Environment

Anthropologist Amber Wutich embeds in communities only at their invitation — a method she calls 'participant observation.' Much of her work focuses on alleviating water insecurity.

This expert on water scarcity would never call herself a 'genius.' But MacArthur would

12:04pm October 04, 2023

by Max Barnhart

Amber Wutich, an anthropologist and newly minted 'MacArthur genius,' says water scarcity is a human-caused problem that requires human-generated solutions.

Podcast tile art (clockwise from top left) for Parched, from Colorado Public Radio; Bay Curious, from KQED; Short Wave, from NPR; Sea Change, from WWNO and WRKF; Death, Sex & Money, from WNYC Studios; and Seeking a Scientist, from KCUR.

Looking for innovative climate solutions? Check out these 8 podcasts

5:00am October 04, 2023

by Jack Mitchell

Add these episodes to your listening rotation during the NPR Network's Climate Solutions Week, where we're dedicated to stories and conversations about the search for climate solutions.

A new robot could help fight climate change by sinking stinky seaweed

5:34pm October 03, 2023

by Emily Olson

A new robot is designed to sink sargassum before the stinky seaweed comes ashore. Sargassum can wreck local economies, ecosystems — and even threaten human health, some research suggests.

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A fisherman stands on his boat as he navigates near thousands of dead fish awash on the banks of Piranha Lake due to a severe drought in the state of Amazonas, in Manacapuru, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.

More than 100 dolphins found dead in Brazilian Amazon as water temperatures soar

10:23am October 03, 2023

by The Associated Press

Experts believe high water temperatures are the most likely cause of the deaths in the lakes in the region. Temperatures since last week have exceeded 102 degrees Fahrenheit in the Tefe Lake region.

Kiran Joshi fills a copper vessel with water from Ashwanaula, a groundwater spring in the village of Raushil, where she lives with her family

As the 'water tower of Asia' dries out, villagers learn to recharge their springs

4:15pm October 02, 2023

by Namrata Kolachalam

In the Himalayan foothills, water is getting harder to come by. Villagers in one region of northern India are learning how to recharge the groundwater-fed springs they depend on.

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Environment

The annual 'Fat Bear Week' kicks off at Katmai National Park & Preserve

9:53am October 01, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to former ranger Mike Fitz about Katmai National Park & Preserve - the glorious setting for a very popular National Parks Service event, "Fat Bear Week."

The famous Sycamore Gap tree along Hadrian's Wall in northern England is seen in June, at top, and the new landscape on Thursday after someone cut the tree down.

Despair flows after England's Sycamore Gap tree is cut down. Could it regrow?

1:56pm September 29, 2023

The famous tree in northern England is believed to have been around 200 years old. Efforts are under way to salvage it through regrowth or grafting — or starting over from a new seed.

How the Sierra Club is adapting to the political challenges of the 21st century

9:43am September 29, 2023

Politicians in red states sometimes resist green policies. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, about how they're trying to bring red and green together.

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An after school mountain biking club in Farmington, a town that's trying to diversify away from just oil and gas.

Fossil fuel rules catch Western towns between old economies and new green goals

7:04pm September 28, 2023

by Kirk Siegler

The Biden administration is trying to dramatically change how and where oil and gas drilling occurs on federal land, which is getting mixed reviews in longtime drilling boom-towns.

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Environment

Quagga Mussels Invade Idaho

4:41pm September 28, 2023

by Rachel Cohen

Tiny, highly invasive mussels have been found in the Snake River in Idaho, prompting an urgent response from officials. The mussels can devastate ecosystems, hydroelectric dams and more.