Environment

California predicts mandatory solar panel installations will add nearly $10,000 to the upfront cost of a home — money that will be recouped through energy savings.

California Gives Final OK To Require Solar Panels On New Houses

12:48pm December 06, 2018

by Bill Chappell

Single and small multi-family homes must include solar panels starting in 2020. Recent extreme weather events such as wildfires and drought make the need clear, a state official says.

Thick clouds emanate from a coal-burning power plant in Baishan, in the Jilin province of China. In an effort to boost its economy, China has recently started greenlighting coal projects that had been on hold.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Are Up Again. What Now, Climate?

7:43am December 06, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

The fortuitous dip in emissions of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, during the past three years is over, as economies turn up. The trend in the near future looks grim, say climate scientists.

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The city of Del Mar, Calif., located about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, has voted against a formal policy of "managed retreat" from rising seas.

'Retreat' Is Not An Option As A California Beach Town Plans For Rising Seas

3:36pm December 04, 2018

by Nathan Rott

Tens of millions of U.S. homes are threatened by rising seas. Communities across the country are planning for that future, but there are challenges to even having the discussion.

Dungeness crab like these, caught off the coast of Alaska, have been affected by the neurotoxin domoic acid because of algae blooms in recent years, which makes them unsafe to eat.

Fishermen Sue Big Oil For Its Role In Climate Change

8:39am December 04, 2018

by Alastair Bland

The food industry is already feeling the effects of climate change, which will likely force expensive adaptations in the future. At least one sector is looking to make energy companies pay.

South Texas Butterfly Sanctuary Threatened By Trump's Border Wall

5:23pm December 03, 2018

Construction on the first new stretch of border wall under the Trump administration is slated to begin this winter. In South Texas, the wall will cut right through a butterfly sanctuary.

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A power plant near Katowice, Poland, the host city for a major global climate conference that began on Sunday. It is the most important climate meeting since the 2015 Paris climate agreement was signed.

High Stakes As International Climate Conference Begins

4:30pm December 03, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

The U.N. climate meeting underway in Poland is the most important climate conference since the 2015 Paris Agreement set emissions reduction goals for nearly every country on Earth.

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Nearly 200 Countries Meet In Poland To Participate In Climate Conference

4:29pm December 03, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

The world's nations meet in Poland this week to continue negotiations on how to slow climate change as recent research and extreme weather reveal that dangerous effects on climate are already here.

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Activists Protest Against Coal Ahead Of UN Climate Conference

What Can We Expect From The Latest Global Climate Talks?

4:13pm December 03, 2018

The COP 24 summit could be the most critical international summit on the environment since the meeting that spawned the Paris agreement in 2015.

Natural historian David Attenborough listens to speeches during the COP24 summit on climate change in Katowice, Poland, on Monday.

David Attenborough Warns Of 'Collapse Of Civilizations' At U.N. Climate Meeting

2:46pm December 03, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The British naturalist spoke at an international climate conference being held in Poland. "Time is running out," he said.

News Brief: Remembering George H.W. Bush, U.N. Climate Talks

5:10am December 03, 2018

George H.W. Bush, who died Friday at age 94, negotiated NAFTA and believed in fair trade. What will his legacy on trade be? Delegates from nearly 200 countries meet for climate talks in Poland.