Environment

Discontinued Training Materials For Spanish-Speaking Firefighters Ignites Outcry

5:49pm September 01, 2018

by Emily Cureton

Many wildfire fighting crews are Spanish speaking. That's why, a decade ago, the government created training materials in Spanish for native speakers — but those manuals are no longer available.

Lyle St. Goddard, 56, believes he's one of the oldest hotshot firefighters in the country.

Elite Wildland Firefighters Are The Pride Of The Blackfeet Reservation

8:36am September 01, 2018

by Nate Hegyi

No drinking, no drugs, no tardiness, and they have to run a seven-minute mile. They're the Chief Mountain Hotshots, the all-Native firefighting crew from Montana's Blackfeet Reservation.

The Defunding Of Grand Canyon Science

8:36am September 01, 2018

by Melissa Sevigny

The federal government is defunding scientific research programs in the Grand Canyon/Colorado River region, leaving longstanding projects and lots of jobs in limbo.

Petrochemical facilities in the Houston area are assessing their hurricane preparedness after Hurricane Harvey. This oil refinery reinforced storage tank roofs with geodesic domes — the gray caps on some of the white tanks in the photo — to better wi

Industry Looks For Hurricane Lessons As Climate Changes

10:32pm August 31, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Hurricane Harvey was a wake-up call for petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast to rethink plans for major floods. Some companies are starting to prepare for storms that are larger and more severe.

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A thick layer of smoke from the Carr Fire settles over California's Central Valley in a view from a jet earlier this summer. Fine particulate matter from drifting wildfire smoke mixes with industrial ozone and can become trapped between the mountain range

Noxious Mix of Smoke And Pollution Stresses Health In California's Heartland

5:06pm August 31, 2018

by Ana B. Ibarra

Low-income residents living near highways and agricultural and industrial zones are getting hit with a "double whammy" as wildfire smoke drifts to areas where the air is often polluted already.

The harvest is bad for German farmers this year as the country has experienced the hottest summer on record and months without rainfall.

German Farmers Struck By Drought Fear Further Damage From Climate Change

4:32pm August 31, 2018

by Esme Nicholson

High temperatures and a severe drought have hit food production in Germany and left many farmers there wondering what they can do to survive climate change.

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Why Seattle Had The Worst Air Quality In The World At Some Points This Summer

4:32pm August 31, 2018

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, about the cause of this summer's extremely smoky air in the Pacific Northwest.

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Industrial Safety After Hurricane Harvey

2:10pm August 31, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Hurricane Harvey was a wake-up call for petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast to rethink their plans for major floods. Companies are starting to plan for larger, more severe storms.

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The city of Austin is installing cameras that will let residents see rising floodwaters at key intersections.

Can't Tell Where It's Flooded? Look At Your Phone, Stay Safe

12:05pm August 31, 2018

by Mose Buchele

The warming climate means more intense rain and dangerous flash floods. In Austin, Texas, officials hope that letting people see the rising waters on their smartphones will help keep them safe.

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Case Alleges Chemical Companies Should Prepare For Unprecedented Storms

9:57am August 31, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Criminal charges against a chemical company that flooded during Hurricane Harvey are raising two big questions: When is pollution an accident? And when is it a crime?

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