Environment

Uncovered fiber rolls in front of a private home on Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Mass. These large rolls are made from coconut fiber and filled with sand and are designed to prevent beach erosion.

As Dunes Disappear, Fiber Rolls Protect Cape Cod Homes From Coastal Erosion

5:48pm April 09, 2019

by Hayley Fager

Beachfront homeowner Laura Wing in Sandwich, Mass., says the sand in front of her house is eroding away. Her best option is to create manmade dunes by installing huge fiber rolls along the shore.

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Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage?

2:29pm April 09, 2019

by Greg Rosalsky

A national movement to ban plastic bags is gaining steam, but these restrictions may actually hurt the environment more than help it. Human nature, hard truths, and what kind of bag to use anyway?

Protesters gather outside the White House June 1, 2017, to protest President Trump's decision to withdraw the Unites States from the Paris climate change accord.

'Losing Earth' Explores How Oil Industry Played Politics With The Planet's Fate

11:24am April 09, 2019

by Terry Gross

Journalist Nathaniel Rich says the oil industry helped create a partisan debate around climate change in the 1980s by paying scientists to write op-eds questioning climate science.

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14-Year Oil Spill In The Gulf Of Mexico Could Go On For Decades

7:33am April 08, 2019

by Tegan Wendland

The U.S. Coast Guard is trying to clean up an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that's been going on since 2004 when a hurricane toppled a rig owned by Taylor Energy, a New Orleans-based firm.

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Environment

Shell Withdraws From Oil Lobby Group

8:05am April 07, 2019

Royal Dutch Shell is withdrawing from an oil lobbying group because of disagreements about environmental policy. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Amy Harder of Axios about the move.

Australian Farmers Give Up In The Face Of Extreme Heat

8:33am April 06, 2019

by Ashley Ahearn

Australia is no stranger to periods of extreme heat and drought. But after years with little rain, many farmers in the country's southeast are simply giving up.

Uprooted Cherry Trees In Nashville Spark Protest Against NFL Draft

4:24pm April 03, 2019

by Tony Gonzalez

While the cherry blossoms bloom in Nashville, a controversy has sprouted up about plans to remove a few of them to make way for a stage for the upcoming NFL draft.

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Every Breath You Take: An Indoor Smog Story

2:08pm April 03, 2019

Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'...

After gaining approval from state lawmakers, New York will become the first U.S. city to levy fees on motorists who drive on some of its most congested streets. Here, traffic fills 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan in January 2018.

New York Is Set To Be First U.S. City To Impose Congestion Pricing

9:21pm April 02, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

Motorists will pay a flat daily fee to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The new program aims to reduce traffic gridlock while generating revenue for the city's stressed transit system.

PG&E crews work to restore power lines in Paradise, Calif., after the Camp Fire destroyed much of the Northern California town.

Federal Judge Imposes New Probation Terms On PG&E To Reduce Wildfire Risk

7:03pm April 02, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

The utility company is already on probation for its felony conviction related to a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion.