climate

National

Even in tornado-prone areas, storm shelters aren't required in warehouses

4:25pm March 01, 2022

by Eric Schmid

In the U.S., tornadoes cause more annual fatalities than hurricanes and earthquakes combined. Yet there isn't a national standard mandating that large warehouses include storm shelters for workers.

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The ski industry is preparing for a future that will require more manufactured snow

6:08am March 01, 2022

by H.J. Mai

Ski resorts along the East Coast are preparing for a future with warmer temperatures and less snowfall. Climate change is threatening a whole industry.

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In this photo provided by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, a blue barrier helps hold back flood water in a section of Maryborough, Australia on Tuesday.

Thousands evacuate worst Australian floods in decades

12:45am March 01, 2022

by The Associated Press

Local authorities have placed up to 300,000 people under evacuation warnings in one of the country's worst flooding incidents.

World News

Some effects of climate change are irreversible, but there's still hope

4:36pm February 28, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with earth scientist Brian O'Neill about a new major United Nations report on climate change.

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Volunteer firefighters rest west of Yakutsk, Russia, in August 2021. Wildfires are getting more common in Siberia, undercutting the ability of the region's vast forests to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage

2:07pm February 28, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Some ecosystems have already been irreversibly altered, scientists say. And climate change is wreaking havoc on human health.

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A bee sucks nectar from a flower in Berlin, Germany. Bee populations are in decline in industrialized nations across the globe.

The world's insect population is in decline — and that's bad news for humans

1:19pm February 24, 2022

by Dave Davies

Environmental writer Oliver Milman says habitat loss, pesticides and climate change are killing off insects worldwide, which, in turn, threatens humans. His new book is The Insect Crisis.

Workers place geo-textile bags to prevent river erosion on the banks of Padma River in Bangladesh last September.

World News

The first step to preparing for surging climate migration? Defining it

5:00am February 23, 2022

Anywhere from tens of millions to a billion people could become climate migrants by 2050, according to a report from the RAND Corporation. The number varies widely depending on the definition used.

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Tourists visit the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica in 2019. A new study suggests that tourism and research activity in the most heavily trafficked part of the continent are leading to significantly more snow melt.

Soot is accelerating snow melt in popular parts of Antarctica, a study finds

3:32pm February 22, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Arctic communities have long been plagued by soot that drives snow melt and respiratory disease. Now, humans are making their mark in Antarctica.

Politics & Government

Assessing the Biden administration's progress on climate change

4:04pm February 21, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with outgoing deputy climate envoy Jonathan Pershing about what the Biden administration has accomplished on climate change so far.

How countries should prepare for climate migration

4:04pm February 21, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Jay Balagna of the RAND Corporation about his opinion piece titled "To help climate migrants, we must first recognize them."