Environment

A promo image for the Skunk Bear micro-doc, "Secrets Of The Snowy Owls."

We Followed A Snowy Owl From Maryland To Ontario

7:41am May 24, 2016

by Adam Cole

In the spring of 2015, a snowy owl named Baltimore was fitted with a backpack GPS transmitter. The data that transmitter collected over the past year shines a light on a mysterious species.

Environment

El Nino Offers Clues To California's Future Under Climate Change

6:26am May 24, 2016

by Sanden Totten

El Nino didn't deliver the monster rains many Californians were hoping for but it wasn't a total bust. The weather system raised ocean temperatures off the coast and led to some extremely high tides.

Sheikh Firoz (right), 15, and a friend stand in front of his family's house. They moved after floods destroyed their old home.

The Vanishing Islands Of India's Sundarbans

5:23pm May 23, 2016

by Ari Shapiro

Climate change has forced tens of thousands out. "I know I have a beautiful home," one islander says, "but ultimately it will go into the womb of the river. All we can do is try to delay the process."

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Environment

North Carolina's Black Bear Comeback Means More Sightings In The Triad

2:45pm May 23, 2016

by Sean Bueter

North Carolina's black bears have been making headlines in the Piedmont lately. But they're also getting attention around the country.

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Going There: The Future Of Water

12:15pm May 23, 2016

by Michel Martin

Western states like Colorado are balancing competing demands for waterways. When recreation, agriculture and civic interests find themselves at odds, how can water resources be divided fairly?

Villagers throw containers into a well to collect their daily supply of potable water after a tanker made its daily delivery in Shahapur, India, on May 13. India is in the midst of a drought.

A Warming World Means Less Water, With Economic Consequences

9:49am May 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

We know that climate change will make water scarcer. But it could also have big economic impacts, Richard Damania of the World Bank says.

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E.O. Wilson Goes To Washington

5:00pm May 22, 2016

by Andrea Seabrook

The Pulitzer Prize winner, who's known as the "father of biodiversity," is a scientific superstar. But now he's trying to convince Congress to set aside half the earth as wilderness.

With Drought The New Normal In The West, States Scramble To Prepare

5:00pm May 22, 2016

As the Colorado River dries out, the seven states that rely on this body of water risk water scarcity. Colorado state historian Patty Limerick discusses preparations for water scarcity in the West.

5 Years After Devastating Missouri Tornado, Communities Assesses Disaster Response

8:13am May 22, 2016

by Scott Harvey

Five years ago, a massive tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., killing 161 people. This week, Joplin will host leaders from other tornado-stricken cities to discuss the lessons they've learned.

The water-filled Bendsura Dam, seen in 2011.

Are Indians Turning To The 'Supernatural' In Subterranean Search For Water?

8:00am May 22, 2016

by Julie McCarthy

More than 330 million Indians are desperate for water, leading some to rely on an ancient — and unproven — method to find it underground.