Environment

When Arizona counts heat-related deaths, Adam Willson isn't included. His story shows how thousands of heat deaths can go uncounted every year in the United States.

(Image credit: Ryan Kellman)

An NPR investigation found that people in the U.S. are dying from heat much more often than official counts show. We explore the reasons why — and how lives can be saved.

As the climate continues to warm, scientists warn that the frequency of disasters like the floods in Nepal will increase.

(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)

This summer, fallen trees are blocking hundreds of miles of wilderness trails, following unusual weather events. Some forests will allow chainsaws as a controversial exception to a ban on motors.

More than three quarters of all wildfires in the U.S. are caused by human behavior including accidents, negligence and arson.

(Image credit: Margaret Albaugh for NPR)

Most evacuees have been allowed to return to their homes near burn zones in Spokane, despite concerns about lingering toxins.

(Image credit: Margaret Albaugh for NPR)

As the senior climate editor at NPR, when extreme weather impacts us, I often send out guidance to the newsroom to help everyone understand the role of climate change. Here's what I tell them.

(Image credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Huge blazes in central and western regions of Indonesia have scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities.

(Image credit: Muhammad Fajri)

For centuries, Navajo shepherds have herded sheep in Arizona's mountains. Now, springs they rely on are drying up, putting a mainstay of the tribe's culture at risk.

The federal government finally has a new plan for the shrinking Colorado River. With its two biggest reservoirs at record lows, Arizona, California and Nevada will have to make major water cuts.

U.S. officials say the ever-growing population of wild horses that roam federal lands in Colorado is depleting natural resources. But some activists say efforts to remove the horses are inhumane.

(Image credit: McKenzie Lange)

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, about new record low water levels in two major reservoirs.

The end of "roadless rule" protections would open millions of acres of pristine forests to commercial use. Supporters say it will lead to better managed forests.

(Image credit: Mario Tama)

This year's glacial outburst flood event in Juneau was minimally damaging, but residents worry about the future. A permanent solution to drain the glacial lake will be chosen by the end of 2026.

Uranium production has been revived in the US Southwest. Tribal communities there who suffered illnesses from previous development are worried nuclear energy will harm them again.

American Lung Association’s study also found great disparity between coasts, with 10 of 11 most polluted counties in California

The climate crisis has upended progress on improving air quality, with one in three Americans currently living in areas with harmful levels of pollutants known to increase the risk of medical emergencies, pregnancy complications and premature death, new research reveals.

Almost 120 million people in the US are still exposed to unhealthy levels of soot and smog, according to the annual report by the American Lung Association (ALA), which found that people of color are almost four times more likely to live in the most polluted places than white Americans.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Labor support for recommendations is a ‘huge blow’ to companies trying to frack in the NT

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An inquiry into major plans to exploit gas in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin has recommended the federal government commit to a national plan to offset the vast emissions the project is expected to release.

The former government made gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin a central tenet of its plans for recovering from the Covid pandemic, using grants and tax breaks to incentivise gas corporates to begin work in the region. The basin covers about 28,000 sq km south-east of Katherine and is thought to contain huge reserves of shale gas.

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Griffith University researcher captures video of five whales doing ‘bizarre rolls’ on the sea floor as they exfoliate and socialise

Whales have been caught on camera enjoying a marine version of a day spa, returning to their favourite spot off the Gold Coast to scratch off itchy skin and parasites, and catch up with their cetacean buddies.

Griffith University whale researcher Dr Olaf Meynecke and his colleagues were trying to shed light on the behaviour of competing pods of humpbacks that use Gold Coast waters to rest, breed and socialise.

Scientists operating a submersible have discovered deep-sea coral reefs in pristine condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galapagos marine reserve. Diving to depths of 600 metres (1,970ft), to the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago, the scientists witnessed a breathtaking mix of deep marine life. This has raised hopes that healthy reefs can still thrive at a time when coral is in crisis due to record sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification

• Scientists discover pristine deep-sea Galápagos reef ‘teeming with life’

Reusables have 25% less global heating potential, finds UK government report, but overall picture is mixed

Environmental campaigners are calling on the UK government to take action after new analysis found a significant difference between the carbon footprints of washable and disposable nappies.

Reusable nappies have 25% less global heating potential compared with single-use nappies, according to a report commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).