NPR News - Environment

Residents are fighting back against plans for a project that would span thousands of acres near the Monongahela National Forest and popular outdoor recreation, ski areas and dark sky sites.

(Image credit: Chris Jackson for NPR)

Oyster reefs once abounded in the Chesapeake, but overharvesting slashed their populations, leading to poorer water quality and less habitat for other species. Now, researchers and local residents are finding creative ways to bring their numbers back up.

(Image credit: Ari Daniel)

In October 2025, the remnants of a typhoon seriously damaged Alaska Native villages in the far western part of the state. A year later, one of the hardest hit communities is still recovering.

(Image credit: Gabby Hiestand Salgado)

A species of seabirds appears to become disoriented on flights back to its nest due to shifting time zones.

(Image credit: birdsonline)

El Niño years typically lead to more precipitation and higher-than-average temperatures. The latest data shows the different potential impacts by region.

(Image credit: Connie Hanzhang Jin)

The Trump administration wants to undo a Biden-era rule that would reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.

(Image credit: David Goldman)

President Donald Trump said that his administration is "terminating" a Biden-era rule that aimed to cut planet-warming emissions of methane from oil and gas drilling.

(Image credit: Annie Rice)

The Chesapeake Bay, home to blue crabs and striped bass, has a new apex predator: the blue catfish. It's invasive and voracious. It's also delicious, which officials hope might help save the bay.

(Image credit: Ryan Kellman)

President Trump, famous for stripping protections from national monuments, is signing a bill to turn one into a national park. The land in southern Arizona is biologically rich and scenic.

The U.S. is the only major economy where planet-warming pollution dramatically increased last year. The United Nations warns the planet is on track for catastrophic warming.

(Image credit: Charlie Riedel)

Two people — an eco-evangelist and an engineer — are taking different approaches to support the same critical ingredient in the Chesapeake Bay: oysters.

We journey with a hiker as he records the sounds of 2,600 miles of wilderness on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Historic drought had western states entering summer anxious about wildfires. Some suffered significant destruction and death, but there were wins, too.

A large underwater wave moved up the West Coast, raising sea levels. Scientists say it's driven by El Niño and it's going to happen again.

(Image credit: Dillon J. Amaya)

Some people may think that plants that grow in lakes are weeds that should be removed, but ecologists say native aquatic plants keep lakes healthy. They also prevent invasive species from taking over.

A Kansas City group set up to help volunteers plant fruit trees in vacant city lots has quickly branched out across the country with almost 850 orchards in 17 cities with more to come.

Locals and preservationists have long opposed Trump's plan to redevelop a municipal D.C. golf course. That legal fight escalated after the government cleared hundreds of trees on short notice.

(Image credit: Tyrone Turner/WAMU for NPR)

On the Navajo Reservation, a would-be energy developer appears to have tried to bribe a local environmental group to drop opposition to his project.

Hurricane Isaias landed Friday night on the Florida Gulf Coast. The storm was expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, flooding and the possibility of tornados.

(Image credit: Octavio Jones)