carbon emissions

Logger Greg Hemmerich and his crew feed low-value trees into a wood chipper, before bringing the chips to ReEnergy Holdings' biomass plant in Lyonsdale, N.Y.

Is Burning Trees Still Green? Some Experts Now Question Biomass

12:43pm July 12, 2016

by David Sommerstein

Biomass was rising a decade ago as a carbon-neutral energy. But the industry is sputtering as oil and natural gas booms, and some scientists are questioning if it's actually good for the environment.

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A central piece of President Obama's climate change initiatives is now on hold, after the Supreme Court put a stay on rules limiting carbon pollution generated by U.S. power plants.

Supreme Court Puts White House's Carbon Pollution Limits On Hold

11:51am February 10, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A decision on the Clean Power Plan could be long in coming — meaning that the rules' fate might not be determined before a new presidential administration comes into power in 2017.

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Steam rises from the stacks of the coal-fired Jim Bridger Power Plant outside Point of the Rocks, Wyo., in March 2014.

Using Technology To Keep Carbon Emissions In Check

5:39pm January 04, 2016

Renewable energy is only one of the steps toward achieving the goals set by the Paris climate deal. We take a trip around North America to explore other ways of keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.

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The round-trip flight that NPR's Ari Shapiro took to Paris emitted about a ton of greenhouse gases. Offsetting it cost a dollar, and he was given a white lanyard for his conference ID with the words "Climate Neutral Now" showing his trip was carbon-neutra

How To Stay Carbon-Neutral When Getting To Paris Is Carbon-Costly

6:28pm December 10, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Tens of thousands of people flew to Paris for the U.N. climate summit. Flying emits a lot of carbon. How to deal with the contradiction? NPR's Ari Shapiro finds one answer. It cost a dollar.

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President Obama addresses the opening ceremony of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) on Nov. 30.

Much Of The World Perplexed That Climate Debate Continues In U.S.

5:23pm December 09, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

The 20th century's biggest carbon emitter is also one of the few advanced democracies where climate change is not accepted as fact. This makes it hard for some to trust U.S. efforts on the issue.

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Young boys in Beijing check a smartphone in front of their home near a coal-fired power plant. As China's economy slowed in 2015, its industrial use of coal likely dropped, too, researchers say. That may be behind the slight drop in global CO2 emissions.

Small, Surprising Dip In World's Carbon Emissions Traced To China

3:46pm December 08, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Climate scientists say global emissions of carbon dioxide seem to have dipped a bit in 2015, though the world economy is still growing. China's reduced use of coal may be the main reason.

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A conference attendee looks at a projection of the Earth on Monday, the opening day of the COP 21 United Nations conference on climate change, in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris.

Businesses Awaken To The Opportunities Of Action On Climate Change

7:04pm December 01, 2015

by John Ydstie

Companies, once seen as an obstacle to or even an enemy of curbing emissions, now realize that tackling climate change can be good for their bottom line.

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The Beijing Environment Exchange, one of seven emissions trading pilot programs in China, may be part of a nationwide carbon market by as early as 2017.

China Plans To Create A Nationwide Carbon Market By 2017

3:50pm November 24, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

China is building what could be the world's largest carbon market. Pilot programs are helping to lower emissions. But this is mostly due to slowing growth and the shift away from manufacturing.

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World News

OECD Nations Agree To Cut Funding For Overseas Coal Power Plants

7:20pm November 18, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

Less than two weeks before climate talks in Paris, the U.S., Japan and other wealthy countries have reached agreement on one carbon-cutting issue: limiting financing for coal-burning power plants.

Kim Johnson of Ridgefield, Conn., says her 2014 Jetta lost more than $1,000 in value because, once fixed, it will no longer get the advertised mileage.

Economy

Emissions Scandal Is Hurting VW Owners Trying To Resell

11:59am October 26, 2015

by Charles Lane

As resale prices drop, the emissions cheating scandal costs customers who want to sell their Volkswagen diesels. "I think it's a tainted product now," says analyst Dave Galvin.

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