Environment

Environment

Power Grids Feel The Pressure Of Intense Storms Driven By Climate Change

6:57am September 02, 2021

by Jeff Brady

Hurricane Ida destroyed major transmission towers designed to withstand strong winds. As President Biden pursues a massive grid buildout, energy infrastructure will need to be more climate resilient.

Massive Caldor Fire Continues To Threaten Biggest City On California's Lake Tahoe

4:51pm September 01, 2021

by Eric Westervelt

Firefighters in northern California are facing another tough day of strong winds as they race to try to stop the massive Caldor wildfire from reaching the southern end of iconic Lake Tahoe.

Watch Workers Rescue A Cow Trapped In A Tree After Hurricane Ida

4:05pm September 01, 2021

A four-legged victim of the massive storm that ripped through Louisiana got some noisy assistance from St. Bernard Parish workers armed with a chainsaw.

A Dutch Approach To Cutting Carbon Emissions From Buildings Is Coming To America

2:10pm September 01, 2021

by Willem Marx

A system developed in the Netherlands for insulating existing homes has proven to be so cost-effective that it has attracted the attention of New York state, which plans to copy it.

Aerial image of Jean Lafitte, La. after Hurricane Ida hit the town.

Satellite Photos Show Louisiana Coast Is Still Dealing With Major Flooding Post-Ida

6:56am September 01, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Days after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana, local officials are still wading through floodwaters and heavy debris in continued efforts to help residents who stayed behind.

Winds Have Been High As The Caldor Fire Threatens California's South Lake Tahoe

4:50pm August 31, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

Firefighters are hoping for favorable conditions today to help them keep the Caldor Fire from getting loose in the city of South Lake Tahoe, California.

A Kern County firefighter keeps an eye on a burning tree as fire burns closer to homes during the French Fire in the Sequoia National Forest near Wofford Heights, Calif., this month.

Every National Forest In California Is Closing Because Of Wildfire Risk

2:07pm August 31, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The closures start Tuesday night and run through Sept. 17. The U.S. Forest Service is citing the extraordinary risk of wildfires and forecasts that show the threat will only remain high.

Prescribed burns, like this one in Humboldt County, Calif., reduce the underbrush without destroying trees.

Why The South Is Decades Ahead Of The West In Wildfire Prevention

12:02pm August 31, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

Another destructive fire season has Western states searching for ways to prevent it. The Southeast just might have the answers: setting controlled fires before the wildfires come.

In December 1955, a man posts a price for leaded gasoline at a station in Everett, Massachusetts. The United Nations said on Monday that the world is no longer using the toxic fuel, bringing an end to a century of damaging pollution.

Environment

The World Has Finally Stopped Using Leaded Gasoline. Algeria Used The Last Stockpile

7:44pm August 30, 2021

by Camila Domonoske

A calamitous invention that poisoned air, water and soil for generations is no more, according to a report from the United Nations.

A Nebraska Plant Used A Toxic Ethanol Source. A Town Is Now Living With Contamination

5:00pm August 30, 2021

by Christina Stella

Normal gasoline is blended with ethanol made from corn. But a Nebraska plant used surplus crop seeds treated with pesticides, leaving a town with tons of toxic waste, bee die-offs and health issues.