm March 03, 2017

by Rae Ellen Bichell

U.S. emissions of smog-forming pollutants have dropped, but smog levels in the western U.S. have increased each year. Now, researchers say, they've found out why — it's wafting from across the Pacific Ocean.

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Nitrogen oxide pollution in India and China is offsetting U.S. gains in cutting emissions, researchers say. This photo from October shows road traffic, along with smoke and smog, in front of the landmark India Gate in New Delhi.

Smog In Western U.S. Starts Out As Pollution In Asia, Researchers Say

11:46am March 03, 2017

by Bill Chappell

By tripling their emission of pollutants, Asian countries have contributed as much as 65 percent of a rise in ozone levels in the western U.S., scientists say.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry was sworn in Thursday, apparently having come to terms with heading the agency he once wanted to abolish.

Rick Perry Sworn In As Energy Secretary

8:41pm March 02, 2017

by Maggie Penman

The former Texas governor was confirmed Thursday by a 62-37 vote in the Senate. While running for president in 2011, Perry pledged to eliminate the department, but he says he's changed his mind.

Bush Administration EPA Chief Urges Caution In Cutting Regulations

11:15am March 02, 2017

Rachel Martin speaks with Christine Todd Whitman, who led the Environmental Protection Agency under George W. Bush. She responds to President Trump's plan to roll back regulations and cut EPA funding.

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Frank Gehrke (right), California's chief snow surveyor checks the weight of the snowpack on a scale. Scientists say the snowpack is 185 percent of average, which is welcome news after the state's long drought.

Sierra Snowpack Smacks California's Drought

8:57pm March 01, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

Despite one of the wettest winters on record, California Gov. Jerry Brown hasn't declared the five-year drought over yet. But the water shortages may to be over.

The Navajo Generating Station located on the Navajo Indian Reservation, near Page, Ariz.

Navajo Workers At Coal-Fired Power Plant Brace For Its Closing

5:30pm March 01, 2017

by Laurel Morales

The largest coal-fired power plant in the Western U.S. will shut down 25 years earlier than expected. Environmentalists are celebrating, but hundreds of Navajo workers there are devastated.

Heavy Rainfall Strains One Of California's Most Essential Reservoirs

4:31pm March 01, 2017

by Kirk Siegler

Snow surveyors are measuring the health of the snow pack in the high altitude Sierra Nevada. After years of drought, much of the state is now experiencing one of its wettest years on record.