Environment

Artists paint a mural on a wall near Scottish Events Centre (SEC) in Glasgow, which will host the U.N. climate summit starting Sunday.

The COP26 summit to fight climate change is about to start. Here's what to expect

2:23pm October 25, 2021

by Dan Charles

A major climate meeting is about to get underway in Glasgow, Scotland. It's a pivotal moment in the struggle against climate change. But it's taking place in the midst of political tensions.

Caltrans maintenance supervisor Matt Martin walks by a landslide covering Highway 70 in the Dixie Fire zone on Sunday in Plumas County, Calif. Heavy rains blanketing Northern California created slide and flood hazards in land scorched during last summer's

Powerful storm brings heavy rain, flooding and mud flows to Northern California

10:03pm October 24, 2021

by The Associated Press

Flooding was reported across the San Francisco Bay Area while the National Weather Service's Sacramento office warned of "potentially historic rain."

Environment

Strategist calls for 'climate humanitarian visa,' as answer to Biden refugee report

5:08pm October 24, 2021

NPR's David Folkenflik speaks with Ama Francis, who works on climate displacement with the International Refugee Assistance Project, about the growing threat of climate migration.

Jeff Tweedy, Nick Offerman and George Saunders at Glacier National Park.

Nick Offerman on why he finds solace in the outdoors

1:29pm October 23, 2021

by Scott Simon

The actor and author has a new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about why walking in the woods makes him feel better and how to experience nature in a city.

The climate crisis is here, and if you feel climate anxiety that's a totally normal response. Life Kit walks you through ways to address those feelings. The image shows a hand squeezing a stress ball that looks like planet Earth.

Environment

Anxiety from climate change isn't going away. Here's how you can manage it

7:00am October 23, 2021

Feeling anxious about the climate crisis is a totally normal response, says ecotherapist Phoenix Smith. Here's how you can manage those feelings for the decades to come.

A coal-hauling truck with 240 tons of coal drives to the surface at the Buckskin Coal Mine in Gillette, Wyo., in 2004.

U.S. coal production is up sharply after hitting a 50-year low last year

10:18am October 22, 2021

by Kayla Desroches

As the Biden administration prepares to negotiate reductions in fossil fuel use at the Glasgow climate summit at the end of the month, U.S. coal production is actually up significantly this year.

A pedestrian walks with an umbrella near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco during a shower on Wednesday. Strong storms are expected to bring substantial rain to the Western U.S. within the next week.

Strong storms are heading toward drought-parched California

2:08pm October 21, 2021

by Nell Clark

Expected heavy rainfall could ease wildfire threats in some regions but could also cause mudslides in areas cleared by wildfire.

The Schuylkill River floods Philadelphia in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in September. The extreme rain caught many by surprise, trapping people in basements and cars and killing dozens.

Climate change is bad for your health. And plans to boost economies may make it worse

6:31pm October 20, 2021

by Nathan Rott

A Lancet medical journal report finds that human-caused climate change is worsening human health in just about every measurable way. It calls for more urgent action from world leaders.

Scientists made a wooden steak knife that's 3 times sharper than a steel blade

4:54pm October 20, 2021

Researchers have hardened wood and fashioned a knife out of it. It's three times sharper than steel and can slice through steak, and could be a sustainable alternative.

In this July 29, 2020 file photo, a view of a pump jack operating in an oil field in Midland, Texas.

Despite climate change promises, governments plan to ramp up fossil fuel production

10:47am October 20, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

A new study by the United Nations shows that the world's governments plan to carry on using coal, gas, and oil — despite promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming.