Environment

Derailed Oil Train Continues To Burn In Illinois

3:12pm March 08, 2015

It's the third fiery derailment of trains carrying Bakken crude oil in three weeks, raising more questions about the volatility of the oil and the safety of the tank cars used to transport crude.

A lot of the airborne particles in the Earth's atmosphere come from natural sources, such as desert dust (red-orange) and sea salt (blue). But there's also soot from fires (green and yellow) and sulfur emissions (white) from burning fossil fuel.

Why China's Pollution Could Be Behind Our Cold, Snowy Winters

2:39pm March 08, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A video from NASA shows how air pollution moves around the world. So what happens when emissions from Asia blow across the Pacific Ocean to North America?

In Boston, nearly 9 feet of snow this winter has kept shoppers out of stores, putting a strain on the local economy.

Boston Economy Will Escape Big Freeze Of Historic Snowstorms

6:38pm March 06, 2015

by Curt Nickisch

New England businesses are taking stock after weeks of record-setting winter storms disrupted transportation, stopping many workers from doing their jobs. Telecommuting is helping Boston get by.

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Journalist Chai Jing used $160,000 of her own money to produce a documentary on China's air pollution problem.

The Anti-Pollution Documentary That's Taken China By Storm

8:29pm March 04, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

A prominent journalist with a sick child quit her job and produced an eye-opening look at the consequences of China's air pollution problem. Some 200 million have watched it since the weekend.

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Senate Fails To Override Obama's Veto On Keystone XL Pipeline

6:58pm March 04, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The final vote was 62-37, which falls short of the two-thirds needed to override the presidential veto.

A waitress serves shark fin soup in a restaurant in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong province on Aug. 10, 2014.

Why Shark Finning Bans Aren't Keeping Sharks Off The Plate (Yet)

11:37am March 04, 2015

by Alastair Bland

Fewer shark fins are being imported into Hong Kong, the epicenter of shark-fin soup, a culinary delicacy. But while the trade in shark fins may be down, the trade in shark meat is still going strong.

Shoal of tropical fish over a coral reef in the Caribbean Sea. From pristine forests to vivid reefs, Cuba "has it all," say ecologists eager to study the island habitats.

U.S. Biologists Keen To Explore, Help Protect Cuba's Wild Places

8:15pm March 02, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Birders especially know that Cuba harbors hundreds of rarely seen, little-studied species. As the island nation opens to more U.S. visitors, scientists hope "green Cuba" can survive increased tourism.

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Three casts of the head of Lonesome George, the last giant Pinta Island tortoise.

Science-Based Artist Gives Celebrity Tortoise A Second Life

6:38pm March 02, 2015

by Adam Cole

Lonesome George was the last surviving member of his species and a conservation icon. When the tortoise died, taxidermist George Dante set out to preserve his body, and his legacy.

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Opposition Grows To Nicaragua Canal Connecting Atlantic And Pacific

9:42pm February 26, 2015

by John Otis

The canal would allow passage for the largest ships on the water, but cut through wetlands, forests and the region's largest freshwater lake — and environmentalists worry about the consequences.

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Smoke rises from chimneys of coal-based power plants in the Sonbhadra District of Uttar Pradesh, India.

Young Indians Learn To Fight Pollution To Save Lives

2:19pm February 26, 2015

by Julie McCarthy

India's air pollution is so bad that it shortens many people's lives by about three years, a study found. This week Al Gore visited New Delhi to link bad air to climate change.

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