Climate

A car sits partially submerged on a flooded road during a rain storm in Long Beach, Calif., on Thursday.

National

Atmospheric river expected to bring life-threatening floods to Southern California

8:38am February 03, 2024

by NPR Staff

The National Weather Service warns the storm could drop unprecedented rain over a wide area from Saturday night through early next week, with the period of most concern from Sunday into early Monday.

A thermal imaging device attached to an iPhone shows a range of temperatures with reds and oranges representing hot conditions. Some cities are mapping heat to better understand how to prepare for extreme temperatures.

How mapping 'heat islands' can help cities prepare for extreme heat

6:29am February 01, 2024

by Britny Cordera

Oklahoma City and several other cities last year worked with NOAA to map neighborhoods to find out how heat impacts neighborhoods. The data can help cities prepare and adapt to a warmer world.

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John Podesta looks on during a meeting between President Biden and mayors at the White House on Jan. 19, 2024.

Politics & Government

Biden's new climate envoy is John Podesta. He has a big domestic climate job too

6:15pm January 31, 2024

by Tamara Keith

Longtime Democratic aide John Podesta will take over international climate talks from former Secretary of State John Kerry. He also oversees Biden's big domestic climate incentives.

National

San Diego's flooding shows the toll of climate change on low-income communities

5:44pm January 29, 2024

Many communities affected most by San Diego's flooding were low-income, with a majority of Latino and Black residents. The impact highlights the inequality in public investment for climate resiliency.

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National

Winter storms in the west have lacked enough snow for communities that depend on it

5:44pm January 29, 2024

by Kirk Siegler

Recent winter storms failed to produce the snow that farmers, cities and skiers rely on in much of the west. It's stirring climate change fears in snow-dependent economies.

In western Arizona, Ivan Bender, a Hualapai tribal member, points to an area, bordering Hualapai land, where an Australian mining company is exploring for lithium - a key metal in electric vehicle batteries.

Demand for minerals sparks fear of mining abuses on Indigenous peoples' lands

5:00am January 29, 2024

by Julia Simon

There's a growing demand for minerals as the world ramps up manufacturing of climate solutions. Experts say more than half of these mining projects are on or near lands of Indigenous peoples.

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A boat sails down the Calcasieu Ship Channel past Cameron LNG, one of three liquified natural gas export plants in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

U.S. pauses build-out of natural gas export terminals to weigh climate impacts

5:30am January 27, 2024

by Halle Parker

The Biden administration announced Friday it's temporarily freezing any new natural gas export facilities while the Department of Energy reviews the implications on climate change.

Billie Eilish at the 32nd Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards Gala in Los Angeles, Oct. 8 2022. The pop star is flanked by her mother Maggie Baird (left) and EMA CEO Debbie Levin.

Arts

Hollywood has been giving out climate change-focused awards for 33 years. Who knew?

5:00am January 27, 2024

by Chloe Veltman

Now in its 33rd year, the Environmental Media Awards might be the most celebrity-studded awards ceremony you've never heard of.

Hotter than normal temperatures are exacerbating the megadrought that's depleted Western water reserves, like Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico, new research finds.

'Hot droughts' are becoming more common in the arid West, new study finds

12:51pm January 26, 2024

by Nathan Rott

Scientists looked at trees to better understand the interplay between temperatures and droughts in the Western U.S. Human-caused climate change is exacerbating both.

Climate experts urged to better translate science so people can understand it

5:10am January 25, 2024

by Paige Waterhouse

Only three out of 10 Americans see climate change as a clear and present issue. Experts believe the way we talk about climate change directly impacts the public response toward global warming.