All Environment
The 19th-century engine that could give solar power a boostFirst developed in the early 19th century, the Stirling engine is regaining favor as a way to squeeze even more power out of the sun's energy.
Putting a price on cheap energy [Recharge]An IMF study examines global energy subsidies; China cuts back on coal; World leaders set the table for Paris climate talks. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.
Why oil firms want a say in global climate talksMajor oil companies including Total, Eni, Saudi Aramco, BG, Royal Dutch Shell, and others have come together to form an industry group to weigh in on climate negotiations to take place in Paris later this year.
The ExplainerHow climate change threatens national securityResearchers have grown increasingly concerned by the threat that global warming poses to global peace. And political leaders are beginning to take notice.
How Obama's 'butterfly highway' paves way to save embattled monarchsEastern populations of the North American monarch have declined by 90 percent over the past 20 years. Conservation biologists hope that the buzz about the butterfly highway will inspire the public to join efforts to preserve habitat.
Antarctic glaciers thinning so fast, it's like a switch was flippedA new study finds that processes related to global warming are weakening several Antarctic ice shelves surprisingly quickly 鈥� causing glaciers to lose large amounts of ice.
'Teddy bear' no longer endangered: What's behind the 'rewilding' of America?Once down to just three small breeding groups in 1992,聽the Louisiana black bear has clambered back from the brink of extinction. From bald eagles to mountain lions, some of America's rarest beasts have once again found sure footing.
Santa Barbara oil spill raises questions about California pipelinesEnvironmental groups say the Santa Barbara oil spill points to the dangers of a planned expansion of tar sands oil production in California. But other experts say pipelines remain by far the safest way to transport oil.
Efforts underway to cleanup oil spill along Santa Barbara's coastlineA broken onshore pipeline spewed oil down a storm drain and into the ocean for several hours Tuesday before it was shut off, creating a slick some 4 miles along a stretch of scenic California coast.
Goldman Sachs predicts $45 oil by OctoberCrude prices have risen over the past few weeks, after collapsing from $100 a barrel last summer to around $50 a barrel early this year. But as James Stafford writes, some predict prices could fall again later this year.
How global warming may make forests shorter and scrubbierA new study applies a well-established principle of fluid flow to identify which types of trees could be winners and losers as global warming progresses.
Oil markets indifferent to latest Islamic State victory in IraqIraqi oil production is growing, writes Nick Cunningham, even as Islamic State gains ground. The global glut of crude has insulated markets against geopolitical shocks, and the fall of Ramadi hasn't impacted production in Iraq's oil-rich South.
IMF report: A $5 trillion case for ending fossil fuel subsidies?The IMF鈥檚 new report has found that global fossil fuel subsidies could cost $5.3 trillion in 2015 alone. The findings reflect a growing chorus calling for reforms in energy subsidies.
Mountains hold climate change surprise, scientists findMountains are shaped differently than scientists thought they were, and that could be good news for mountain-dwelling species adapting to climate change.
US's shadowy energy partnership with oil-rich AzerbaijanAzerbaijan has long been a key piece in the US's foreign policy puzzle, writes Nick Cunningham, and news that Congressmen traveled there at the expense of a state-owned oil company is the latest link between the countries.
Back to the Arctic for oil and gas [Recharge]Shell gets a green light to return to the Arctic; What TPP means for LNG; The shale boom slows down. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.
Seattle 'kayaktavists' plan civil disobedience against Shell OilShell Oil rigs are in Seattle, on their way to Alaska for offshore drilling. Hundreds of protesters paddling nearby are planning acts of civil disobedience in hopes of preventing damage to the Arctic and the effects of climate change.
Why California salmon are getting a free rideDue to drought,聽California is helping 30 million young salmon get downstream,聽deploying the biggest fish-lift in the state's history.- Paddle in Seattle: Protest against Shell Arctic drillingActivists opposed to drilling for oil in the Arctic play a kayak flotilla protest on Seattle's Elliott Bay on Saturday.
Seattle, like it or not, becomes Shell's Arctic baseThe first of two drilling rigs slated for Arctic oil exploration arrived in Seattle on Thursday as environmental activist geared up for days of protests.