Environment

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.

Eric Frumin (right) stands in front of his solar panels on the roof of his Brooklyn home alongside architect David Cunningham (left) and AeonSolar's Allen Frishman (center).

How Blockchain Helps Brooklyn Dwellers Use Neighbors' Solar Energy

10:55am July 04, 2016

by Grégoire Molle

A project called TransActive Grid is testing a new way to trade solar power among neighbors. For now only credits are being traded — not actual energy — using the technology that underpins bitcoin.

Adelie Penguins In Danger

5:02pm July 03, 2016

A new study says the population of Adelie penguins in the Antarctic could drop dramatically in population by 2099 due to climate change. Megan Cimino, who headed the study, explains why.

Algae covered water at Stuart's Central Marine boat docks on Thursday in Stuart, Fla.

Environment

Thick, Putrid Algae Bloom Overwhelms Miles Of Florida Coastline

5:51pm July 02, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

A massive bloom of blue-green algae caused by discharge from a polluted lake is covering beaches in foul-smelling muck and raising health and environmental concerns.

Why Are Diamonds Worth So Much?

8:52am July 02, 2016

Someone bid $61 million for an uncut diamond this week. NPR's Scott Simon asks Rachelle Bergstein, author of "Brilliance and Fire: the Biography of Diamonds," what makes a rock worth so much money?

Police patrol traffic in Paris as part of new anti-pollution measures aimed at punishing vehicles registered before 1997 that are forbidden to be driven during the week. Nearly 30 police officers stood guard on the morning of July 1, in the main squares o

To Fight Pollution, Paris Imposes Weekday Ban On Old Cars

5:47pm July 01, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

The city is banning pre-1997 cars and pre-2000 motorcycles from the streets in daylight hours during the week — a move opposed by some advocates for the poor and vintage car collectors.

Moraine Park is a grassy valley inside Rocky Mountain National Park.

Beyond Sightseeing: You'll Love The Sound Of America's Best Parks

12:51pm June 29, 2016

The National Park Service is racing to record soundscapes of each park that capture nature for the ear. "If we start to lose sounds of wilderness, we start to lose a piece of us," one scientist says.

Queue Listen Now

Tuna are arranged prior to the first auction of the year at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo in January.

Should Pacific Bluefin Tuna Be Listed As An Endangered Species?

11:42am June 29, 2016

by Alastair Bland

Environmental groups have asked the U.S. to give the prized fish protection under the Endangered Species Act. Some scientists and activists say the chances are slim but the action is long overdue.

Days after deadly floods swept through West Virginia, everything in the front yard of a home in Rainelle is still caked in mud.

West Virginians Turn To Federal Government For Help After Devastating Floods

5:49pm June 28, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

In West Virginia, residents are beginning to clean up after record floods destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and killed at least 23 people.

Volkswagen Reaches $14.7 Billion Settlement In Emissions Cheating Scheme

5:25pm June 28, 2016

by Sonari Glinton

Volkswagen agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion to settle major claims in the U.S. against the company over its emissions cheating scheme.