Environment 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.
Environment
The wake of a supply vessel heading toward a working platform crosses over an oil sheen drifting from the site of the former Taylor Energy oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015. The Coast Guard says it has contained the oil spill. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was among the most controversial of President Trump's original Cabinet-level picks. Pete Marovich/Getty Images hide caption
An employee of the District of Columbia Housing Authority walks on the grounds of a public housing complex called Richardson Dwellings in Northeast Washington, D.C. The Trump administration wants to eliminate the federal fund now used to repair public housing in favor of attracting more private investment to repair and replace it. Amr Alfiky/NPR hide caption
Debris blankets the north side of one of the Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean. Researchers found a huge amount of plastic both onshore and buried in the sand. Courtesy of Silke Stuckenbrock hide caption
Remote Island Chain Has Few People — But Hundreds Of Millions Of Pieces Of Plastic
Volunteer rescue workers search for human remains in the rubble of homes burned in the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. State officials say the fire was caused by PG&E power lines. Terry Chea/AP hide caption
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a rally at Howard University on Monday. The Sunrise Movement held an event for the final stop of the "Road to a Green New Deal" tour to "explore what the pain of the climate crisis looks like in D.C. and for the country and what the promise of the Green New Deal means." Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
Containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San Francisco. The verdict is the third recent court decision in California involving the glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer. Haven Daley/AP hide caption
In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael last year, a woman tries to recover belongings from the place where her house once stood in Mexico Beach, Florida. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
With Hurricane Season Approaching, Researchers Work To Better Predict Storm Intensity
Charles Brain helps hand harvest grapes in a Shiraz vineyard in the Swartland wine region of South Africa. Lubanzi Wines, which was started by Brain and his partner, Walker Brown, earned its B Corp certification this year. Christopher Grava/Courtesy of Lubanzi Wines hide caption
Handlers, known as mahouts, ride elephants along a mountain ridge at the Elephant Conservation Center in Xayaboury, Laos. The center has 29 elephants, most of which spent long careers hauling logs in Laos' logging industry. Ashley Westerman/NPR hide caption
A Seychelles magpie-robin at the protected Cousin Island Special Reserve in Seychelles. James Warwick/Getty Images hide caption
Opinion: 1 Million Species Are At Risk Of Disappearing. Humans Should Act Now
Herders from across Mongolia's Gobi Desert gather for a festival to celebrate the two-humped Bactrian camel. The event is held in early March before the birthing season begins. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption
Where Camels Become Beauty Queens: Inside Mongolia's Biggest Camel Festival
Researchers also found that congestion on the roads in San Francisco also was exacerbated because of where the ride-hailing cars were and at what time of day. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Entering the control room at Three Mile Island Unit 1 is like stepping back in time. Except for a few digital screens and new counters, much of the equipment is original to 1974, when the plant began generating electricity. Jeff Brady/NPR hide caption
Hurricane Florence flooded Nichols, S.C., in September 2018. It was the second catastrophic flood in the region in less than two years. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption
When '1-In-100-Year' Floods Happen Often, What Should You Call Them?
Artist rendering of NuScale Power's nuclear power plant design, which would use small modular reactors. NuScale Power hide caption
This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer
Dr. Brian Chesebro (right), in Portland, Ore., has calculated that by simply using the anesthesia gas sevoflurane in most surgeries, instead of the similar gas desflurane, he can significantly cut the amount of global warming each procedure contributes to the environment. Kristian Foden-Vencil/OPB hide caption
Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?
Oregon Public Broadcasting
"Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history," a U.N. panel says, reporting that around 1 million species are currently at risk. Here, an endangered hawksbill turtle swims in a Singapore aquarium in 2017. Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says
A dolphin swims by at an exhibit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The aquarium hopes to relocate its dolphins to a sanctuary off the coast of Florida or in the Caribbean. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption
At Baltimore's National Aquarium, Climate Change Presents Challenges Inside And Out
Above, fresh mahi mahi harvested from the sea. A handful of cell-based seafood companies are attempting to create fresh fish species, including mahi mahi, in a lab — where they will be grown without a head, tail, skin or bones. Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images hide caption