Environment

In August 2017, the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston was over capacity after floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey inundated the city. This hurricane season, congregate shelters — from school gyms to vast convention centers — risk becoming inf

U.S. Disaster Response Scrambles To Protect People From Both Hurricanes And COVID-19

4:07pm July 22, 2020

by Abby Wendle

Hotel rooms would be "ideal" for housing an overflow of evacuees from shelters practicing social distancing, but few towns have them lined up in the southeast, where coronavirus infections are raging.

Queue Listen Now

Humpback whales feed together just outside Glacier Bay, Alaska.

Whales Get A Break As Pandemic Creates Quieter Oceans

1:19pm July 20, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

A drop in shipping traffic is reducing underwater noise, so scientists are listening for how whales and other marine life are responding.

Electric carmaker Tesla has seen its stock values soar in recent months.

Environment

Tesla Stock Is Soaring. It's Controversial. And Soon, It Could Be In Your Portfolio

11:08am July 20, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

If the electric carmaker enters the S&P 500 index, as is widely expected, Wall Street's most controversial stock would start appearing in even the most mainstream investment accounts.

A one-horned rhinoceros and a calf wade through flood water at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, India, Thursday. Floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed dozens of people in this northeastern region. The floods also inun

Floods Put Residents And Vulnerable Wildlife At Risk In India's Assam

10:21am July 17, 2020

by Sushmita Pathak

Heavy rains in the northeastern region have caused flooding and landslides, killing at least 80 people. Workers are also rushing to save species including the greater one-horned rhino.

Scientists Discover A New Material For Cleaning Up Oil Spills

4:58pm July 16, 2020

by Christopher Intagliata

Scientists have come up with a novel material for cleaning up oil spills on land. Mats of human hair and dog fur successfully absorb oil from hard surfaces — but not so well from sand.

Queue Listen Now

Satellite Images Show Who's To Blame For Most Of The Deforestation In Brazil

4:58pm July 16, 2020

by Dan Charles

Satellite images show that a small minority of farmers are responsible for most of the deforestation in Brazil. Scientists are calling on international grain traders to stop buying from those farmers.

Ten artists from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean recorded tracks using birdsong from their country, with all profits of the vinyl and digital release going to bird conservation projects.

A New Album Turns The Sound Of Endangered Birds Into Electronic Music

3:27pm July 16, 2020

by Catalina Maria Johnson

Ten artists from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean recorded tracks using birdsong from their country, with all profits of the vinyl and digital release going to bird conservation projects.

Queue Listen Now

President Trump proposes changes to the National Environmental Policy Act at the White House in January. The final rules aims to speed approval of pipelines and other infrastructure.

Trump Overhauls Key Environmental Law To Speed Up Pipelines And Other Projects

4:40pm July 15, 2020

by Jeff Brady

President Trump is making major changes to a bedrock environmental law that he says will help the economy. Critics say the move will sideline input from communities affected by polluting projects.

President Trump Announces Changes To National Environmental Policy Act Regulations

4:05pm July 15, 2020

by Jeff Brady

President Trump announced changes to the regulations governing the National Environmental Policy Act. They could boost construction of big infrastructure projects but sideline environmental concerns.

Queue Listen Now

Court Halts Dakota Access Pipeline Shutdown As Legal Fight Goes Forward

10:27am July 15, 2020

A federal appellate court temporarily blocked a lower-court order to shut down and empty the controversial oil pipeline. The operator, Energy Transfer, can continue pumping while the case is pending.