Climate

Marching bands have been struggling with extreme heat. Here's how they're adjusting

5:19am October 06, 2023

by Janet W. Lee

Marching bands returned to practice this fall under challenges like extreme heat and irregular weather conditions. They're getting creative to beat the heat of climate change.

Philippines dam aims to solve water shortage exacerbated by climate change

5:12am October 06, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

A dam being built in the Philippines to mitigate an impending water shortage is drawing controversy, and highlighting the disjointed conversation about development in the country.

Stock image of a businessman and a girl pushing a burning globe.

People working on climate solutions are facing a big obstacle: conspiracy theories

4:42pm October 05, 2023

To talk about the current state of climate disinformation, we checked in with three NPR reporters who have reported on climate, disinformation and the media.

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Pyxis Ocean sets sail in August on its first voyage since being retrofitted with WindWings.

New technology uses good old-fashioned wind to power giant cargo vessels

2:33pm October 05, 2023

by Scott Neuman

Cargo ships equipped with massive rigid sails called WindWings could save a substantial amount of fuel, considering how much of the world's goods are transported by sea.

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Arts

U.S. transition to clean energy is happening faster than you think, reporter says

2:04pm October 05, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

Huge swaths of the country are pivoting from fossil fuels, toward wind, solar and other renewables. New York Times climate reporter Brad Plumer discusses this progress and roadblocks that lie ahead.

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A person rests under an umbrella as the sun sets, Sept. 12, 2023, in Newport Beach, Calif. After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported.

Earth is on track for its hottest year yet, according to a European climate agency

3:45am October 05, 2023

by The Associated Press

The report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service also noted that Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures reached in September.

A Uruguayan physicist cracked a major code for renewable energy

5:52pm October 04, 2023

by Erika Beras

In an unlikely country, Uruguay, a particle physicist figured out how to convert energy grids to renewable energy. We tell the story of how he did it.

Pakistan is planting lots of mangroves — but it's upsetting some environmentalists

5:41pm October 04, 2023

by Diaa Hadid

An initiative to revive the Indus River hopes to save this major waterway from overuse and pollution. Some 240 million people are riding on the outcome. But the financing of it is controversial.

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Vegetarianism may be in your genes

4:39pm October 04, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Eating less meat is good for your health and the environment. Now a new study suggests genes may play a role in people's ability to stick to a strict vegetarian diet.

A study published in the journal Nature found that the status of amphibians globally is "deteriorating rapidly," earning them the unenviable title of being the planet's most threatened class of vertebrates. Here, an endangered Agalychnis annae, commonly known as a Blue-Sided Leaf Frog, is seen at National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, INBio, in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Scientists looked at nearly every known amphibian type. They're not doing great

4:36pm October 04, 2023

by Nathan Rott

A new global assessment of the world's amphibians finds that more than 2 of every 5 known species is at risk of extinction. Habitat loss, disease and climate change are the main drivers.