environment

Why a tiny bit of oil can be a big deal

5:00am March 26, 2025

More than three-quarters of U.S. wells make just 6% of the country's oil. They're called marginal wells because of their small output. But they're a big deal to oil producers and environmentalists.

EPA says it will roll back climate rules. That could prove complicated

12:15pm March 13, 2025

Announcing big changes to environmental rules doesn't undo facts on the ground overnight. Instead, EPA's announcement is the first step in what is likely to be a lengthy process to remake the rules and policies it targeted.

Valentine's Day Roses From Colombia Are Saved After Tariff Scare

The truth behind your Valentine's Day flowers

5:24pm February 13, 2025

The beauty of bouquets comes with a cost to the cloud forests of Colombia, the largest exporter of flowers and foliage to the United States.

Queue Listen Now

"Punxsutawney Phil" Makes Annual Winter Prediction On Groundhog Day

An earnest defense of America's silliest holiday: Groundhog Day

6:00am February 01, 2025

Let's celebrate Groundhog Day, in all its bizarre, quirky strangeness. Let it remind us that we have not subdued nature, but merely made ourselves more comfortable in its domain.

Farmers are abandoning their land. Is that good for nature?

7:00am January 03, 2025

Traditional farmers around the world are walking away from millions of acres of land where they once grew crops or grazed animals. It's provoking mixed reactions.

Queue Listen Now

National

Biden sets 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to replace lead pipes nationwide

11:49pm October 08, 2024

President Biden on Tuesday set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans.

Climate Activists Rally Outside The Supreme Court Over Their Recent EPA Decision

Why the next president's judicial appointments will impact climate action

1:07pm July 13, 2024

by Nathan Rott

The Supreme Court's recent term illustrates the judiciary's outsized role in government's ability to address climate change. The coming election could shape the judicial landscape for decades to come.

How to live without plastics for a month, according to the founder of a global movement

2:30pm July 12, 2024

by Claire Murashima

Plastic Free July is upon us! Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of Plastic Free July, encourages people to take the challenge with friends, start small and keep a “plastic-free kit” on hand.

Queue Listen Now

Lauren Hill, a graduate student at Cal State LA, holds a bird at the bird banding site at Bear Divide in the San Gabriel Mountains.

On this unassuming trail near LA, bird watchers see something spectacular

5:01am May 13, 2024

by Kai McNamee

At Bear Divide, just outside Los Angeles, you can see a rare spectacle of nature. This is one of the only places in the western United States where you can see bird migration during daylight hours.

Queue Listen Now

Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, is owned by Chinese company CMOC, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Minerals like cobalt are important components of electric vehicle batteries, but mines that produce them can hurt the environment and people nearby.

Their batteries hurt the environment, but EVs still beat gas cars. Here's why

5:31pm May 09, 2024

by Camila Domonoske

NPR listeners wrote to ask whether the environmental harm from building EVs "cancels out" the cars' climate benefits. Experts say the answer is clear.

Queue Listen Now