Environment

A fisherman collects water on a beach littered with trash at an ecological reserve south of Manila in 2013.

8 Million Tons Of Plastic Clutter Our Seas

3:13pm February 20, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

A scientist estimating the weight of candy wrappers, bags, bottles, syringes and other plastic trash in the world's water sees a synthetic tsunami. Should China and India create more landfills?

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Can You Hear Nature's Sounds?

11:06am February 19, 2015

by Barbara J. King

Our lives are now so noisy that we're at risk of shutting out nature's beautiful sounds, a new study shows. Anthropologist Barbara J. King invites us to be still and listen to the world.

Environment

Duke Energy's SEC Filing Reveals Intent To Settle Criminal Probe

6:17am February 19, 2015

by Michael Burke

Duke Energy expects to pay $100 million to settle a federal criminal investigation. This settlement is a result of the coal ash spill in the Dan River, just over a year ago.

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Robert Davies (standing) and the quartet during a performance of "The Crossroads Project." Musicians include (left to right) Robert Waters, Rebecca McFaul, Anne Francis Bayless and Bradley Ottesen.

Climate Scientist Tries Arts To Stir Hearts Regarding Earth's Fate

12:45pm February 17, 2015

by Joe Palca

Physicist Robert Davies worked with a classical quartet and two visual artists to create a musical performance about climate change. The music and images, he says, help the information take hold.

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Environment

Weather Problems Close NC Zoo

7:59pm February 15, 2015

by Michael Burke

The high winds and freezing temperatures over the weekend caused many issues throughout the region-- including at the North Carolina Zoo.

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To put their probes into the Arctic Ice, researchers hitched a ride on a South Korean icebreaker.

Navy Funds A Small Robot Army To Study The Arctic

12:49pm February 15, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

The U.S. Navy has completed the largest robotic survey of the Arctic ever attempted. Warming waters are absorbing more sunlight and melting more ice there each summer, the gizmos and gliders suggest.

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Environment

Buried Boston Copes With Piles Of Snow

12:22pm February 14, 2015

Boston has been buried under piles of snow this winter. The streets are covered and there's more snow on the way. Car Talk's Ray Magliozzi talks to NPR's Scott Simon about how the city is coping.

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Observers Flock To Erupting Reunion Volcano

6:40pm February 13, 2015

by Emma Jacobs

One of the world's most active volcanoes is erupting again. Piton de la Fournaise in the Indian Ocean on the French island of Reunion began spewing lava from one of its four craters on Wednesday.

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Keystone XL Pipeline Would Transport 'Dirty Energy'

1:54pm February 13, 2015

Despite veto threats, the House sent the Keystone XL pipeline bill to President Obama. David Greene talks to Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council about environmental issues.

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Giant chunks of ice break away from the Hans Glacier in Svalbard, Norway, in 2013.

The Ice Is Talking. We Just Have To Listen

8:14am February 12, 2015

by NPR Staff

Glaciers moan and groan. They crackle, fizz and rumble. Researchers say the noises they make might help us understand how fast they're melting.

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