Environment

A satellite image shows a natural color view of active fire lines from the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires, near Las Vegas, New Mexico, on May 11.

New Mexico wildfire sparks backlash against controlled burns. That's bad for the West

2:32pm May 20, 2022

by Eric Westervelt

Experts worry a devastating wildfire in New Mexico, partly started by a controlled burn that got out of control, may create a backlash against this important forest management tool.

Ermias Kebreab speaks at Session 4 at TED Countdown Summit on October 14, 2021. TED Countdown Summit. October 12-15, 2021, Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: Ryan Lash / TED

Environment

Ermias Kebreab: What do seaweed and cow burps have to do with climate change?

9:37am May 20, 2022

Each year, one cow can belch 220 pounds of the greenhouse gas methane. Animal scientist Ermias Kebreab experimented with alternative cow diets and found a surprising solution: seaweed.

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Andrew Dent speaks at TEDNYC Speed of Change - BMWi Partner event, TEDNYC Theater, November 16, 2017, New York, NY. Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED

Environment

Andrew Dent: How everyday materials can make innovative new products

9:24am May 20, 2022

Materials scientist Andrew Dent takes us on a tour of the "materials library" where companies can find existing materials to reuse in their products—from chewing gum, to fish scales, to cow manure.

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Gay Gordon-Byrne speaks at TEDMonterey on August 3, 2021. TEDMonterey: The Case for Optimism. August 1-4, 2021, Monterey, California. Photo: Bret Hartman / TED

Environment

Gay Gordon-Byrne: Why do big manufacturers prevent you from repairing your own stuff?

9:22am May 20, 2022

Manufacturers intentionally make their products hard to fix. Right-to-repair advocate Gay Gordon-Byrne fights for laws to stop companies from monopolizing repairs and let people fix their own stuff.

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Veronica Stovall, left, helped her father, Joseph L. Davis, apply for a federally-funded energy-efficiency program in 2021. It turned up significant repair needs.

A low-income energy-efficiency program gets $3.5B boost, but leaves out many in need

4:28pm May 19, 2022

by Laura Benshoff

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act adds the funds over the next five years to help Americans save on energy their bills. But many of homes are in such poor condition they do not qualify.

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Tony D'Amato, director of the University of Vermont's forestry program, visits an experiment site in the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

Foresters hope 'assisted migration' will preserve landscapes as the climate changes

12:01pm May 18, 2022

by Emma Jacobs

Foresters responding to climate change are experimenting with planting trees in Vermont that typically are found further south. They hope the trees will survive hotter and drier conditions to come.

A mother helps her malnourished son stand after he collapsed near their hut in the village of Lomoputh in northern Kenya on Thursday. A severe drought and spiking food prices are causing a humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa.

Drought and soaring food prices from Ukraine war leave millions in Africa starving

11:52am May 18, 2022

by Eyder Peralta

A report finds 23 million people are experiencing extreme hunger in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, which face their worst drought in 40 years. Food prices hit record highs after Russia attacked Ukraine.

In this photo provided by the New Mexico National Guard, a New Mexico National Guard Aviation UH-60 Black Hawk flies as part of firefighting efforts, dropping thousands of gallons of water with Bambi buckets from the air on the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fi

The wildfires burning in the Southwest are bad but 'not unprecedented'

4:59pm May 16, 2022

by Kirk Siegler

Experts say the Southwestern U.S. is drier than it's been in some 1,200 years, which is one of, but not the only, drivers of the large infernos burning in New Mexico.

Wildfires are causing billions in damage every year and yet many homebuyers have little idea whether their house is at risk.

Is your house at risk of a wildfire? This online tool could tell you

3:32pm May 16, 2022

by Lauren Sommer

Many people move without realizing the danger that wildfires pose to their new home. A new risk rating system could help buyers learn more on real estate sites.

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Environment

A decline in flying bugs sounds good for humans, but it's bad for the environment

9:51am May 14, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon talks to Matt Shardlow of UK conservation group Buglife about the decline in flying invertebrates in the UK and how that could spell environmental disaster.

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