Environment
How Much Are You 'Smoking' by Breathing Urban Air?
A new app can tell you (and it’s not pretty).
Making Products With Crop Waste Could Improve India's Air and Water
A company that makes packaging out of plant fibers hopes to address two problems at once: air pollution from the burning of crop stubble, and landfills and waterways clogged with plastic.
London's Latest Exhibit: Horrendous Pollution
An exhibit invites the public to experience the air from five cities around the world.
The U.S. Is Finally Getting a System to Warn When an Earthquake Is Coming
But will its alerts come in enough time to make a difference?
The Weirdest Ways That U.S. Cities Are Celebrating Earth Day
From group oyster-shell bagging to a naked bike ride, some Earth Day events are more colorful than the standard festivals and tree plantings.
Puerto Rico Is Hit by a Total Blackout
Almost seven months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is experiencing a complete power outage. The island’s electricity provider said it will take from 24 to 36 hours to bring power back across the U.S. territory.
New 'Mutant Enzymes' Could Solve Earth's Plastics Problem
Scientists accidentally created an enzyme that can break down plastic. But is it any better than recycling?
Greening the Favela
In the dense favelas of Rio de Janeiro, residents are turning scarce empty space into community gardens.
Can We Make Green Roofs More Biodiverse?
A study of decades-old German green roofs found that they don’t support a wide range of animal and plant life. But researchers and designers are trying to change that.
Gigantic Water Tunnels Won't Save Houston From the Next Harvey
Houston can plan for the long term, or it can fight the sky. So far, the city seems to be choosing the second option.
Why One Chicago Neighborhood Has to Keep Fighting Off Polluters
In 2012, Little Village’s Hispanic residents helped shut down a coal plant. Now, a redevelopment company plans to build a distribution center—and a lot of truck traffic—into the neighborhood.
Seattle Thinks It Knows Rain. Climate Change Begs to Differ.
A city known for precipitation may be unprepared for the flooding that climate change has in store.
Will a Huge New Flood Barrier Save Venice?
Finally, construction is finishing on the delayed barrier to protect the city from high tides. But how well will it actually work?
Where Smoking Kills, and Why
The Tobacco Atlas shows how even non-smokers feel the public health impacts of the industry.
A New Tool to Fight Disaster Insurance Fraud: Satellites
Hi-res images taken from orbit can more accurately track damage from extreme weather events.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Growing
And it was already enormous.
Have Backyard Chickens Gone Too Free-Range?
Urban-poultry laws need to be stricter about public health and animal welfare, according to one expert.
Land Conservancies Enter Unfamiliar Territory: the City
Some eco-minded groups that traditionally focus on rural conservation are turning their attention to urban areas, in an effort to combat inequality and sprawl.
The Cities at Risk of Climate-Driven Conflict
The evidence is mounting that climate-related droughts, floods, and other events lead to political instability and human conflict. Some cities are especially vulnerable to the “threat multiplier” of climate change.
The People Who Pretend to Be Wolves
As once-vanished wolves return to Europe and move into urban areas, humans are trying to empathize with the creatures through nighttime “wolf safaris.”
Resilience Trutherism, Explained
There is a movement of people who believe that “climate resilience” is a Trojan horse for a global takeover of cities via weather manipulation, and a D.C. city council member may subscribe to that idea.
