All Environment
[special project]Madagascar skirted famine 鈥� barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.Where persistent drought is the new normal, communities will have to adapt 鈥撀燼 challenge across eastern Africa. But Madagascar鈥檚 success, and the lessons that it learned from its brush with disaster, point to how crises might be averted elsewhere.聽Part 2 of our series on famine resilience.
[special project]In Ethiopia, model drought defenses are put to the testThe country's booming capital, Addis Ababa, sits in stark contrast to rural areas struggling against two severe droughts in three years. But innovative aid has helped farming communities manage the crisis.聽Part 1 of our series on famine resilience.
Cities turn to trees to beat the heatFrom California to Singapore, urban communities are embarking on tree planting efforts with the hope of to keeping rising temperatures in check.
Should we pay people not to cut down trees?A two-year study in Uganda helps ease some of the biggest concerns about programs that pay landowners to leave natural resources untouched.
Battle over the Clean Water Rule: What's at stake?The issue, which involves certain wetlands and temporary waterways, is likely to end up in court (again).
First LookCalifornian lawmakers collaborate to extend emission-capping billRepublicans and Democrats 鈥榮et aside their differences,鈥� says Governor Brown, as they passed a measure that will extend the state鈥檚 cap-and-trade bill for another decade.聽聽
First LookWind, solar do not harm power grid reliability, new study reportsA recent draft of the US Department of Energy study on renewable energy states that 'significantly higher levels of renewable energy can be integrated without compromise of system reliability.'聽
First LookPakistan continues initiative to increase reliance on wind powerAfter a Chinese investment in renewable energy, Pakistan opens a new wind farm to bolster energy production and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.
First LookPortland river once shunned by swimmers enjoys rapid renaissanceThe push mirrors efforts to revive ailing rivers in other US cities, from the Charles River in Boston to the concrete-lined Los Angeles River, where efforts have been underway in recent years to reverse decades of environmental damage.
From coral sperm banks to climate action: What's best to save reefs?Scientists have developed a technique to cryopreserve the reproductive cells of fish, and hope to use it to preserve the diversity of imperiled coral reefs. But not everyone agrees that species-focused conservation is worth the effort in the face of global threats.
Antarctica鈥檚 big break: What role for climate change?Sometime between Monday and Wednesday this week, a trillion-ton iceberg broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula. It鈥檚 a fascinating geological phenomenon to watch, but the causes and implications are often misunderstood.
First LookImmense iceberg finally splits from Antarctic ice shelfAfter a wait that lasted longer than expected, scientists report a trillion-ton iceberg has separated from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica.聽
First LookMali hires dogs to sniff out ivory tradeHoping to slow and ultimately halt the illegal ivory trade in West Africa's Mali, an anti-poaching team recently brought three Dutch spaniels into its ranks to locate smuggler hideouts.
First LookFire crews report better containment in California, Western US blazesCooler temperatures and reduced winds on Monday helped firefighters gain ground on some California wildfires following a record-setting heat wave, although others rage on. Containment of several other US-based fires also increased.聽
Extreme botany: How far should we go to save a plant species?Self-described extreme botanist Steve Perlman goes where no man 鈥� nor goat 鈥� has gone before to find and save the rarest plants in Hawaii.
In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary 鈥� even marriage 鈥� just out of reachFailed rains have disrupted life here in ways seismic enough to register 鈥撀爄f barely 鈥撀爋n the Richter scale of global disasters. The government estimates that nearly 8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. But at close range, drought does even more than leave people hungry or far from home.聽
Women take southern India's drought into their own hands 鈥� one shovel at a timeThree years of drought have driven many farmers to desperation. But thousands of women in Karnataka state are desilting lakes to deepen them, helping them retain water聽when the rains one day come again. 聽
FocusChina spent $100 billion on reforestation. So why does it have 'green deserts'?Beijing's Grain-for-Green program has helped blanket the country's hillsides with trees, undoing damage from decades of blistering development.聽But fostering biodiversity remains a challenge, conservationists say.
First LookUtah representative claims logging could have lessened forest fire damageRepresentative Noel attacked 'tree huggers' and poor federal management for the fire at Brian Head, sparking controversy among forestry experts and conservation groups.
First LookSpain forest fire encroaches on renowned national park, threatening endangered speciesFirefighters are focusing their efforts on containing the fire where it has entered Donana National Park's perimeter, a park famous for its biodiversity.
