All Environment
Wanted: Innovative farmers to help slow algal bloom on Lake ErieSummer algal blooms have clouded Lake Erie for at least 15 years,聽hurting the local economy and raising public health concerns. In hopes of saving their beloved lake, some farmers are beginning to embrace some radical ideas.
First LookCosta Rica's coast struggles to survive against rising seasAs rising seas threaten parts of Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, many聽worry that visitors who generate聽numerous jobs in the area could go聽elsewhere. Young trees like coconut聽palms are being planted to聽create a barrier and halt erosion.聽
From peak CO2 to record-low sea ice: making sense of climate newsIn recent weeks,聽 Earth has passed a series of 鈥渃ritical鈥澛燾limate milestones. How do readers know which headlines to pay attention to?
Is ditching fossil fuels entirely a reasonable goal?California and New York are leading the nation in a transition to cleaner energy. But even these states are finding聽it鈥檚 a lot easier to get to a 50 percent reduction in emissions than get to complete 鈥渄ecarbonization.鈥�
First LookBritish chefs cook up food waste solutionsIn Britain, chefs have started concept restaurants, soup kitchens, and social enterprises turning waste into meals. With no national food waste program, nonprofits have been taken the lead to redistribute food and change the way people think about kitchen scraps.
FocusWarming waters hurt Zanzibar's seaweed. But women farmers have a plan.Climate change is threatening Zanzibar's seaweed industry, and the gains that it has given farmers, who are mostly women: not just income, but newfound authority. Now they're fighting back, collaborating with researchers to protect their crops.
First LookAlgeria invests in desert fish farming to boost food productionThe nation hopes to feed its growing population and diversify its oil-based economy by tapping the huge aquifers beneath the Sahara to develop fish farms. Its goal: double annual fish production by 2022.聽
Cover StoryPolar power play: Who will prevail at the rooftop of the world?The world鈥檚 superpowers rush to exploit the Arctic as the sea ice melts.
First LookGlobal sailing race spotlights plastic pollution in oceansThe Volvo Ocean Race spans 12 ports and 45,000 miles and for the seven competing crews, it provides direct insight into the state of聽 pollution in the oceans. For both the sailors and spectators, the competition has become a rallying cry for sustainability.聽
First LookFog catchers turn mist into water in the Moroccan mountainsWith groundwater levels dropping, collecting water is a tedious and dangerous chore for many rural Moroccan women. But the world's largest fog collection project,聽headed by a mathematician, is seeing success and could offer a roadmap for other drought-stricken regions.
First LookAs climate change worsens, East African beekeepers struggle with harvestBeekeeping has been recognized as an alternative way for farmers to make money as climate change brings harsher weather and unpredictable growing seasons. However, even honey yields are down as parched trees offer little nectar during droughts.
First LookFacing prolonged droughts, Zambia regulates groundwater useLonger droughts, population growth, and growing water聽consumption by farming and industry has lead Zambia to impose fees on groundwater use. The measures aim to create more shared wells, which will improve water conservation and raise funds to address water pollution.聽
Where the wild books areLiam Heneghan aims to show how children鈥檚 literature can instill a lifelong love of nature.聽
Life on a volcano: Hawaiians face Kilauea eruption with reverenceThe eruption of Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island has driven roughly 2,000 people from their homes, but many have already vowed to return as soon as they can. What keeps people coming back?
First LookNatural ocean barriers could soon be covered by insuranceAs climate change worsens ocean conditions, the insurance industry is looking to insure "green infrastructure" such as coral reefs, mangroves, and salt marshes, which can protect land masses from intense storms.
First LookUAE tries vertical farming to produce food with little waterSustainable agriculture is a challenge in the arid United Arab Emirates, but a new indoor approach to farming may be the key to supplying the region with food without overdrawing from its limited water stores.聽
Do global travelers have to leave their environmental ethics at home?Global tourism is responsible for some 8 percent of total carbon emissions, about three times more than what previous studies had calculated, according to a study published Monday.
Difference MakerShe wasn鈥檛 an environmental expert, but now she has a 鈥楪reen Nobel鈥�Claire Nouvian helped to secure an EU ban on deep-sea trawling and has received a Goldman Environmental Prize, which is given to grass-roots environmentalists who are struggling for change.
First LookMongolian herders leave nomadic lifestyle for the cityFor Mongolian herders, life is changing fast. Around 68,000 herders a year move to the capital of Ulaanbaatar, with many pointing to climate change as a driving factor.聽
First LookIndian inventors curb air pollution by turning exhaust into inkA team of Indian engineers have found a way to turn air pollution into ink. The device they came up with, which attaches to generators, captures 90 percent of the soot particles from cooled diesel exhaust.
