Environment

Northern California Wildfires Destroy Thousands Of Businesses

5:09pm October 12, 2017

by Danielle Venton

In much of the area burning in Northern California, agriculture is the main industry. And in the Sonoma and Napa counties, wine is the big player. It's worth billions and employs a 100,000 workers.

Multiple Wildfires Destroy Homes, Threaten California Wine Country

Environment

On Fire, Out West

3:45pm October 12, 2017

Nearly every state west of the Rockies has a fire burning.

Northern California Wildfires Still Burning As Death Toll Is Expected To Rise

4:44pm October 11, 2017

by Eric Westervelt

Winds are expected to pick up and possibly refuel the wildfires spreading across northern California. The fires have left at least 21 people dead. But authorities say the death toll is likely to rise.

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From Their Home, They Saw A Wall Of Flames And Knew They Had To Go

4:44pm October 11, 2017

Emily Cocks lost her home to the Atlas Fire burning through Napa Valley in California. She speaks to NPR's Kelly McEvers about the moment she decided to leave and what she lost.

Researchers collect a sample at the Werdhölzli wastewater treatment plant in Zurich, as part of an Eawag research project exploring the concentration of various metals in treated wastewater.

There's Gold In Them Thar Sewage Pipes, Swiss Researchers Say

3:00pm October 11, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Each year, more than $3 million in gold and silver winds up in Swiss wastewater, scientists found. But in most cases, it doesn't make economic sense to extract and recycle the metals.

An aerial photo shows hills of mining waste known as "chat" scattered throughout the abandoned lead and zinc mine at the Tar Creek Superfund site.

EPA Vows To Speed Cleanup Of Toxic Superfund Sites Despite Funding Drop

12:55pm October 11, 2017

by Joe Wertz

Superfund was initially paid for by taxes on crude oil, chemicals and the companies that created the toxic waste sites. But those taxes expired in 1995, leaving states strapped to find the money.

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What Energy Groups Think Is Wrong With The Clean Power Plan

6:52am October 11, 2017

The EPA plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era effort to combat climate change. Steve Inskeep talks to lawyer Jeff Holmstead, who represents a group which has challenged the plan in court.

How Much Can The Repeal Of The Clean Power Plan Help The Declining Coal Industry?

4:50pm October 10, 2017

by Jennifer Ludden

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has formally begun the process to repeal the Clean Power Plan and coal states are welcoming the action. But the industry is still declining throughout the country.

In California, Wildfires Level Parts Of Santa Rosa

4:50pm October 10, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Santa Rosa County Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal about the wildfires affecting Northern California.

South Korea has the worst air pollution among the developed nations in the the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Armed With NASA Data, South Korea Confronts Its Choking Smog

10:38am October 10, 2017

by Elise Hu

The U.S. space agency and the South Korean government teamed up for the most ambitious study of Korean air quality to date and found the majority of the toxic air is homegrown, and not from neighbors.

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