NPR Topics: Environment

NPR Topics: Environment http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1025&ft=1&f=1025 Breaking news on the environment, climate change, pollution, and endangered species. Also featuring Climate Connections, a special series on climate change co-produced by NPR and National Geographic. Copyright 2009 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Environment http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1025&ft=1&f=1025 Scientist: 'Don't Give Up' On Stopping Asian Carp Two Asian carp species that could devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem may be a few miles from Lake Michigan. To halt their migration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater electric fence on a canal 20 miles south of the lake. But tests conducted by David Lodge at Notre Dame indicate that they have gotten close to the lake despite the barrier. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624300&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624300&ft=1&f=1025 Two Asian carp species that could devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem may be a few miles from Lake Michigan. To halt their migration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater electric fence on a canal 20 miles south of the lake. But tests conducted by David Lodge at Notre Dame indicate that they have gotten close to the lake despite the barrier.

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]]> Obscured By War, Water Crisis Looms In Yemen News from Yemen has been dominated recently by an escalating rebellion along the border with Saudi Arabia. But the country has been making news for decades because of its severe overuse of a rapidly disappearing water supply, the result of natural and political causes. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:56:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120619082&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120619082&ft=1&f=1025 News from Yemen has been dominated recently by an escalating rebellion along the border with Saudi Arabia. But the country has been making news for decades because of its severe overuse of a rapidly disappearing water supply, the result of natural and political causes.

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]]> Financial Crisis Is 'Green' For The Environment New studies are projecting that carbon dioxide emissions — greenhouse gas emissions — will decrease for the year 2009. That is thanks to the global recession. But the reprieve is small and expected to be short lived. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602665&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602665&ft=1&f=1025 New studies are projecting that carbon dioxide emissions — greenhouse gas emissions — will decrease for the year 2009. That is thanks to the global recession. But the reprieve is small and expected to be short lived.

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]]> Fungus Provides Clues To North American Extinctions One of the great mysteries about North America is what killed off woolly mammoths and other exotic animals that roamed the land after the last ice age. Ideas have ranged from a comet impact and climate change to human hunters. A study published Friday in <em>Science Magazine</em> provides new clues about this — cleverly deduced from samples of a fungus that grew on the animal's dung. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:33:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120592967&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120592967&ft=1&f=1025 One of the great mysteries about North America is what killed off woolly mammoths and other exotic animals that roamed the land after the last ice age. Ideas have ranged from a comet impact and climate change to human hunters. A study published Friday in Science Magazine provides new clues about this — cleverly deduced from samples of a fungus that grew on the animal's dung.

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]]> Reef Conservation Strategy Backfires Conservationists worried about overfishing on the Pacific island of Kiribati persuaded fishermen to pick coconuts instead. The strategy backfired: Coconut oil production increased, but so did fishing. It turns out, fishermen who earned more money in coconut agriculture had more leisure time — which they spent fishing. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120536304&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120536304&ft=1&f=1025 Conservationists worried about overfishing on the Pacific island of Kiribati persuaded fishermen to pick coconuts instead. The strategy backfired: Coconut oil production increased, but so did fishing. It turns out, fishermen who earned more money in coconut agriculture had more leisure time — which they spent fishing.

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]]> Higher Temperatures May Be Behind Pine Growth Ancient bristlecone pine trees found in certain parts of California and Nevada have been growing at an unprecedented rate in the last 50 years. According to a recent study, this growth has most likely been caused by warmer temperatures. Malcolm Hughes, one of the study's lead researchers and a professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona's Laboratory for Tree-Ring Research, offers his insight. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545587&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545587&ft=1&f=1025 Ancient bristlecone pine trees found in certain parts of California and Nevada have been growing at an unprecedented rate in the last 50 years. According to a recent study, this growth has most likely been caused by warmer temperatures. Malcolm Hughes, one of the study's lead researchers and a professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona's Laboratory for Tree-Ring Research, offers his insight.

