All Environment
- Voracious kudzu bugs spread across South. Are they boon or bane?The nubbin-sized Japanese invader arrived on American shores somewhere near Atlanta in 2009. Today it鈥檚 eating pesky kudzu across at least three states. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 chowing on soybean crops, too.
Los Angeles to become largest US city banning plastic bagsThe Los Angeles City Council voted 13-to-1 to move forward with a controversial ban on single-use plastic grocery bags. Critics say it鈥檚 an example of regulatory overreach.
Cover StoryCSI Tornado: Decoding 鈥� and chasing 鈥� supercells with the expertsCSI Tornado: Chasing supercells, interviewing a homeowner sucked off his front porch in an Oklahoma tornado outbreak, and examining the path of a destructive funnel, an expert expedition shows how science is close to decoding the way a tornado works.
Saga of California's Salton Sea: a tragic chapter ahead?Some worry that a water-diversion deal, sending farm irrigation water to sprawling San Diego, will spell doom for the Salton Sea 鈥� and exposure to toxins for humans and wildlife. Others say protections are in place to ensure that can't happen.
Forecast is for 'normal' hurricane season, a bit wimpier than last yearThe Atlantic hurricane season may be quieter this year than last, predict AccuWeather.com forecasters. A 'near normal' 2012 would see at least a dozen tropical storms and two major hurricanes.
Progress WatchUS air pollution hits 10-year low, report findsA report by the American Lung Association finds that air pollution has fallen to its lowest levels since the group began collecting data in 2000. The ALA credits the Clean Air Act.聽- How much do you know about Earth Day? Take our quiz!
April 22 marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, a day intended to inspire awareness and promote appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. In honor of the holiday, test your knowledge of Earth Day history, trivia, and statistics.
Are EVs worth it? Study helps calculate savings on emissions, fuel.How much an EV saves on fuel or cuts greenhouse gas emissions depends on many variables, including gas prices and whether the local electric grid is fed mainly by coal power. The Union of Concerned Scientists helps out with the calculations.
Ice age study delivers blow to global-warming skepticsA new study finds that rising levels of carbon dioxide drove rising temperatures at the end of the last ice age. The findings contrast with previous studies, which skeptics of human-triggered global warming said showed that CO2 levels weren't an important factor.聽
Climate change report: time to start preparing for the worstIt's time to start protecting people from the impact of severe-weather events, a panel says. The report offers further evidence of how the climate change conversation is shifting.聽
Top 5 nations that use renewable energy Here are the top users of renewables, not counting biofuels or hydroelectricity. Numbers indicate country percentage of total global renewable usage.
Sea level studies: US coasts even more vulnerable than previously thoughtSouth Florida, southern Louisiana, and the Carolinas top the list of states with the most land to lose if sea level rises 1 meter, according to a pair of new studies.
Greenland's ice sheet: Climate change outlook gets a little more direIf temperatures reach 1.6 degrees C above preindustrial levels, the iconic ice sheet will probably tip toward irreversible loss. With climate change, temperatures have already risen 0.8 degrees C.
California ready to cut greenhouse gases. Next, doing it.After five years, California has put in place rules to cut greenhouse-gas emissions statewide back to 1990 levels. But lingering effects of the recession have pushed implementation back a year to 2013.
Hey, what happened to winter? What its wimpiness portends for spring.Despite a few powerful snowstorms, the winter of 2011-12, with record-breaking temperatures and less precipitation than normal, has been the fourth warmest on record in the US. What gives?
Hybrid cars 101: How long should batteries last?Owners complain that some hybrid-car batteries conk out early. What is the lifespan of a hybrid battery?
Five hotbeds of biodiversity Here are five flora- and fauna-rich ecologies that Conservation International, a nonprofit organization in Arlington, Va., says are more than 70 percent intact.
Ice caps not shrinking as much as once thought, new data showMountain glaciers and ice caps around the globe collectively lost 148 billion tons of ice a year, according to new satellite measurements.聽The rate is 30 percent lower than scientists thought.
Cover StoryWind power: Clean energy, dirty business?In the developing world, where land-intensive wind turbines are being rapidly constructed, wind power has often turned clean energy into dirty business.- The 'wind rush': Green energy blows trouble into MexicoGreen energy's big success is a rude awakening in the isthmus of Mexico.
