Environment

NASA Scientists Predict Another All-Time Heat Record For 2016

4:29pm July 19, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

During the 12 months from May 2015 to May 2016, each month set an all-time heat record. That's on average around the world. Some places were not record breakers, but overall, global warming is increasing. NASA scientists talk about what the rest of this year may look like, and whether it will set yet another global record.

An image taken from a document filed in court Tuesday includes an example of the advertising Volkswagen executives used to sell the idea of "clean" diesel technology to U.S. consumers.

Environment

States' Lawsuits Say VW Execs Ran A Cover-Up Of Diesel Emissions Cheating

2:35pm July 19, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Citing "a culture of deeply-rooted corporate arrogance" at Volkswagen, New York and Massachusetts have filed civil lawsuits against the carmaker.

A bumblebee grooms her fur — and her tongue — to get at the pollen grains she vibrated free from the anthers.

WATCH: The Secret Buzz Only Bumblebees Know To Unlock Our Favorite Crops

11:09am July 19, 2016

by Lisa Marie Potter

Some plants will release their pollen only to bees that buzz in just the right way. It's a risky strategy — and it's critical to human agriculture, from tomatoes to blueberries.

Marine ecologist Neil Hammerschlag says he can sometimes identify sharks like Emma (pictured) by the way they move. "It's pretty cool to be able to jump in the water and say, 'Hey look, there's Emma the tiger shark!' "

A Marine Ecologist On Swimming With Sharks And What 'Jaws' Got Wrong

6:17pm July 14, 2016

Neil Hammerschlag has looked inside the mouth of a wild tiger shark and lived to tell the tale. He says that sharks pose only a very small risk to people: "Humans are not on the shark's menu."

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Not In My Landfill: Georgia Residents Fight Plan To Store Toxic Coal Ash

4:26pm July 12, 2016

by Molly Samuel

In 2014, after disastrous spills and opposition from environmentalists, the Environmental Protection Agency imposed new rules on the storage of coal ash. Now utilities are planning to close down the ponds that hold the toxic ash, but it has to go somewhere. Environmentalists say the safest place for it is in securely lined landfills, such as the municipal landfill in Wayne County, Ga. Locals are fighting the plan, but there's not much they can do.

Logger Greg Hemmerich and his crew feed low-value trees into a wood chipper, before bringing the chips to ReEnergy Holdings' biomass plant in Lyonsdale, N.Y.

Is Burning Trees Still Green? Some Experts Now Question Biomass

12:43pm July 12, 2016

by David Sommerstein

Biomass was rising a decade ago as a carbon-neutral energy. But the industry is sputtering as oil and natural gas booms, and some scientists are questioning if it's actually good for the environment.

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About 70 percent of Earth is covered by clouds at any given moment. Their interaction with climate isn't easy to study, scientists say; these shape-shifters move quickly.

Climate Change May Already Be Shifting Clouds Toward The Poles

6:38pm July 11, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists who have been tracking cloud patterns over the past two decades say the shifts they're seeing seem to correlate closely with what's predicted by computer models of Earth's changing climate.

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The blue-green algae is called cyanobacteria. It can release toxins that affect the liver and nervous system.

'A Government-Sponsored Disaster': Florida Asks For Federal Help With Toxic Algae

1:00pm July 09, 2016

by Greg Allen

The massive toxic algae bloom in Florida is threatening businesses and the health of people and animals. The state is asking for federal help for a disaster that's both natural and political.

'The New York Times' Investigates An Ailing Clean Coal Project

6:38pm July 05, 2016

The Kemper Project is an electrical generating station currently under construction in Kemper County, Miss. The plant has been held up as a model of the Obama administration's efforts to promote new, clean energy technologies, but the project is two years behind schedule, still not operational, and more than $4 billion over budget. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Ian Urbina of The New York Times about the Kemper Project and the administration's clean energy policy.

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Herman "Dub" Tolbert, shown inside an American Legion post in Bokoshe, Okla., says the community is left exposed and he's determined to make regulators listen.

Communities Uneasy As Utilities Look For Places To Store Coal Ash

5:18pm July 05, 2016

In 2014, after disastrous spills and opposition from environmentalists, the EPA imposed new rules on the storage of coal ash. Two towns are pushing back against different ways of storing the ash.