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]]> California Requires TVs To Be More Energy Efficient Power-hungry TVs will be banned from store shelves in California after state regulators adopted a first-in-the nation mandate to lower electricity demand. On a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission on Wednesday required all new televisions up to 58 inches to be more energy efficient beginning in 2011. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:09:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120526762&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120526762&ft=1&f=1025 Power-hungry TVs will be banned from store shelves in California after state regulators adopted a first-in-the nation mandate to lower electricity demand. On a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission on Wednesday required all new televisions up to 58 inches to be more energy efficient beginning in 2011.

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]]> Environment Or Economy? Obama's Balancing Act To sell Congress and others on the idea of taking bold steps to curb global warming, President Obama casts his arguments in terms of job creation. Many environmental activists say they wish he'd do more to push the "green" agenda. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:46:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120483112&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120483112&ft=1&f=1025 To sell Congress and others on the idea of taking bold steps to curb global warming, President Obama casts his arguments in terms of job creation. Many environmental activists say they wish he'd do more to push the "green" agenda.

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]]> Top Executives Launch Electric Car Coalition A group of executives from more than a dozen auto, transportation and energy companies launched a new coalition Monday to urge the federal government to make a major investment in electric transportation. Their goal is to bring 100 million electric cars to the road by 2030. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120478052&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120478052&ft=1&f=1025 A group of executives from more than a dozen auto, transportation and energy companies launched a new coalition Monday to urge the federal government to make a major investment in electric transportation. Their goal is to bring 100 million electric cars to the road by 2030.

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]]> Lower Tuna Limit Still Too High, Researchers Say The international commission that regulates fishing of tuna and other large migratory fish in the Atlantic voted to sharply reduce the fishing quota for bluefin tuna at their latest meeting. But some scientists say the new quota is too high to sustain the species. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120462634&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120462634&ft=1&f=1025 The international commission that regulates fishing of tuna and other large migratory fish in the Atlantic voted to sharply reduce the fishing quota for bluefin tuna at their latest meeting. But some scientists say the new quota is too high to sustain the species.

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]]> The Dirt On Dust Where does all that dust under your couch come from? It turns out that most household dust comes from outside — and may contain some pretty harmful stuff. How the toxins in dust get into your body depends on the size of the dust particle. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120252957&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120252957&ft=1&f=1025 Where does all that dust under your couch come from? It turns out that most household dust comes from outside — and may contain some pretty harmful stuff. How the toxins in dust get into your body depends on the size of the dust particle.

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]]> Brown Pelican Flies Off The Endangered List After nearly 40 years on the brink of extinction, the brown pelican has made a substantial enough comeback that it was removed Wednesday from the endangered species list. The bird was nearly killed off by the pesticide DDT. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:28:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120314936&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120314936&ft=1&f=1025 After nearly 40 years on the brink of extinction, the brown pelican has made a substantial enough comeback that it was removed Wednesday from the endangered species list. The bird was nearly killed off by the pesticide DDT.

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]]> EPA Drafts Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Strategy The Environmental Protection Agency has outlined a new effort to help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary. And it targets the root causes of the trouble: runoff. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120244725&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120244725&ft=1&f=1025 The Environmental Protection Agency has outlined a new effort to help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary. And it targets the root causes of the trouble: runoff.

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]]> Researchers Get Dirty To Clean Up Chesapeake A team of scientists is studying mud, ooze and other material from the bay's bottom to help the EPA crack down on pollutants. The tubes of glop they've collected from throughout the Chesapeake Bay are like biopsies — they indicate where the bay is healthy and where it's dying. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120191137&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120191137&ft=1&f=1025 A team of scientists is studying mud, ooze and other material from the bay's bottom to help the EPA crack down on pollutants. The tubes of glop they've collected from throughout the Chesapeake Bay are like biopsies — they indicate where the bay is healthy and where it's dying.

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]]> Climate Rift Grows Between U.S., Poor Nations As the world prepares for crucial climate-change talks in Copenhagen next month, there is a growing rift between the United States and some of the world's poorest nations. The gap grew wider this past week, at the final official pre-Copenhagen talks in Barcelona. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120227950&ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120227950&ft=1&f=1025 As the world prepares for crucial climate-change talks in Copenhagen next month, there is a growing rift between the United States and some of the world's poorest nations. The gap grew wider this past week, at the final official pre-Copenhagen talks in Barcelona.

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