Environment

Activists in New York City show their support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which took effect on Friday.

U.N. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Takes Effect, Without The U.S. And Other Powers

1:43pm January 22, 2021

by Bill Chappell

"For the first time in history, nuclear weapons are going to be illegal in international law," says Elayne Whyte, who oversaw the treaty's creation.

Biden's Cancellation Of Permit For Keystone XL Pipeline Faces Mixed Reactions

4:31pm January 21, 2021

by Kayla Desroches

President Biden's plan to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline is welcome news to Native American governments and activists in Montana — but disappointing to many elected officials.

The Keystone XL pipeline was set to have passed near the White River in South Dakota. President Biden plans to block the controversial pipeline in one of his first acts of office.

Biden Order Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline

9:30pm January 20, 2021

by Jeff Brady

This likely means the end of the $8 billion pipeline, a years-long project that would have carried oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to the American Gulf Coast.

President Joe Biden is directing the U.S. to rejoin the international Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Here, activists rally on Dec. 12, 2015.

Biden Moves To Have U.S. Rejoin Climate Accord

7:51pm January 20, 2021

by Nathan Rott

President Biden signed an executive order to have the country reenter the Paris Climate Agreement, less than four months after formally withdrawing.

Vehicles drive on highway I-94 in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 7, 2020. A recent report from the International Energy Agency said emissions fell across most parts of the economy, with one notable exception: SUVs.

Environment

Pandemic Drastically Cut Emissions From Cars. The Lone Exception? SUVs

7:00pm January 20, 2021

by Camila Domonoske

In rich countries, every sector of the economy reduced its contribution to climate change last year — with one big gas-guzzling exception.

Pesticide warning sign in an orange grove. This sign, bilingual in English and Spanish, warns that the poisonous pesticide Lorsban has been applied to these orange trees. Photographed in Woodlake, in the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA.

Toxic Pesticide Faces New Scrutiny From Biden Administration

6:33pm January 20, 2021

by Dan Charles

President Biden's wave of executive actions includes an order to reexamine one controversial, but widely used, pesticide called chlorpyrifos. The Trump administration kept it on the market.

President Biden has vowed quick action on climate change, appointing the largest climate staff of any president.

Biden To Move Quickly On Climate Change, Reversing Trump Rollbacks

5:05pm January 20, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

President Biden has set his sights on more than 100 Trump administration environmental rollbacks as well as plans to rejoin the international climate accord.

Massachusetts Voters Share Their Hopes For New Administration

4:30pm January 20, 2021

by Tovia Smith

Some Massachusetts voters hope that the Biden administration will do better on protecting the environment and managing the pandemic. But some say they fear President Biden may be too moderate.

Environment

Biden's Plan To Undo Trump's Last-Minute Deregulatory Spree & Enact A Climate Agenda

1:42pm January 20, 2021

by Terry Gross

Trump called climate change a hoax. Biden calls it an existential threat. Washington Post journalist Juliet Eilperin talks about how Biden might reverse some of his predecessor's policies.

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Climate Change Concerns Prompt Americans To Consider Relocating

6:10am January 20, 2021

by Annie Ropeik

As climate impacts worsen, some people are moving to other parts of the country that they hope won't suffer as much. Town planners in New Hampshire are already preparing for a possible influx.

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