Two atmospheric scientists explain how they weigh evidence such as ocean temperatures, wind speeds and other climate patterns to predict how many Atlantic hurricanes are likely to form this year.
Major hurricanes threaten millions of people and billions of dollars in property along the Atlantic coast. Here experts advise on preparing, understanding forecasts and recovering after a storm.
More tornadoes occur in the United States than in any other country, mainly in the Great Plains, the Midwest and southern states. Two meteorology professors explain what causes these dangerous storms.
President Trump's budget reportedly will slash funding for clean energy research and development. An energy expert explains the importance of government support and spotlights some key opportunities.
New research shows that importing goods from low-wage countries has helped US manufacturers shift production to less-polluting industries, produce less waste and spend less on pollution control.
The White House is deciding whether or not to stay in the Paris climate agreement. But a large majority of Americans – including Trump voters – want the U.S. to participate and lead.
Congress is considering proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act. In this roundup we offer views on what's lost when species disappear and the complexities of bringing them back from the brink.
Cholera kills thousands every year but is treatable if it is caught early. Understanding how El Niño shifts cholera risks in Africa can help countries prepare for outbreaks and save lives.
A new report calls U.S. forests an undervalued asset for slowing climate change. It warns that they are being degraded by logging for wood, paper and fuel, particularly in the Southeast.
'Doom and gloom' messages about nature are less effective than positive ones. The Lost & Found project tells the stories of creatures thought long gone but eventually rediscovered.
Large livestock farms, known as CAFOs, have polluted air and water in many communities. A recent court decision will force CAFOs to report their air emissions from manure and other sources.
Robin Lacassin, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP) – USPC and Raphael Grandin, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP) – USPC
Oklahoma is trying to limit the number of earthquakes caused by oil and gas extraction, but some existing faults there – which could be activated by wastewater injection – have never been mapped.
Messaging for the April 29 People's Climate March is stressing collective resistance against President Trump. This theme may appeal to activists, but is unlikely to grow the movement.
Gary M. Scott, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Pulp and paper production is a major industry with a large environmental footprint. Recently, though, paper companies have worked to reduce pollution and promote sustainable forestry and recycling.
The industry has wanted access to offshore oil for decades, but the Arctic remains challenging. Consumers, meanwhile, seem conflicted on expanded offshore drilling.
Sea otters had been absent from this Alaskan national park for at least 250 years. By marrying math and statistics, scientists map this animal's successful comeback.
It's all in the presentation: In studies, consumers were more apt to choose fuel-efficient vehicles depending on how the same pieces of information were displayed on labels.
Bio-prospecting is the search for useful materials from natural sources. A biologist explains what we can learn from bacteria about breaking down plant material, and how we can use that knowledge.
Lee Blaney, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Ingredients from shampoo, sunscreens and other personal care products are turning up in water supplies. Some are toxic or cause hormonal damage to aquatic life, and could threaten human health.
How could green groups attract more diverse volunteers? Maybe they could put more time and energy into outreach toward the people most affected by environmental injustices.
Oil production used to fall when prices were low. But a new drilling boom in Alaska, driven by technical advances and global partnerships, spotlights America's rise as a world oil power.
Forests are valuable for many uses, including timber, clean water, wildlife habitat and recreation. Stresses on U.S. forests include wildfires, pest invasions and development of private lands.
The U.S. nuclear industry is struggling to compete with cheap natural gas and manage radioactive waste. Budget cuts and anti-regulatory pressure could worsen things by weakening federal oversight.
To help feed a growing world population, restore biodiversity and slow climate change, a geologist calls for a moon shot effort to restore healthy soil around the world.
Standard methods for removing chemicals from groundwater can be slow and expensive. Now scientists are using electricity to break down long-lived, toxic chemicals called PFASs faster and at less cost.
Why use satellites to study Earth's climate? Researchers leading a new mission explain how images from space will help them analyze which parts of the Americas soak up the most carbon.
Many human-wildlife conflicts are rooted in struggles over land. Some countries, notably Mexico, have found ways to protect both nature and the rights of indigenous people and forest dwellers.
