Environment

Carbon Observatory To Monitor Greenhouse Gas From Space

6:32am July 01, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

NASA is preparing to launch a new satellite to observe carbon dioxide from space. The satellite could revolutionize our understanding of where this greenhouse gas comes from and where it goes.

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How To Sell Green Products To The Self-Regarding Consumer

9:40am June 30, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Research shows narcissists can be induced to make environmentally positive purchases when those purchases are linked to the things narcissists value — prestige, status and image.

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Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says he hopes a new study can influence the business community by applying the science of risk management.

Latest Climate Change Report Paints Dire Picture For Business

9:30am June 30, 2014

by John Ydstie

The economy faces great risks from climate change, according to a study by a bipartisan group of former business leaders and public officials. It predicts harsh consequences if action isn't taken.

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Over the past century and a half, visitors have traveled through Yosemite on foot, by carriage, by tram and by car. Now some regions will be once again be accessible only by foot, to protect delicate regions of the park.

As Yosemite Park Turns 150, Charms And Challenges Endure

12:04am June 29, 2014

by Sasha Khokha

In 1864, Abraham Lincoln set aside the nation's first federally-protected wilderness areas. Visitors have enjoyed Yosemite's wonders ever since — sometimes to the point of endangering them.

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Environment

Meters Would Help Sacramento Homes Save More Water

2:19pm June 26, 2014

by Joe Rubin

Officials in California are asking people to use less water because of the severe drought. But about a million people in the state live in homes without the best means of water-use management: meters.

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Plastic floats ashore in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Plastics Don't Disappear, But They Do End Up In Seabirds' Bellies

8:33pm June 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

When bottles and bags are cast out to sea, the debris never truly goes away — it just gets smaller. And these plastic particles, called microplastics, are ready meals for fish and birds.

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Environment

Rules Force Washington To Cut Emissions More Than Other States

7:46am June 11, 2014

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced strict new carbon emissions regulations. Washington state has the largest reduction target — about 72 percent overall.

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Stanford Dumps Its Holdings In Coal, With Climate In Mind

9:59am June 10, 2014

by Melissa Block

Stanford says it will its divest holdings in coal companies over climate change concerns. It's the most prominent of the roughly one dozen colleges that have decided to sell off fossil fuel holdings.

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Some universities have stopped investing in coal companies, but many others don't see the point. An aerial view of the Coal Hollow Mine in Utah in 2012.

When Colleges Ditch Coal Investments, It's Barely A Drop In The Bucket

9:59am June 10, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

Stanford will stop investing in coal companies, but coal is still in demand worldwide and probably will be for many years. As long as that's true, coal companies are likely to find willing buyers.

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Clint Muhlfeld, an aquatic ecologist with the USGS, holds a native Westslope cutthroat trout in Glacier National Park.

Hybrid Trout Threaten Montana's Native Cutthroats

9:53am June 10, 2014

by Christopher Joyce

Climate change in the West is luring rainbow trout to higher elevations, where the fish are mating with native cutthroats, genetic evidence shows. Biologists and anglers worry cutthroats could vanish.

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