Environment

Two Major California Wildfires Prompt Thousands Of Home Evacuations

4:17am July 24, 2016

by The Associated Press

A burned body was found near a northern Los Angeles brushfire that's forced the evacuation of 1,500 homes. As of Saturday night, the 31-square-mile fire was just 10 percent contained.

Maternal mortality rates are going down because of better health services. Above: A mother nurses her newborn at a maternity ward in Sierra Leone.

The U.N.'s Rundown Of Some Of The World's Biggest Problems

6:06am July 23, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

A new report reveals where the world stands in the fight against extreme poverty, inequality and climate change.

Invisibilia: The Unbearable Lightness Of Footwear

6:43pm July 22, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

When we invented shoes, we slipped a surface between ourselves and the world. Ever wonder if this is the moment mankind fell from grace? No? Well, for better or worse, NPR's Colin Dwyer has.

A car drives by a Switch data center in Las Vegas on Sept. 9, 2015. In 2013, data centers consumed 2 percent of all U.S. power â triple what they used in 2000.

Making The Cloud Green: Tech Firms Push For Renewable Energy Sources

5:19pm July 22, 2016

by Stephanie Joyce

Few people can demand what kind of electricity they get. But Microsoft and Facebook, which operate huge, power-hungry data centers, are trying to green up the electricity grid with their buying power.

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A woman dries clothes in a failed maize field in the north of Malawi.

The Race To Stop A Looming Food Disaster In Southern Africa

5:18pm July 22, 2016

by Nurith Aizenman

El Nino ruined this spring's harvest. Can food aid — and maize seeds — be delivered in time?

Forecasters are predicting extreme heat and a high pressure ridge to create a "heat dome" across a large section of the United States.

'Heat Dome' Causing Excessive Temperatures In Much Of U.S.

1:07pm July 22, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

It's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in much of the Midwest, South and East, and the culprit is hot air trapped under an atmospheric pressure lid that heats it up even further.

Agustin Mayta Condori shows a sick alpaca, which he predicted would die the next day because of subfreezing temperatures in the southern Andes in Peru. Thousands of alpacas have died in the region.

Tens Of Thousands Of Alpacas Die In Peruvian Cold Snap

6:42pm July 21, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Peru's government has declared a state of emergency in the southern Andes, where brutally cold temperatures have killed the animals and threatened farmers living at high altitude.

Grains, beads and bangles unearthed from dig sites in Banda, Ghana, tell of a time when droughts did not bring famine. (Above) Archaeologists Amanda Logan and Osei Kofi dig into the floor of a house from the 1500s.

An Archaeological Mystery In Ghana: Why Didn't Past Droughts Spell Famine?

5:53pm July 20, 2016

by Winifred Bird

A terrible drought hit Ghana in the 1400s, far worse than today's conditions. Yet people had enough to eat, while today they go hungry. What changed? In a word, colonialism, a new study suggests.

Starting this week, Wal-Mart, America's largest grocer, says it will start piloting sales of weather-dented apples at a discount in 300 of its Florida stores.

Wal-Mart, America's Largest Grocer, Is Now Selling Ugly Fruit And Vegetables

4:55pm July 20, 2016

by Maria Godoy

Lots of tasty, nutritious produce ends up in landfills because it doesn't meet retail beauty standards. Now Wal-Mart is testing sales of wonky apples and spuds in hundreds of Texas and Florida stores.

Taking The Battle Against Lyme Disease Ticks To The Backyard

4:17pm July 20, 2016

by Carolyn Beans

Scientists have tested all sorts of strategies to keep Lyme disease ticks from biting us. One is to make it less likely you'll cross paths with the critters in your yard. Sawdust mulch, anyone?