All Environment
First LookFrozen clues: What hailstones say about a warming worldResearchers are chasing storms across multiple states to collect and study hailstones to better understand storm behavior. Their findings could reveal how climate change may impact future hail damage and storm intensity.
Their house survived LA鈥檚 wildfires. They still can鈥檛 go home.In California, residents of once-vibrant Altadena are deciding whether to return and rebuild after devastating wildfires. Part 2 in a series.
First LookWhat are planetary waves? Scientists warn of more extreme weather events.Scientists say that climate change has tripled the frequency of planetary waves linked to extreme summer weather. In the 1950s, there was one extreme weather event a year. Now, the Earth is experiencing three every summer.
Points of ProgressCitizen projects tear up pavement for plants, and keep solar panels goingChina, the largest producer and consumer of seafood, signs a safeguard against illegal fishing. And in Colombia,聽a program eases adoption of renewables.聽 聽
First LookGreenland鈥檚 record heat wave adds to sea level concernsA new analysis says climate change drove May鈥檚 record heat wave in Greenland and Iceland, prompting Greenland鈥檚 ice sheet to melt many times faster than normal. Scientists say the melt聽could disturb global climate and weather patterns.
Republicans say they want energy dominance. But will 鈥榖ig bill鈥� deliver?The Trump administration鈥檚 push for 鈥渆nergy dominance鈥� is leaving out an important sector that has also been aiding a manufacturing revival.
First LookSeasonal heat waves are typical in India, but this year is off to an 鈥榓bove normal鈥� startA scorching heat wave is sweeping through Northern India with temperatures reaching 117 F. Cities are working to cope with an overburdened health system and a power grid struggling to keep things cool.
Points of ProgressThe surprising resilience of a smiling salamander and some old buried seedsProgress roundup: Captive-bred salamander can survive in the wild, and old fynbos seeds will germinate, sowing science鈥檚 hope for habitat restoration.
First LookOnly 2.7 percent of the ocean is protected. Can the world do more?The top priority of the third U.N. Ocean Conference is to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters. Without a healthy ocean, experts say, climate goals will remain out of reach.
Cover StoryLocal, organic, and bipartisan: How Vermont is challenging Big FoodFarmers in Vermont are trying to build a sustainable local economy for agricultural聽products. Americans across the political spectrum want it to work.
First LookIt鈥檚 huge, stinky, and brown. Record amounts of seaweed are baffling scientists.Caribbean beaches are being engulfed by聽tons of sargassum seaweed just as tourism season arrives. Scientists think warming waters and agricultural runoff may be contributing to the increasing amount of seaweed washing ashore each year.
Points of ProgressThe benefits of living with bears and letting nature take its courseProgress roundup: Antarctica鈥檚 newest research base lowers fossil fuel use, a medieval Italian village welcomes its bears, and more.
The ExplainerHow Trump鈥檚 push to end California EV mandates may change rules of the roadPresident Trump says he鈥檒l sign legislation revoking California鈥檚 ability to mandate its own shift toward electric vehicles. Here鈥檚 a look at what that could mean for the auto market in the state and beyond.
First LookA Peruvian farmer took on a German energy giant. Who won?A decade-long legal battle between a Peruvian farmer and German energy giant resulted in the court throwing out the case. Still, environmentalists hail it as an 鈥渦nprecedented victory.鈥�
First LookWill it be another record-breaking summer? Scientists say yes.Higher global temperatures have become the new normal. Following boosts from El Ni帽o years, scientists say temperatures haven鈥檛 fallen back down after upward swings.
First LookMarathons produce tons of plastic cup waste. One runner came up with a solution.Kristina Smithe wanted to clean up road races. So she came up with a solution: a reusable silicone cup that race organizers can rent to avoid the single-use throwaways. She says her company, Hiccup Earth, has kept 902,000 disposable cups out of landfills.
Points of ProgressHow to plant a city tree, and where timber beats steel for buildingsProgress roundup: Art world wakes up to South Asian talent, a Stockholm method of planting keeps trees happy,聽and clean energy tops fossil fuels in the U.S.
On chemicals and food, RFK Jr. runs up against powerful GOP constituenciesA report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again Commission blamed environmental toxins for health problems but did not make recommendations.
For the few right whales left, technology and teamwork are showing promiseNorth Atlantic right whales are critically endangered. But cooperation from towns, businesses, fishers, and ecologists to use new technology could create conditions in which the whale population can stabilize.
Points of ProgressHow independence helps caregivers on the job and Indigenous people in ColombiaProgress roundup: Philippine island boosts incomes and mangrove forests, Colombia protects isolated tribes, and U.S. home care workers thrive in co-ops.