Environment

Wind turbines dot the landscape in Mojave, Calif. The recent extension of federal tax credits is expected to give the wind and solar energy industries a big boost.

Tax Breaks, Falling Costs Are Boosting Wind And Solar

8:10pm December 29, 2015

by Chris Arnold

Congress has extended tax credits for clean energy as part of a $1.8 trillion spending bill. Solar and wind power companies say it will catapult the industry at a time when costs are already falling.

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Two cars are submerged in floodwaters in a park in Kimmswick, Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency because of widespread flooding around the state, which has closed many roads.

Towns Along The Mississippi River Evacuate As Floodwaters Swell

6:37pm December 29, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon activated the National Guard as flooding closed interstate highways and forced people from their homes. The river is expected to crest Thursday at its highest level since 1993.

Medical workers surround 34-day-old Noubia, the last known patient to contract Ebola in Guinea, as she was released from a Doctors Without Borders treatment center in Conakry on Nov. 28.

A Cause For Cautious Celebration: Guinea Is Ebola-Free

5:38pm December 29, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

After two years and over 2,500 deaths, the country's epidemic has officially ended, the World Health Organization says. Health groups will be watching to ensure the virus doesn't re-emerge.

Environment

After A Wild Weekend, More Severe Weather Hits Parts Of U.S.

6:17am December 29, 2015

by Lauren Silverman

Christmas-weekend tornadoes in Texas and Florida, deadly flooding in Missouri and heavy snow in the Great Lakes — a wild weekend of weather in the Southwest has spread north and east.

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Environment

Buying A New Car Can Trim Your Carbon Footprint, But There's More To It

6:47pm December 28, 2015

by John Ydstie

If you drive an older, less efficient vehicle, ever think about swapping it for a new, more efficient one? It's a good way to reduce your carbon footprint. But there are a lot of factors to consider.

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Environment

First Mention: Who Used 'Global Warming' First?

4:03pm December 28, 2015

Our occasional feature "First Mention" finds the phrase "global warming" was used for the first time on NPR in 1989.

Unseasonable warm weather has made for a longer lobstering season for fishermen in Maine.

Warm Weather Extends Maine's Lobster Season

3:35pm December 28, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Not only has the warm winter lengthened lobster season for fishermen, but it could make lobsters susceptible to new predators and diseases.

Experts Explain Why 2015 Is A Warm One For Earth's Climate

7:25am December 28, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

This Year will likely be the hottest year on record. Climate change is partly to blame, but so is El Nino. That's the weather pattern from the Pacific that affects weather in the America's as well.

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Tree Counter Is Astonished By How Many Trees There Are

8:29am December 26, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

How many trees are there in the world? Some scientists are working on a new estimate.

The Biggest Threats To Birds And How You Can Help

8:29am December 26, 2015

It's not easy being a bird. There are windows, cell towers, wind farms, habitat destruction and especially cats. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Talkin' Birds host Ray Brown about avian dangers.