Environment

Proposed Clean Energy Standard Could End Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 2035

7:03pm August 11, 2021

by Jeff Brady

Democrats hope to pass a $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill to help fulfill President Biden's climate change plan. A key clean energy standard is undergoing changes to pass without Republican votes.

How John Kerry Hopes To Combat Climate Change

5:27pm August 11, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with John Kerry, the U.S.'s special envoy for climate, about the U.N.'s alarming climate report this week and how he will work with other nations to combat climate change.

This aerial photo taken from an airplane on July 27 shows smoke rising from a forest fire outside the village of Berdigestyakh in Russia's Sakha Republic in northeastern Siberia.

For The 1st Time In Recorded History, Smoke From Wildfires Reaches The North Pole

5:50pm August 10, 2021

by Sharon Pruitt-Young

Smoke from forest fires in Siberia also has stretched to Mongolia, Canada and Greenland. The fires are already an unusual occurrence for a region known as one of the coldest places on the planet.

Climate Report Co-Author: 'The Pile Of Evidence Is Now Enormous'

4:40pm August 10, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kim Cobb, one of the lead authors of the U.N.'s new landmark climate report, about the urgency of acting to lower emissions and how oceans are impacted by climate change.

3 Things To Know About What Scientists Say About Our Future Climate

12:53pm August 10, 2021

The latest report from climate scientists provides a stark warning about how fast the planet is changing. Here are the top takeaways.

A map visualizing frequent fires in the U.S. in the years before European colonization.

Wildfire Risk Is Growing Everywhere, Even As More Americans Move Into Harm's Way

5:00am August 10, 2021

There's a history of wildfire across America, a threat made worse by the warming climate. And more people are moving to fire-prone areas without realizing the danger.

Controlled burns, like this one in Lassen Volcanic National Park, reduce the risk of extreme fires by clearing flammable brush.

With Extreme Fires Burning, Forest Service Stops 'Good Fires' Too

9:54pm August 09, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

Controlled burns help reduce wildfire risk by clearing out overgrown vegetation. The U.S. Forest Service is suspending them, concerning fire scientists.

Triantha occidentalis, with its dainty white flowers appears innocuous, but its sticky stem helps the plant trap and make a meal of tiny insects.

This Sweet White Flower Is Actually A Sneaky Carnivore, Scientists Discover

5:00pm August 09, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Carnivorous plants are rare, but now botanists say they've found one that's long been overlooked. It lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, and in other parts of the Pacific Northwest.

White House Climate Scientist Reacts To U.N. Report

4:45pm August 09, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, who leads climate and environment science efforts at the White House, about the findings of the United Nations' major new report on climate change.

Climate Scientists Have Announced A Landmark Warning About The Future Of The Planet

4:44pm August 09, 2021

by Dan Charles

In a landmark report, the world's top climate scientists are warning that Earth is headed toward unprecedented warming. Preventing the worst effects will demand a U-turn away from use of fossil fuels.