Environment

Demolition crews remove the last remains of a house that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, which battered parts of the East Coast, in 2013.

As States Ready Disaster Plans, Feds Urge Them To Consider Climate Change

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

Several U.S. senators are accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency of injecting "unnecessary, ideological-based red tape" into the disaster-preparedness process.

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Researchers meet participants: (from left) investigator Jose Luis Roca; Dr. Ernesto Ortiz; study participants Rainer Leon and his mother, Rina Leon Chanbilla; and nurse Jennifer Rampas.

They're Going Door To Door In The Amazon To See Why People Get Sick

10:14am May 19, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

In one of the most remote parts of the Peruvian Amazon, researchers are in the midst of an extensive health census. The study could be key to figuring out the impact of mercury used in illegal mining.

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In Arctic Drilling Debate, A Dispute Over Cleanup Preparedness

9:12pm May 18, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Royal Dutch Shell can drill oil exploration wells this summer in the Chukchi Sea, if Shell shows it can prevent and clean up a potential spill. Environmentalists are skeptical; Shell says it's ready.

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Environment

Push To Change NC Solar Energy Law Raises Concerns

9:58am May 18, 2015

by Keri Brown

North Carolina lawmakers are considering a series of solar energy bills.

This aerial view shows the effects of gold mining on Peru's rain forest.

Who Did This To Peru's Jungle?

3:53pm May 17, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

When the price of gold skyrocketed, illegal miners flooded into the country's Amazon basin, eager to find even the tiniest bits of the precious metal. Trees and villagers have paid a price.

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'Not On My Land': Southern Residents Fight Building Of Palmetto Pipeline

6:58pm May 15, 2015

by Sarah McCammon

Kinder Morgan is proposing the pipeline to carry oil and natural gas through South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. But smaller oil suppliers are also concerned about markets like Savannah, Georgia.

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A 2008 view of the leading edge of the Larsen B ice shelf, extending into the northwest part of the Weddell Sea. Huge, floating ice shelves that line the Antarctic coast help hold back sheets of ice that cover land.

Massive Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Be Gone Within Years, NASA Says

4:31pm May 15, 2015

by Scott Neuman

What's left of the Larsen B shelf, two-thirds of which underwent a spectacular collapse in 2002, will disappear by the end of the decade, according to a new study.

Seasons May Tweak Genes That Trigger Some Chronic Diseases

3:26pm May 14, 2015

by Rob Stein

Genes linked to inflammation are more active in winter, a study hints. That might partly explain why some diseases, including Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, are more likely to start then.

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California Builders Prepare For Future Water Needs As Population Grows

6:56pm May 13, 2015

by Molly Peterson

Under the growing burden of drought, California is struggling to supply enough water to all of the people currently living there. The state is also working on ways to ensure water for millions more residents expected to live there in the future.

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Santa Fe Cuts Water Consumption By Imposing Tiered Pricing Model

6:56pm May 13, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block interviews Santa Fe, N.M., Mayor Javier Gonzales about how the city managed to cut water usage by one-fifth while its population grew by 10 percent.

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