Climate

A new study looks at the role climate change is playing in current heat waves

4:50am July 25, 2023

A new study looks at the role climate change has had globally in this summer's heat waves that have scorched much of the southern U.S., Europe and India.

A row of mailboxes tagged with evacuation notices during the Oak Fire in Mariposa, Calif., in July 2022. Many residents in the area are losing their home insurance because of rising wildfire risk.

How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown

4:29pm July 24, 2023

It's increasingly expensive and difficult to get home insurance, as losses rise from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. And the solutions aren't always politically popular.

July 19, 2023: Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in a forest near Nea Peramos, west of Athens.

World News

Wildfires in Greece prompt massive evacuations, leaving tourists in limbo

2:56pm July 24, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Tens of thousands of people, many of them British tourists, are scrambling to evacuate from Rhodes and Corfu as wildfires rage across the country. Temperatures are expected to climb again Tuesday.

Climate change is making it more difficult for Americans to get home insurance

7:47am July 24, 2023

Home insurance is becoming more expensive and increasingly difficult to get in states that are on the front lines of climate change. And some of the potential solutions aren't politically popular.

Queue Listen Now

As heat waves intensify, cities are trying to cool down by painting their streets

5:01am July 24, 2023

by Caleigh Wells

A new project in L.A. is trying to make the city cooler by painting streets with a reflective coating to bounce away heat from the sun. Other cities like Phoenix are undertaking similar efforts.

Queue Listen Now

Jacqueline Trejo, mayor of Macuelizo, walks past one of the town's murals. The pink flowering tree that's depicted is the source of the town's name. She wanted to improve the quality of life there but lacked the funds to fulfill her plans.

A Honduras mayor gambled on a plan for her town. She got 80 guitars ... and a lot more

6:59am July 23, 2023

Mayor Suyapa Jaqueline Trejo wanted music education for the youth of Macuelizo and a better quality of life for her town. Her municipality was strapped for cash. So she came up with a novel idea.

Austin, Texas, construction workers dig on a hot day in August 2021. Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that overturns local ordinances in some Texas cities that mandate regular rest breaks for such workers.

Amid a record heat wave, Texas construction workers lose their right to rest breaks

6:52pm July 21, 2023

by Hannah Levitan, Investigative Reporting Workshop

In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law undoing local protections that ensured breaks for laborers who spend their days in scorching heat. The law takes effect Sept. 1.

A UPS delivery truck drives through an intersection in San Francisco.

National

Delivery drivers are forced to confront the heatwave head on

5:00pm July 21, 2023

For many, the key to avoiding these record high temperatures is staying inside and blasting the AC. But what about the people whose work keeps them outside for hours at a time?

Queue Listen Now

Heavy smoke from Canada's wildfires has put a thick haze over large parts of the U.S. this summer. Here, visitors to New York City hold a map showing city landmarks on a clear day as they stand on the viewing deck of Rockefeller Center in late June.

Why can't Canada just put the fires out? Here are 5 answers to key questions

11:04am July 21, 2023

by Bill Chappell

In Canada, more than 25 million acres of land — an area larger than Portugal — has burned, and the fire season shows no signs of slowing. Here's why many fires are being left to burn.

El Niño will likely continue into early 2024, driving even more hot weather

5:01am July 21, 2023

by Rebecca Hersher

NOAA has announced its forecast for El Niño, as well as expectations for drought, heat and precipitation in the coming months. (This piece originally aired on ATC on July 20, 2023.)