Environment

White House Climate Advisor Says Despite Recent Disasters, Don't Lose Hope

7:18pm September 10, 2021

NPR's Scott Detrow talks with White House Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy about this summer's extreme weather events and how the Biden administration is trying to address climate change.

Tensions Over Use Of Klamath River Basin's Water Were Magnified By Draught

6:11pm September 10, 2021

by Sally Herships

Many rely on the Klamath River Basin on the California border, especially with the historic draught in the West. Things got heated this summer between the area's tribes and ranchers.

United Airlines CEO On The Decision To Put Unvaccinated Employees On Leave In October

4:50pm September 10, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby about the airline's announcement that they will put their unvaccinated employees on temporary leave starting in October.

Taco Bell wants customers to collect its sauce packets so they can be turned into other products rather than sent to the landfill.

Environment

Taco Bell Wants Your Old Sauce Packets So They Can Be Recycled

4:27pm September 10, 2021

More than 8 billion of the packets wind up in landfills each year. Now, the fast food chain wants customers to send them in so they can be recycled into other products.

Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Portal Welby and Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, shown at a meeting of prayer in the Basilica of St. Francis in 2016, are asking for climate action.

Pope Francis And Other Christian Leaders Are Calling For Bold Climate Action

8:33am September 10, 2021

by Eric McDaniel

The world's most prominent Christian leaders issued a rare joint statement calling for government climate action. What that will look like in the U.S. is unclear.

Workers clean a gas station damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New York City. Scientists warn that 60% of world oil reserves need to stay underground to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Environment

To Avoid Extreme Disasters, Most Fossil Fuels Should Stay Underground, Scientists Say

9:03am September 09, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

Burning fossil fuels must decline almost immediately, a new study finds, for the planet to avoid more extreme floods, droughts and heat waves.

President Biden takes part in a briefing Tuesday with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and other local leaders in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Biden Sounds Alarm On Climate Change In Visit To Hurricane-Wracked New Jersey

7:07pm September 07, 2021

by Alana Wise

The president warned that natural disasters would only grow more extreme if meaningful environmental changes weren't made.

Jason Marone cools down a hot spot burning close to homes last week in the Christmas Valley area of Meyers, Calif.

Environment

Weather Disasters Have Become 5 Times As Common, Thanks In Part To Climate Change

4:29pm September 07, 2021

by Eric McDaniel

There has been a fivefold increase in the number of documented weather-related disasters in the last 50 years, driven in large part by climate change, a U.N. agency says.

Climate change is increasingly becoming a public health threat, experts warn. Thousands were displaced and dozens died during Hurricane Ida.

Climate Change Is The Greatest Threat To Public Health, Top Medical Journals Warn

1:10pm September 07, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

With the global pandemic still in the spotlight, more than 200 leading health journals say climate change is an even more urgent threat.

Smoke shrouds parts of Lake Tahoe visible from the Ski Run Marina in downtown South Lake Tahoe on Monday.

Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle

11:58am September 07, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

More containment on the fire near Lake Tahoe means that some residents have been able to return, but a rash of new "suspicious" fires erupted over Labor Day weekend, officials say.