Environment
How Soot-Covered Birds Narrate Pollution's Toxic Legacy
By analyzing collections at natural history museums, researchers revisited 135 years of industry.
Ireland Buckles up for Stronger Storms
Europe’s cities are unprepared to deal with storms such as ex-hurricane Ophelia. That’s got to change.
Lab Report: When Fire Engulfs an 'Unburnable' Neighborhood
A morning roundup of the day’s news.
Is Oakland Overdue for Another Firestorm?
As wildfires rage in California’s wine country, the scene is set for a recurrence of Oakland’s devastating 1991 blaze.
California's Wildfires Are a Public Health Crisis
Pollution is wafting far from the devastating blazes.
When Cartography Meets Disaster Relief
Volunteers across the globe are filling in maps of Puerto Rico. How do humanitarian workers use them?
Rebuilding Puerto Rico From the Grassroots Up
Longtime environmental justice activist Elizabeth Yeampierre is helping spearhead a national day of action on creating a “just recovery” for Puerto Rico. Here’s what that means.
Lab Report: In California Fires, 'The Wilds and the Built' Collide
A morning roundup of the day’s news.
The End of the Clean Power Plan?
The EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has announced a plan to repeal this signature Obama-era policy, which strove to gut power plant emissions 32 percent by 2030.
Wind-Blown Fires Are Ravaging California
Here’s how the “Diablo winds” are sparking historic blazes.
Lab Report: 'The War on Coal Is Over.' So What Now?
A morning roundup of the day’s news.
The Odd, Disconcerting Music of Climate Change
San Francisco scientists and musicians are creating experimental compositions based on real climate data.
The Case for the Flood-Proof Lawn
New Orleans’ water infrastructure needs a lot of work. In the meantime, some residents are taking a new street-level approach to dealing with a deluge.
Is Solar the Answer to Puerto Rico's Blackout?
Energy companies are scrambling to get solar microgrids up and running—and imagining a future that leans away from diesel.
A City's Most Vulnerable Residents Bear the Brunt of Its Noise
New research shows that noise pollution in U.S. cities is concentrated in poor and minority communities.
Congress Has a Great Way to Create New Housing After Hurricane Disasters
After Katrina, expanding tax credits helped the Gulf Coast rebuild affordable rental housing. It can work in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, too.
Wood-Burning Stoves Are Fouling London's Air
In nearly every corner of the city, particulate matter levels far exceed the limits set by the World Health Organization.
Lake Erie Gets Legendarily Slimed, Again
A virulent algae bloom feeding on agricultural nutrients has transformed the water, yet again, into something green and oozing.
Why Gas-Efficient Cars Can't Save the Climate
New research reveals an unintended consequence of a signature policy of the Obama era.
Kentucky Says It's High Time for Hemp
An eccentric coalition of libertarians, environmentalists, and GOP lawmakers are promoting the virtues of the useful weed for rural and urban areas alike. But there’s one big legal hurdle.
General Motors Maps Its Zero-Emission Future
The company announces plans to release 20 new electric vehicles by 2023.
