climate

Rick Cosyns, a farmer in Madera, Calif., relied on water from the aquifer in years of drought. In other years he could replenish the aquifer with water from the San Joaquin River.

New protections for California's aquifers are reshaping the state's Central Valley

5:55am October 07, 2021

by Dan Charles

California's farmers, the country's biggest producers of fruits and vegetables, are facing a major shakeup. A new law limits their access to water from the state's depleted aquifers.

Scaling back Biden's $3.5 trillion plan means climate proposals may take a hit

4:33pm October 06, 2021

by Scott Detrow

President Biden is working with Democrats to scale back his initial $3.5 trillion Build Back Better plan. Some of the president's hallmark climate proposals could be diminished.

North Dakota ranchers have been forced to sell off close to 25% more of their herds over last year.

A mega-drought is hammering the US. In North Dakota, it's worse than the Dust Bowl

4:33pm October 06, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

Ranchers in North Dakota have been forced to sell off their herds at historic rates. Now they're worried they won't have enough feed to keep their remaining cows alive this winter.

Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann shared half of this year's Nobel Prize, and Giorgio Parisi was awarded the other half.

Science

The Nobel Prize in physics honors work on climate change and complex systems

8:00pm October 05, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for work on disorder, fluctuations and the ability to predict a changing climate.

Researchers who helped shape our understanding of climate change win Nobel Prize

4:51pm October 05, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

The Nobel Prize in physics went to three scientists this year for their work on climate change and chaotic systems.

The survival rate of puffin chicks in Maine plunged this summer

4:51pm October 05, 2021

by Fred Bever

Maine's Atlantic puffins took a big hit. Chicks' survival rate plummeted after a record-setting "marine heatwave" disrupted food supplies, showing how climate change is driving vast ecosystem change.

Aaron Fukuda, general manager of Tulare Irrigation District, stands in a basin that's designed to capture floodwater so that it can replenish depleted aquifers.

Water is scarce in California. But farmers have found ways to store it underground

4:51pm October 05, 2021

by Dan Charles

Farmers in California's drought-plagued Central Valley have big plans for the next year of heavy rains. They want to use that water to replenish depleted aquifers, akin to depositing water in a bank.

Aerial view of a coral reef area at Playa Blanca, in Portobelo, Colon province, Panama, on April 16, 2021. A massive new report shows that the world's coral reefs are under stress, but could recover if greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced.

A new report shows just how much climate change is killing the world's coral reefs

12:20pm October 05, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Rising ocean temperatures killed 14% of the world's coral reefs, a new analysis finds. But it's not without hope: Experts say many can recover if immediate action is taken to curb future warming.

A man works on the roof of a storm-damaged house on Sept. 4 after Hurricane Ida swept through Grand Isle, La. A new poll finds that two-thirds of Americans say if their home is hit by an extreme weather event they'd rather rebuild than relocate.

Politics & Government

Most Americans would rather rebuild than move if natural disaster strikes, poll finds

12:00pm October 05, 2021

Even as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, two-thirds of U.S. adults say if their home is hit they'd rather rebuild than relocate.

A month after Hurricane Ida, thousands of kids have yet to return to school

5:16pm October 04, 2021

by Aubri Juhasz

Hurricane Ida walloped south Louisiana a month ago. The killer storm wrecked lives and buildings. Now, kids are beginning to head back to classrooms for the first time since the hurricane.