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. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/thumbnail/npr_generic_image_75.jpg Environment http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1025&ft=1&f=1025 yes Tracking Killer Tornadoes A series of tornadoes struck the central United States this week, including a powerful storm in Oklahoma that killed at least 24 people. Marshall Shepherd, the president of the American Meteorological Society, describes the ingredients of major tornadoes, and how they are predicted. Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450901/tracking-killer-tornadoes?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450901/tracking-killer-tornadoes?ft=1&f=1025 A series of tornadoes struck the central United States this week, including a powerful storm in Oklahoma that killed at least 24 people. Marshall Shepherd, the president of the American Meteorological Society, describes the ingredients of major tornadoes, and how they are predicted. 526 no A series of tornadoes struck the central United States this week, including a powerful storm in Oklahoma that killed at least 24 people. Marshall Shepherd, the president of the American Meteorological Society, describes the ingredients of major tornadoes, and how they are predicted.

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]]> Reinventing Farming For A Changing Climate Scientists say climate change could increase pests and weeds, lengthen growing seasons and turn dry soil to dust. Farmers are already on the offensive, adopting no-till cropping methods to conserve water and experimenting with different seeds. And scientists are using a technique called gene silencing to develop new crops--without tinkering with the plants' DNA. Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450905/reinventing-farming-for-a-changing-climate?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450905/reinventing-farming-for-a-changing-climate?ft=1&f=1025 Scientists say climate change could increase pests and weeds, lengthen growing seasons and turn dry soil to dust. Farmers are already on the offensive, adopting no-till cropping methods to conserve water and experimenting with different seeds. And scientists are using a technique called gene silencing to develop new crops--without tinkering with the plants' DNA. 1666 no Scientists say climate change could increase pests and weeds, lengthen growing seasons and turn dry soil to dust. Farmers are already on the offensive, adopting no-till cropping methods to conserve water and experimenting with different seeds. And scientists are using a technique called gene silencing to develop new crops--without tinkering with the plants' DNA.

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]]> 'Crazy Ants' Spreading In The Southeastern US In parts of the southeastern US, aggressive fire ants have been driven out by an even more recent arrival, the tawny crazy ant. Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, describes the newcomers and how one invasive species can out-invade another. Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450907/crazy-ants-spreading-in-the-southeastern-us?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186450907/crazy-ants-spreading-in-the-southeastern-us?ft=1&f=1025 In parts of the southeastern US, aggressive fire ants have been driven out by an even more recent arrival, the tawny crazy ant. Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, describes the newcomers and how one invasive species can out-invade another. 473 no In parts of the southeastern US, aggressive fire ants have been driven out by an even more recent arrival, the tawny crazy ant. Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, describes the newcomers and how one invasive species can out-invade another.

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]]> Study Is First To Chart Amphibian Populations' Decline In U.S. Populations of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released this week. Fri, 24 May 2013 12:25:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/24/186451082/amphibians-population-decline-marked-in-new-u-s-study?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/24/186451082/amphibians-population-decline-marked-in-new-u-s-study?ft=1&f=1025 Populations of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released this week. no Populations of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released this week.

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]]> China's Air Pollution: Is The Government Willing To Act? There is some political willingness, but because China is highly decentralized politically, the Communist Party has only limited influence over provincial governments and how they regulate their dirty factories. The powerful state-owned oil companies have also resisted pressure to produce cleaner-burning fuel. Fri, 24 May 2013 04:02:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/24/186246634/chinas-air-pollution-is-the-government-willing-to-act?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/24/186246634/chinas-air-pollution-is-the-government-willing-to-act?ft=1&f=1025 There is some political willingness, but because China is highly decentralized politically, the Communist Party has only limited influence over provincial governments and how they regulate their dirty factories. The powerful state-owned oil companies have also resisted pressure to produce cleaner-burning fuel. 300 no There is some political willingness, but because China is highly decentralized politically, the Communist Party has only limited influence over provincial governments and how they regulate their dirty factories. The powerful state-owned oil companies have also resisted pressure to produce cleaner-burning fuel.

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]]> Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!' The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe. Thu, 23 May 2013 17:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/23/186076355/inside-a-tart-cherry-revival-somebody-needs-to-do-this?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/23/186076355/inside-a-tart-cherry-revival-somebody-needs-to-do-this?ft=1&f=1025 The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe. 354 no The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.

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]]> Descending Into The Mariana Trench: James Cameron's Odyssey At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft. Thu, 23 May 2013 17:41:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186302916/Mariana-Trench?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186302916/Mariana-Trench?ft=1&f=1025 At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft. 501 no At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft.

