Environment

Hurricane Florence flooded Nichols, S.C., in September 2018. It was the second catastrophic flood in the region in less than two years.

When '1-In-100-Year' Floods Happen Often, What Should You Call Them?

9:37pm May 08, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

The term "100-year flood" can be confusing and misleading, scientists, local emergency officials and homeowners all agree. Experts say there's a better way to communicate about flood risk.

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Entering the control room at Three Mile Island Unit 1 is like stepping back in time. Except for a few digital screens and new counters, much of the equipment is original to 1974, when the plant began generating electricity.

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant To Close, Latest Symbol Of Struggling Industry

5:17pm May 08, 2019

by Jeff Brady

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of the nation's worst nuclear accident, will shut down by the end of September. Backers failed to secure subsidies to keep the plant operating.

Researchers also found that congestion on the roads in San Francisco also was exacerbated because of where the ride-hailing cars were and at what time of day.

Uber And Lyft Caused Major Traffic Uptick In San Francisco, Study Says

3:57pm May 08, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Researchers compared data from fall 2010 — before the companies made inroads in the city — and fall 2016. They found that the companies are to blame for more than half of a big increase in traffic.

Artist rendering of NuScale Power's nuclear power plant design, which would use small modular reactors.

This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer

2:24pm May 08, 2019

by Jeff Brady

An Oregon company plans a new kind of nuclear power plant that many consider the future of the industry. It's smaller and cheaper and could work well with renewable energy.

Unnatural Order: The Human Threat To Life On Earth

3:54pm May 07, 2019

A new U.N. report says one million species of plants and animals are facing extinction. What can we do about it?

News Brief: U.S.-China Trade Talks, Humans Accelerate Species' Extinction

8:01am May 07, 2019

The White House is fighting China in trade talks, but a new report found top advisers battled over whether to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. The U.N. warns which species are at risk of extinction.

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Environment

U.N. Report: 1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction

8:01am May 07, 2019

Humans are threatening the natural world as we know it. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to marine biologist Dr. David Obura, one of the lead authors of the U.N. report.

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Dr. Brian Chesebro (right), in Portland, Ore., has calculated that by simply using the anesthesia gas sevoflurane in most surgeries, instead of the similar gas desflurane, he can significantly cut the amount of global warming each procedure contributes to

Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?

10:58pm May 06, 2019

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

Anesthesia revolutionized surgery by vanquishing patients' pain. But many of the chemicals are greenhouse gases. One Oregon doctor who has done the math says some are much less damaging to the planet.

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"Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history," a U.N. panel says, reporting that around 1 million species are currently at risk. Here, an endangered hawksbill turtle swims in a Singapore aquarium in 2017.

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says

6:35pm May 06, 2019

"Protecting biodiversity amounts to protecting humanity," says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who warns that species are being lost at an alarming rate.

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The dolphins at the National Aquarium are being prepped for release into a sanctuary. But things like fierce storms and algal blooms have made it harder for aquarium officials to find a permanent home.

At Baltimore's National Aquarium, Climate Change Presents Challenges Inside And Out

2:14pm May 05, 2019

Three years ago, the aquarium decided it would find a sanctuary in the wild for its prized pod of dolphins. But then climate change complicated the plan entirely.

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