Environment

Environment

California's Bishop Pines Are Dying. Is Drought To Blame?

8:05am June 02, 2015

by Jed Kim

Bishop pine only grows in a handful of places on the West Coast. In one of those places, the drought-stricken Channel Islands off the coast of California, they're dying off in huge numbers.

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Conservationists Warn Hunting, Development Threaten New Species

10:25pm June 01, 2015

Crawford Allan of TRAFFIC, an anti-wildlife trafficking organization, tells NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates that the rarity of some of these species in Southeast Asia make them desirable to illegal trade.

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Carla Gugino star in the action thriller San Andreas.

Fact-Checking 'San Andreas': Are Earthquake Swarms For Real?

6:38pm June 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Seismologist Lucile Jones discusses how accurate — or not — the plot of this new California earthquake thriller really is. Bonus: Her advice on what to include in an earthquake kit.

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Climate Change Meeting To Focus On Ensuring Countries Keep Commitments

4:22pm June 01, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The meeting in Bonn, Germany, comes a day after European energy companies urged countries to adopt a pricing system for carbon emissions.

Tucker Jones, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, counts sturgeon in the Columbia River. He says only 1 percent of sturgeon survive the 15 to 25 years it takes for them to start reproducing.

As Caviar Prices Skyrocket, Sturgeon Poachers Invade Pacific Northwest

2:31pm June 01, 2015

by Cassandra Profita

Global sturgeon populations are collapsing — most notably in Russia, where caviar is known as black gold. That's fueling a market for illegal caviar and driving poachers to the Columbia River.

The National Hurricane Center introduced a new storm surge forecast map this year. This map, centered on New Orleans, is a prototype.

10 Years Since Katrina: A Look Back At The Busiest Hurricane Season

10:26am June 01, 2015

by Greg Allen

Meteorologists say this year's hurricane season will be quieter than usual. But if a Category 3 or higher hit the U.S., it would be the first time since 2005, one of the worst years on record.

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EPA Announces New Rules To Protect U.S. Waters

9:45pm May 31, 2015

by Scott Horsley

The Obama administration announces a regulation it says is aimed at protecting the country's rivers, lakes and other waterways from pollution. But critics say it's a massive regulatory overreach.

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Soaked Texans Brace For More Storms After 7 More Inches Of Rain Fall

6:20pm May 29, 2015

More rain is forecast this weekend in North Texas after up to 7 inches fell last night across parts of the state, causing colonies of fire ants and snakes to take shelter in houses.

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Administration Announces Controversial Plan To Protect Sage Grouse

2:59pm May 29, 2015

by Nathan Rott

The Interior Department plans to conserve millions of acres of habitat for the greater sage grouse in 10 states. The move limits areas where petroleum and agriculture development can take place.

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A morning's berry harvest from West Philadelphia's Ogden Orchard includes raspberries, gooseberries, currants, goumis and mulberries.

Urban Food Forests Make Fruit Free For The Picking

2:58pm May 29, 2015

by Alastair Bland

Urban orchards are dropping everything from apples to avocados on Seattle, Bloomington, Ind., Boston and several other cities. Advocates say orchards can have longer lasting impact than gardens.