Climate

Braxton Hicks, 7, of Livingston, Texas, holds his face to a portable fan to cool off during a Little League tournament in Ruston, La., last week. More very hot weather is expected this weekend in much of the central U.S.

Heat dome over Central U.S. could bring hottest temps yet to parts of the Midwest

5:46pm August 18, 2023

by Laurel Wamsley

This summer has already been awfully hot in the southern Plains and the Gulf Coast. Now, a large portion of the U.S. will face a prolonged period of dangerous heat.

National

Hurricane Hilary will likely be a tropical storm by the time it hits Baja California

4:55pm August 18, 2023

by Erik Anderson

Hurricane Hilary continues her march toward Baja California, and people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are getting ready for projected heavy rains and flooding.

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The effort to restore Joshua trees after Mojave wildfire faces grim odds

4:55pm August 18, 2023

After flames destroyed 1.3 million Joshua trees in Mojave National Preserve, biologists began replanting seedlings. But many have died, and now another fire has torched more of the iconic succulents.

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Workers install solar panels on a rooftop at AltaSea's research and development facility at the Port of Los Angeles on April 21, 2023.

Politics & Government

The U.S. imports most of its solar panels. A new ruling may make that more expensive

12:21pm August 18, 2023

by Eric McDaniel

The Commerce Department says solar panel makers in four Southeast Asian countries are evading U.S. duties on Chinese solar components. The finding could raise costs in the United States.

Volunteers helping those who lost homes in Lahaina stop to pray on a hillside. The town is surrounded by dry, invasive grasses which are highly flammable.

3 strategies Maui can adopt from other states to help prevent dangerous wildfires

11:08am August 18, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

In preparing for future fires, Maui doesn't have to look far. States like California have passed wildfire policies to reduce the risk that a community will be destroyed.

Books

The book 'The Quickening' looks at bringing a child into a world with climate change

5:49pm August 17, 2023

by Julie Depenbrock

In the new book The Quickening, author Elizabeth Rush charts a journey to Antarctica's "Doomsday Glacier" — and muses about contemplating parenthood in a time of climate change.

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World News

Yellowknife mayor provides the latest update on evacuations in the Canadian city

5:13pm August 17, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Rebecca Atly, the mayor of Yellowknife, Canada, which has issued an evacuation for all of the city's 20,000 residents due to wildfires.

Smoke rises from the Head Fire in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Tuesday Aug. 15, 2023.

National

Record heat boosting wildfire risk in Pacific Northwest

4:40pm August 17, 2023

Record high temperatures, strong winds and thunderstorms are prompting warnings for high wildfire danger across the Pacific Northwest.

President Joe Biden (C) signs The Inflation Reduction Act with (L-R) Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Kathy Catsor (D-FL) in the State Dining Room of the White House August 16, 2022 in Washington, DC.

A year in, landmark U.S. climate policy drives energy transition but hurdles remain

9:07pm August 16, 2023

by Rachel Waldholz

One year ago, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, directing hundreds of billions of dollars to speed the transition away from fossil fuels.

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National

The Pacific Northwest sets new records for daily high temperatures amid heat wave

5:49pm August 16, 2023

by Austin Amestoy

The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a record breaking heatwave. People unaccustomed to 100 degree-plus temperatures are trying to stay cool and nervously watching tinder dry forests.

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