NPR News - Environment

Fire swept through the canyons where the rare trees had outlived the dinosaurs. For days, the smoke was so thick that no one knew whether the careful plan to protect them had worked.

(Image credit: New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service via Reuters)

The tech giant, which says it has been "carbon neutral" for years, is vowing to go "carbon negative" — by cutting emissions, planting trees and investing in new carbon removal technology.

(Image credit: Vesa Moilanen/AFP via Getty Images)

Last year's data collected by the agencies is the latest confirmation that the Earth is steadily getting hotter. The planet is now almost 1 degree Celsius warmer than it was in the mid-20th century.

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NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Larry Fink — CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager — about his plan to put climate sustainability at the center of the company's investment strategy.

"We believe that sustainability should be our new standard for investing," BlackRock CEO Larry Fink says. The investment giant's move puts pressure on companies to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

(Image credit: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

A study of more than 100 cities nationwide shows neighborhoods subjected to discriminatory housing policies nearly a century ago are hotter today than other areas.

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The coal power plant that provided about 80% of the Hopi Nation's budget closed last month. Tribal leaders are now trying to figure out how to replace the revenue, which was their economic lifeline.

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Some 13,000 people were evacuated from the area surrounding Taal Volcano, about 45 miles south of the capital, Manila. Authorities warned that a second explosive eruption could come in hours or days.

(Image credit: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)

"There are things that I could have handled on the ground much better," the PM said. Many have linked the deadly fires to climate change and blamed conservative Australian governments for inaction.

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The Australian bushfires are emitting huge amounts of climate warming carbon into the atmosphere. Normally, new vegetation that grows back would recapture it, but that may be changing.

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Violent thunderstorms got underway in Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, dumping rain and bringing high winds before moving east and northeast. Deaths were reported in five states.

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As massive fires continue to consume Australia, aboriginal elders like Noel Butler say officials need to listen to natives about fire control.

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In the midst of the devastating wildfire season, Australians are still having a hard time finding common ground on what to do about climate change.

California utility PG&E continues planned power outages to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. One Native tribe's solar-powered microgrid is proving to be a lifeline for rural communities.

(Image credit: Courtesy of the Blue Lake Rancheria)

The Australian bushfires have released an enormous amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions. But emissions from wildfires have a complicated effect on the broader global climate.

The move would ease approval for major infrastructure projects. It could mean federal agencies won't need to consider climate impacts of things like pipelines and highways.

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Under expected new rules, federal agencies won't have to consider climate impacts of major infrastructure projects. The move aims to speed the OK for things such as oil and gas pipelines and highways.

Many of the country's most historic communities are along the coast. And as coastal storms become more powerful, that history is increasingly at risk of being washed away.

Georgia and Florida have been waging a decades-long legal battle over water resources. It's a problem likely to intensify in other areas as the climate warms.

(Image credit: Debbie Elliott/NPR)

Environmental advocates in smog-choked Lahore say the Pakistani government has long downplayed the problem of air pollution. That might be changing.

(Image credit: Diaa Hadid/NPR)