Environment

The Solar Impulse 2 airplane, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, gains altitude after taking off from Kalaeloa Airport in Kapolei, Hawaii during a test and training flight in April.

Experimental Solar-Powered Plane Takes Flight After 9-Month Delay

1:13pm April 21, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Solar Impulse 2 is attempting to circumnavigate the world using only the sun's power. It has been grounded in Hawaii for maintenance and is now on a three day journey heading to California.

For Voters In Appalachian Region, Medical Care Is A Big Issue

6:40am April 21, 2016

Tennessee's alternative to Obamacare is faltering. Steve Inskeep talks to Knoxville's mayor about health and political issues. Chris Green of Berea College weighs in on the area's political leanings.

Environment

More Charges Expected In Flint's Contaminated Drinking Water Case

4:59am April 21, 2016

by Rick Pluta

A day after the first criminal charges related to Flint's lead tainted water were filed, residents of the Michigan city and others wonder how high up the investigation into the crisis will go.

3 Face Criminal Charges Over Flint Water Crisis

6:43pm April 20, 2016

by Doreen McCallister

Two Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees and a Flint water official are being charged with misconduct, neglect of duty and tampering with evidence over the city's contaminated water.

People in Boston enjoyed a late winter heat wave this past March. In much of the U.S., climate change is causing winters to warm faster than summers.

Climate Change? Some People May Not Be Sweating It Because The Weather Is Nicer

4:17pm April 20, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

Researchers say climate change has made weather more pleasant in many parts of the U.S. Winters have been milder, and summers haven't become much hotter. But that's likely to change in coming years.

Workers install solar panels on the roof of a home in Camarillo, Calif., in 2013. San Francisco has recently decided to start requiring rooftop solar systems — electrical or heating — on new construction up to 10 stories tall.

San Francisco Requires New Buildings To Install Solar Panels

4:01pm April 20, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

San Francisco already required buildings to be "solar ready," and starting in 2017, actual panels will be mandated. It's the first major U.S. city to take such a step, according to the bill's sponsor.

A box of morel mushrooms for sale at the farmers' market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

After Fires In West, Mushroom Hunters 'Chase The Burn'

2:32pm April 20, 2016

by Lisa Morehouse

From Northern California to Alaska, commercial and amateur foragers are now scouring the hills in search of black morels — prized mushrooms which grow in land ravaged by forest fires.

Environment

Danville Settles With Duke Energy Over Coal Ash Spill

11:32am April 20, 2016

by Neal Charnoff

City Council in Danville, Virginia approved a $2.4 million dollar settlement from Duke Energy for damages caused by the coal ash spill in Eden.

Queue Listen Now

Many glaciers are melting in Alaska. Scientists believe climate change is at work.

Why Our Brains Weren't Made To Deal With Climate Change

10:47am April 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Human beings would be better at fighting climate change if we weren't so, well, human. In this episode, we explore the psychological barriers to addressing climate change.

Queue Listen Now

"Boaty McBoatface" likely will not be emblazoned on the side of the U.K.'s polar research vessel.

U.K. Science Minister Torpedoes 'Boaty McBoatface' As Ship Name

10:45am April 19, 2016

by Laura Wagner

When Britain's Natural Environment Research Council launched a poll to help name a new research ship, one suggestion caught on: Boaty McBoatface. But Science Minister Jo Johnson says it's unsuitable.