climate

World News

Small island nations threatened by climate change seek voice in U.N. negotiations

5:11pm October 23, 2021

NPR's David Folkenflik speaks with ambassador Janine Felson, top climate negotiator from Belize, about the unique challenges facing small island nations ahead of the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow.

A coal-hauling truck with 240 tons of coal drives to the surface at the Buckskin Coal Mine in Gillette, Wyo., in 2004.

U.S. coal production is up sharply after hitting a 50-year low last year

10:18am October 22, 2021

by Kayla Desroches

As the Biden administration prepares to negotiate reductions in fossil fuel use at the Glasgow climate summit at the end of the month, U.S. coal production is actually up significantly this year.

National

Up for debate: How to protect W.Va. from climate change without hurting its economy

8:01am October 21, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Angie Rosser of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition about Sen. Joe Manchin's opposition to a climate bill that experts say would significantly reduce emissions.

The Schuylkill River floods Philadelphia in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in September. The extreme rain caught many by surprise, trapping people in basements and cars and killing dozens.

Climate change is bad for your health. And plans to boost economies may make it worse

6:31pm October 20, 2021

by Nathan Rott

A Lancet medical journal report finds that human-caused climate change is worsening human health in just about every measurable way. It calls for more urgent action from world leaders.

In this July 29, 2020 file photo, a view of a pump jack operating in an oil field in Midland, Texas.

Despite climate change promises, governments plan to ramp up fossil fuel production

10:47am October 20, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

A new study by the United Nations shows that the world's governments plan to carry on using coal, gas, and oil — despite promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

Climate researchers shed light on animal extinctions in Africa and Arabia Peninsula

6:00am October 20, 2021

In a study published earlier this month, a newly discovered climate event some 30 million years ago wiped out more than 60% of the species of mammals in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

In Spain, Seville hopes naming heat waves can save lives

6:31pm October 19, 2021

The mayor of Seville, Spain, has announced a new program — the world's first — to give official names to severe heat waves. The hope is that such a system will make people take them more seriously.

A man shelters a baby from the sun with an umbrella during a heatwave in Burgos, northern Spain, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Cities in Europe saw recording-setting heat this summer, with some regions reaching 117.3°F.

World News

Seville becomes the first major city in the world to categorize and name heat waves

1:26pm October 19, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

The effort, which will begin in 2022, will help the city with its disaster response if a heat wave is ranked as more dangerous. Seville's mayor hopes other cities follow suit.

Primatologist Jane Goodall is honored for her lifetime achievements at a ceremony on her 85th birthday at City Hall in Los Angeles on April 3, 2019.

Jane Goodall encourages all to act to save Earth in 'The Book of Hope'

7:40am October 19, 2021

by Barbara J. King

The primatologist says it's crucial that young people know how positive action can still shift the frightening trajectories of climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the ongoing global pandemic.

With Biden's climate plan in jeopardy, can America lead on climate change?

5:07pm October 18, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with environmental policy expert Leah Stokes about what the Democrats' spending plan can achieve on climate, with President Biden's clean electricity performance plan in limbo.