global warming

People wait in line for food in Sindh province, Pakistan, on Sept. 19, 2022. The province was one of the hardest hit by recent deadly floods. A new analysis confirms that climate change likely helped cause the disaster.

Science

Climate change likely helped cause deadly Pakistan floods, scientists find

12:18pm September 19, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Extremely heavy rain fell in the hardest-hit provinces. About 75% more water is falling during the heaviest rainstorms in the region, according to a new scientific analysis.

Flooding in Ocean City, N.J. in October 2020. Thousands of coastal cities around the world are already dealing with rising sea levels, and face catastrophic sea level rise if global warming triggers runaway ice melt.

Science

Humans must limit warming to avoid climate tipping points, new study finds

2:00pm September 08, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

The Earth has already warmed more than 1 degree Celsius. New research suggests that above 1.5 degrees, massive ice melt, ocean current disruptions and coral die-offs are likely.

Left to right: Nazia, Mubina and Leila saw their homes washed away in the flooding. They now share a tent at a technical college that has been converted into a camp for displaced people.

Mothers tell how Pakistan's monsoon floods have upended their lives

11:09am September 02, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

In the city of Nowshera, tent cities for flood refugees are springing up on college campuses. At one such haven, mothers spoke to NPR about their struggle to survive.

Urban parks get their power from their proximity to people. About three-quarters of residents in the 100 largest cities in the U.S. live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Environment

Your local park has a hidden talent: helping fight climate change

5:50pm August 31, 2022

Millions of people rely on city parks to recharge, cool off and connect. But climate change is threatening the very spaces that help us cope with the stresses of living on a hotter planet.

The sun shines near the Space Needle, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Seattle.

Environment

Seattle just had one of its hottest nights on record

5:52am August 19, 2022

by Ayana Archie

The nightly temperature reached 71 degrees Fahrenheit, one of only three nights in the city's climate record where the nighttime temperature rose above 70 degrees.

High tide flooding in downtown Annapolis, Md., in 2021. The number of days with high tide flooding is accelerating on the East and Gulf coasts.

Floods are getting more common. Do you know your risk?

8:18am August 03, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Climate change means more rain and higher seas, which adds up to more flooded homes. Even a small amount of water indoors can cost a lot.

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Carlos and Jessica Deviana sit in the back of their father's SUV, which they were using as a bedroom after Hurricane Michael destroyed their home in Panama City, Fla., in October 2018.

Environment

You've likely been affected by climate change. Your long-term finances might be, too

5:36pm June 21, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Most Americans have recently been affected by extreme weather and support efforts to protect against future disasters, a new survey finds. And many people suffer long-term financial problems.

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Traffic on a hazy evening in Fresno, Calif. A new study estimates that about 50,000 lives could be saved each year if the U.S. eliminated small particles of pollution that are released from the tailpipes of cars and trucks, among other sources.

Health & Safety

Eliminating fossil fuel air pollution would save about 50,000 lives, study finds

5:15pm May 17, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Burning oil, coal and other fossil fuels releases plumes of tiny, dangerous particles. A new study estimates that eliminating that pollution would save about 50,000 lives in the U.S. each year.

Fans spray air mixed with water vapor to cool down pedestrians on a Baghdad street on June 30, 2021, during a heat wave.

Why Baghdad will be one of the cities hardest hit by global warming

8:42am March 10, 2022

by Jason Beaubien

Iraq's capital city is already seeing record heat — up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. A report predicts more 120-plus degree days to come. And the "urban heat island" effect will make things even worse.

Volunteer firefighters rest west of Yakutsk, Russia, in August 2021. Wildfires are getting more common in Siberia, undercutting the ability of the region's vast forests to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage

2:07pm February 28, 2022

by Rebecca Hersher

Some ecosystems have already been irreversibly altered, scientists say. And climate change is wreaking havoc on human health.

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