Environment

The Earth's 'Sixth Extinction' May Be One Of Our Own Making

10:15am February 12, 2014

There have been five major mass extinctions over the last half-billion years, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring an era of mass extinction predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. But this time around, says Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction, it's humans that are causing it.

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Men walk along a railway line in Beijing on Jan. 12, as air pollution reached hazardous levels.

China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths

2:25pm February 10, 2014

by Rob Stein

About 1.2 million people die prematurely every year in China from exposure to outdoor air pollution. Smog has dogged the country as it grows at an explosive rate and burns huge quantities of fossil fuels. But there are signs that the government is beginning to take the issue more seriously.

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Kansas Mayor Says Sustainability Is About Community, Not Politics

1:36pm February 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Today's political polarization makes it seem harder than ever to tackle climate change. Republican Bob Dixson says the goals of going green aren't only for liberals. His town of Greensburg was hit by an unusually strong tornado, and now he's working on a White House task force to prepare communities like his.

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Environment

Environmental Group's Water Quality Report From Dan River Coal Ash Spill Released

6:09pm February 07, 2014

by Keri Brown

Environmental regulators say they are still waiting on tests to determine whether the poisonous sludge had seeped into water supplies in North Carolina and Virginia, but several environmental groups have been conducting some of their own testing.

Volunteers with the Dan River Basin Association, graduate students from Duke University and staff with the environmental group Appalachian Voices collect water samples on the Dan River after a massive coal ash spill.

More Than 80,000 Tons Of Coal Ash Flow Into N.C. River

10:23pm February 05, 2014

by Jeff Tiberii

A broken stormwater pipe in North Carolina has sent the waste into the Dan River, which flows through Virginia and out into the Atlantic. Officials say the drinking water is safe, but environmental questions linger.

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Environment

North Carolina Coal Ash Spill Causes Concerns About Public Drinking Water

4:07pm February 04, 2014

by Keri Brown

State and federal environmental officials are continuing their investigations of a coal ash spill into the Dan River in Rockingham County.

How Industrial Chemical Regulation Failed West Virginia

7:55pm January 29, 2014

For Charleston Gazette reporter Ken Ward, the recent chemical spill — and sometimes confusing information authorities have provided about the risks to citizens — reflect long-standing regulatory failures in the state. He says West Virginia has "basically ignored" recommendations for stricter oversight.

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Environment

It's Time for Sledding! Winter Storm Brings Headaches & Fun For Triad Residents

6:18pm January 29, 2014

by Keri Brown

The snow and bone-chilling cold weather forced schools in several North Carolina counties to close their doors Wednesday. A few inches of snow fell in the Triad, and children and adults are taking full advantage of the fluffy white stuff.

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Environment

NCDOT Crews Work Long Shifts Clearing Roads

4:00pm January 29, 2014

Road crews continue cleaning up primary roads and highways across North Carolina.

A boat skims through the melting ice in the Ilulissat fjord in August 2008, on the western coast of Greenland.

Entrepreneurs Looking For 'Windfall' Cash In On Climate Change

2:48pm January 28, 2014

A new book explores the ways melting Arctic ice yield new shipping channels, new oil and gas resources — and potential profits. Journalist McKenzie Funk delves into the "booming business of global warming" in Windfall.

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