All Environment
Attuned to temblors: How well can scientists forecast massive earthquakes?Headlines portending a coming spike in devastating earthquakes ignited concerns this week. But seismologists say such forecasts work best when they spark action, not fear.
In post-conflict Colombia, land-rights and funding for peacebuilding face offColombia's Constitutional Court overturned a 2001 law that gave the federal government ultimate say over where mining projects took place. It's a victory for local communities, but with the government in need of billions to bank roll peace programs, can it last?聽
First LookLion trophies: ban against imported lion parts has also been loosened by Trump administrationUnited States officials allowed聽importation of heads and hides of lions shot for sport one month before President Trump reversed the ban on elephant trophies.聽
First LookInsurers face new challenges after long series of natural disastersFollowing a season of hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes around the world, customers and governments are facing rising insurance rates.聽 Experts suggest that insurance companies should re-evaluate their repricing strategies as disasters become more common.聽
First LookClimate refugees to be welcomed in New ZealandNew Zealand announced it will create a new refugee visa for Pacific Islanders displaced by rising seas. The nation says it is preparing for the possibility of a larger evacuation of island residents in the future as a result of ongoing climate change.聽
First LookTrump administration revokes ban on imported elephant trophiesThe US Fish and Wildlife Service has reversed the聽ban on elephant parts from Zimbabwe and Zambia, saying it will help fund conservation. Critics argue allowing wealthy big-game hunters to kill would confuse efforts to curb illegal poaching.聽
First Look20 countries agree to end coal use by 2030Twenty countries and two US states have banded together through the Powering Past Coal alliance to phase out coal and cut carbon emissions by 2030 in an effort to keep to the Paris Agreement target for lowering emissions.
Backyard bird feeders prompting beak evolutionBackyard birders in Britain have welcomed songbirds into their yards for decades with bird feeders. And one bird appears to be evolving as a result.
As bird lovers rejoice the sandhill crane's return, hunters eye the 'ribeye of the sky'At its聽root, Michigan's聽debate over a proposed sandhill crane hunt聽stems from a fundamental clash of worldviews between people who see the natural world as something to be protected and preserved and those who view the land as a resource to be managed.
This year, as winter nears, residents of China's coal country turn to gasShanxi province's coal helped fuel China's economic boom. But as awareness about the risks of pollution grows, officials in the provincial capital are cracking down on heavy industry and shifting to natural gas聽鈥� giving workers a cleaner, if uncertain, future.- Bicycling biologist pedals 10,000 miles along the Monarch butterfly's migration routeWildlife biologist Sara Dykman is pedaling her way from the mountainous forests of southwestern Mexico to Canada and back,聽stopping at schools and wildlife centers to raise awareness about the migratory insect.
First LookBooming US crude oil exports raises questions about infrastructure capabilityPort officials and exporters say current pipelines, ports, and shipping lanes will be unable to handle further growth. Since the export ban was lifted less than two years ago, shipments are hitting a record of 2 million barrels a day.
Las Vegas shines as a model for solar powerLong known for its extravagance, Vegas is quickly becoming a paragon of conservation, thanks to an upswing in solar energy.
Geese find sanctuary in citiesHumans have long shared urban environments with geese. New research is shedding light on what draws our feathered friends.聽
Climate scientist steps out of the lab and into the windAfter spending a career researching climate change, former NOAA scientist David Goodrich set on a cross-country bike trip to talk with everyday聽Americans about global warming.
Fire and floods: Did climate play a role in this fall's disasters?As wildfires rage in California and Puerto Rico struggles to restore basic utilities after getting socked by two hurricanes, many Americans worry that the disaster-filled fall may be a sign of things to come.
In Utah, major forest fire fuels push for state, not federal controlThe costliest fire in Utah's history came this summer, after locals had warned for years that the US Forest Service was mismanaging public land and making it more vulnerable to catastrophic blazes. Now state leaders are asking Washington to return that power to the states.
Evaporation: the overlooked alternative energy source?So-called evaporation engines could add another stream of renewable power to a diversified energy strategy, researchers say. But the technology has a way聽to go 鈥� and some questions to answer 鈥� before it can be deployed.
Quicker than expected, auto industry revs up for an electric-car futureSome experts project electric vehicles could make up more than half of car sales by 2040, projections that GM, Ford, Volkswagen, Chinese automakers, and others are taking seriously all of a sudden.
