climate

Climate Expert On Why People Outside Of Tennessee Should Be Worried About Its Storm

4:34pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Janey Camp, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University, about how storms like Tennessee's will become more common with climate change.

A reconstructed Neanderthal skeleton (right) and a modern-human version of a skeleton are displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 2003. A new study confirms that early humans who lived in colder places adapted to have larger bod

Science

Colder Climates Meant Bigger Bodies For Ancient Humans

6:25pm July 08, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Human ancestors got steadily larger over the last 1 million years. Our relatives living in colder places developed bigger bodies, a new study finds.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the media about the cruise industry during a press conference at PortMiami in April. DeSantis faces criticism for failing to do all he could on Florida's biggest environmental threat: climate change.

Ron DeSantis Pushes Coastal 'Resilience' While Doing Little To Tackle Climate Change

4:29pm May 05, 2021

The Florida governor has made the environment a priority, dedicating millions to water quality and coastal infrastructure. But critics say he ignores the biggest threat: carbon emissions.

Tia Tate is a computational biologist currently working in a postdoctoral position at a federal agency in North Carolina.

Science

Why Having Diverse Government Scientists Is Key To Dealing With Climate Change

4:38pm April 30, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Climate and health policies rely on scientific expertise. But the federal science workforce has been shaped by decades of political interference, underfunding and race and gender bias.

President Biden greets Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry in January.

On Climate, U.S. And China Pledge Cooperation, But Competition Will Also Be Prominent

3:40pm April 21, 2021

by John Ruwitch

Bilateral ties are at a low and while Washington and Beijing agreed on climate cooperation, details are unclear. Competition with China is key to the Biden administration's response to climate change.

Queue Listen Now

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 18, is adding vaccine inequality to her agenda. In a speech on Monday, she said it was "unethical" to vaccinate young people in rich countries when health workers in low resource countries aren't yet inoculated.

Eco-Activist Greta Thunberg Has A New Issue: The Moral Threat of Vaccine Inequality

5:13pm April 19, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

The 18-year-old gave her point of view at a World Health Organization press conference, saying it's "unethical" to vaccinate young people in wealthy countries ahead of health workers in poor places.

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks during an event in 2018. Apple is one of 310 companies calling on the Biden administration to slash carbon emissions.

Hundreds Of Companies Call For U.S. To Slash Carbon Emissions

5:37pm April 13, 2021

by Eric McDaniel

In a move to curb climate change, an open letter from companies including Apple and Walmart calls on the Biden administration to cut U.S. emissions to at least half of 2005 levels by 2030.

Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., during her Senate hearing Tuesday to be Interior Secretary. If confirmed, she would be the first Native American to hold the post.

Interior Nominee Deb Haaland Faces Tough Questions On Climate Goals

10:58pm February 23, 2021

by Nathan Rott

Despite Biden's ambitious climate plan, Haaland told lawmakers the country would not abandon fossil fuels "overnight." If confirmed, she would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary.

Aircraft largely stayed on the ground in spring 2020, leading to a drop in greenhouse gas emissions.

Pandemic Causes Historic — But Fleeting— Drop In U.S. Climate Emissions

10:01am January 14, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

As Americans stayed home during the pandemic, cars and planes produced less heat-trapping emissions. But the effect is only temporary.

Air conditioners on display in Baghdad. Congress' coronavirus relief package will also reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons, putting the U.S. in line with an international agreement to fight climate change.

Politics & Government

Climate Action For Christmas? Omnibus Bill Includes Biggest Policy Shift In Years

4:25pm December 22, 2020

Congress has long struggled to pass new laws addressing climate change, even ones with bipartisan support. But the end-of-year spending package includes an energy bill with major climate measures.