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]]> Obama Group's Climate Push Puts President Under Scrutiny Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline. Thu, 23 May 2013 03:06:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/05/24/186098607/obama-groups-climate-push-puts-president-under-scrutiny?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/05/24/186098607/obama-groups-climate-push-puts-president-under-scrutiny?ft=1&f=1025 Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline. 256 no Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.

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]]> Could African Crops Be Improved With Private Biotech Data? A plant scientist at Mars Inc. has appealed to the world's biggest life sciences companies to help him — by sharing what they already know about 100 crops that could provide better nutrition in Africa. But can the kings of agricultural intellectual property get onboard with open source agricultural information for Africa? Wed, 22 May 2013 16:57:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185854852/could-african-crops-be-improved-with-private-biotech-data?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185854852/could-african-crops-be-improved-with-private-biotech-data?ft=1&f=1025 A plant scientist at Mars Inc. has appealed to the world's biggest life sciences companies to help him — by sharing what they already know about 100 crops that could provide better nutrition in Africa. But can the kings of agricultural intellectual property get onboard with open source agricultural information for Africa? no A plant scientist at Mars Inc. has appealed to the world's biggest life sciences companies to help him — by sharing what they already know about 100 crops that could provide better nutrition in Africa. But can the kings of agricultural intellectual property get onboard with open source agricultural information for Africa?

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]]> How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples. Wed, 22 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185821964/how-genomics-solved-the-mystery-of-irelands-great-famine?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185821964/how-genomics-solved-the-mystery-of-irelands-great-famine?ft=1&f=1025 Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples. no Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.

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]]> African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock Hipsters may just be discovering the joys of backyard chickens, but in African megacities, people have been bringing their animals into the slums with them for decades. That's creating a new ecosystem of animals and huge numbers of people living closely together like never before. Tue, 21 May 2013 16:26:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185763979/african-cities-test-the-limits-of-living-with-livestock?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185763979/african-cities-test-the-limits-of-living-with-livestock?ft=1&f=1025 Hipsters may just be discovering the joys of backyard chickens, but in African megacities, people have been bringing their animals into the slums with them for decades. That's creating a new ecosystem of animals and huge numbers of people living closely together like never before. no Hipsters may just be discovering the joys of backyard chickens, but in African megacities, people have been bringing their animals into the slums with them for decades. That's creating a new ecosystem of animals and huge numbers of people living closely together like never before.

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]]> Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming? Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers, but rather in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by superefficient LEDs. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:16:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185758529/vertical-pinkhouses-the-future-of-urban-farming?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/21/185758529/vertical-pinkhouses-the-future-of-urban-farming?ft=1&f=1025 Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers, but rather in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by superefficient LEDs. no Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers, but rather in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by superefficient LEDs.

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]]> Storm Chasers Seek Thrills, But Also Chance To Warn Others When disaster strikes, our natural instinct is to take cover and seek shelter. But in severe weather, especially the type that breeds tornadoes like we saw in Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest this week, there are those who ride toward the storm. Tue, 21 May 2013 17:41:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/21/185849061/storm-chasers-seek-thrills-but-also-chance-to-warn-others?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/21/185849061/storm-chasers-seek-thrills-but-also-chance-to-warn-others?ft=1&f=1025 When disaster strikes, our natural instinct is to take cover and seek shelter. But in severe weather, especially the type that breeds tornadoes like we saw in Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest this week, there are those who ride toward the storm. 254 no When disaster strikes, our natural instinct is to take cover and seek shelter. But in severe weather, especially the type that breeds tornadoes like we saw in Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest this week, there are those who ride toward the storm.

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]]> Measuring The Power Of Deadly Tornadoes Tornado strength is currently measured on what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which gives the tornado a rating from 0 to 5 based on estimated wind speeds and the severity of the damage. Mon, 20 May 2013 18:37:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/20/185610261/measuring-the-power-of-deadly-tornadoes?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/20/185610261/measuring-the-power-of-deadly-tornadoes?ft=1&f=1025 Tornado strength is currently measured on what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which gives the tornado a rating from 0 to 5 based on estimated wind speeds and the severity of the damage. no Tornado strength is currently measured on what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which gives the tornado a rating from 0 to 5 based on estimated wind speeds and the severity of the damage.

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]]> Forecasters Had Chance To Warn Moore, Okla., Before Tornado Melissa Block talks to Jon Hamilton about the science of tornadoes. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:12:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/20/185631833/forecasters-had-chance-to-warn-moore-okla-before-tornado?ft=1&f=1025 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/20/185631833/forecasters-had-chance-to-warn-moore-okla-before-tornado?ft=1&f=1025 Melissa Block talks to Jon Hamilton about the science of tornadoes. 219 no Melissa Block talks to Jon Hamilton about the science of tornadoes.

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