Environment

Tim Meyers on his four-acre vegetable farm in southwestern Alaska. Behind him: an endless sea of tundra, and a glimpse of the town of Bethel.

Alaska Farmer Turns Icy Patch Of Tundra Into A Breadbasket

1:49pm February 26, 2015

by Whitney Blair Wyckoff

Warmer temperatures in Alaska are giving farmers flexibility to plant a wider range of crops over a longer growing season. One farmer says the secret to his bounty is soil enriched by flooding rivers.

Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

4:40pm February 24, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate will vote no later than March 3 to override the veto. But Republicans do not appear to have enough votes to override the veto.

Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp stands on the docks as tribal crabbers unload their catch. The tribe has vowed to fight the oil train-to-ship terminals proposed for Grays Harbor.

Washington State County Unsure If It Can Take Wave Of North Dakota Crude

2:42pm February 24, 2015

by Ashley Ahearn

Once a booming timber area, Grays Harbor County is the site of three proposed oil terminals. The local fishing industry sees the uptick in oil movement as a big risk, with limited economic benefits.

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A truck drives on top of a levee that protects a soybean field in New Madrid County, Mo., when the Mississippi River floods.

Army Corps Project Pits Farmland Against Flood Threat

1:26pm February 24, 2015

by Kristofor Husted

A levee project would cordon off lucrative farmland along the Mississippi River in southeastern Missouri. But towns in Illinois say that puts them at risk of flooding while protecting rich farmers.

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Botanists say this plant is the fern equivalent of a human-lemur love child.

'Weird' Fern Shows The Power Of Interspecies Sex

9:48am February 24, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Two species of fern that diverged 60 million years ago are as evolutionarily distant as, say, elephants and manatees. Nonetheless, the two species recently produced a hybrid, say astounded botanists.

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Eastern oysters in South Kingston, RI on July 25, 2013.

Acidifying Waters Are Endangering Your Oysters And Mussels

5:48pm February 23, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Many coastal communities that harvest shellfish could soon be hurt by ocean acidification, a study finds. The Pacific Northwest and New England are hot spots, as are estuaries along the East Coast.

Freight Farms are shipping containers modified to grow stacks of hydroponic plants and vegetables — anywhere, 365 days a year.

Freight Farms: How Boston Gets Local Greens, Even When Buried In Snow

1:48pm February 23, 2015

by Here & Now Staff

Big metal shipping containers are often used to import food from around the globe. Now, two Boston entrepreneurs are modifying those containers to grow local produce hydroponically, 365 days a year.

U.N. Report Warns Of 'Irreversible' Damage To Earth's Climate

11:49am February 23, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

In Copenhagen on Sunday, scientists gathered to issue their latest assessment of the world's climate. Their report is considered the most comprehensive overview of the state of climate science.

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Parks Service Surveys The Environment's Accoustical Health

12:36pm February 22, 2015

The National Park Service has been measuring sounds in nature for a decade. But not all sounds are natural. NPR's Rachel Martin checks in with Kurt Fristrup, who's behind the bio-acoustical project.

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The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 spewed almost 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, causing worldwide temperatures to drop half a degree on average.

Scientific Pros Weigh The Cons Of Messing With Earth's Thermostat

3:20pm February 20, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Studying techniques for engineering our way out of climate change would be helpful — and not the same as actually trying them, says a panel convened by the National Research Council.

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