Kevin Trenberth, National Center for Atmospheric Research and Reto Knutti, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich
People worry Washington is losing respect for science and even the centuries-old scientific method. Two climate scientists explain how science can be done when talking about the future.
Whether or not farmers believe human activities are changing the climate (many don't), an agriculture specialist urges them to pursue payments for techniques that return carbon to the soil.
Before World War I, petroleum had few practical uses, but it emerged from the war as a strategic global asset necessary for national stability and security.
Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, now leading a clean energy research center at Colorado State University, explains why clean energy will keep growing despite President Trump's focus on fossil fuel.
President Trump says environmental regulation kills jobs. To fight back, conservation advocates need to show that protecting the environment can produce jobs and local benefits.
President Trump's latest executive order weakens or reverses multiple rules and policies designed to slow climate change. Scholars explain the order's impact.
Edgar Hertwich, Yale University; Anders Arvesen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Sangwon Suh, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Thomas Gibon, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
No energy source is perfect, but solar and wind have a much lower health and environmental footprint than fossil fuels, a study finds. Biopower, though, is a mixed bag.
Trump has pledged to invest big in infrastructure. An analysis shows the electric grid will need hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade just to keep things as they are.
Developed and developing countries alike struggle with water quality problems. For World Water Day, a look at the challenges – and some potential solutions – to better treating wastewater.
The Flint water crisis was one of the few cases of environment-related social injustices that reached national attention in recent years.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Addressing social and health inequalities from pollution is no longer a priority at the EPA. What did the Office of Environmental Justice do and what will happen if it's shut down?
The bad old days: Public and political support for the EPA was highest when environmental problems like air and water pollution were more obvious than current problems like climate change or endocrine disruptors.
U.S. National Archives
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the agency's purview should not include climate change, but a look at its history under both Republican and Democratic presidents says otherwise.
Conventional wisdom says we need industrial agriculture to feed the world. Not so, says geologist David Montgomery: Practices that focus on creating healthy soil can transform agriculture.
How can we feed a growing world population while protecting the environment? One key strategy is to improve yields on small farms, which produce much of the food in the world's hungriest countries.
The Trump administration will review the status of The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, one of the country’s most significant cultural sites.
Bureau of Land Management
Trump wants to scale back national monuments on federal lands in the name of boosting the economy. But this would undo decades of investments to manage our cultural and ecological resources.
If US Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana is confirmed as interior secretary, he will face difficult choices about balancing extractive activities like energy production with conservation on public lands.
A geography professor reports from the front lines of the Malheur occupation. Despite strong local opposition to occupiers, he foresees more conflicts to come.
President Trump has ordered a review of national monuments protected by his predecessors, and may try to abolish or shrink some. But four legal experts say that only Congress has that authority.
Lessons from the Lone Star State: A surge in wind power on the Texas grid didn’t cause reliability problems (and brought down electricity prices) because regulators improved the efficiency of wholesale electricity markets.
Sarah Fields Photography/Shutterstock.com
Energy Secretary Rick Perry wants to know if wind and solar are compromising the reliability of the grid and hurting coal power. The answer lies in his home state of Texas.
One primary concern in rural areas: higher temperatures put strain on water and energy sources.
AP Photo/Robert Ray
With little action at the national level on climate change, state and city officials are taking the lead – but by emphasizing local benefits.
Devastation in Sichuan province after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, thought to be induced by industrial activity at a nearby reservoir.
dominiqueb/flickr
For the third consecutive year, it's the hottest year ever. A climate scientist explains how these predictions are made and why they're completely different from forecasting the weather.
Bald eagles are the best-known example of a successful recovery under the Endangered Species Act.
Jerry McFarland/Flickr
Peter Alagona, University of California, Santa Barbara and Kevin C. Brown, University of California, Santa Barbara
Critics say the Endangered Species Act does not work because only about 1 percent of protected species have officially "recovered." Two biologists explain why recovery is so hard to define.
How is rapid warming in the Arctic affecting animals that are adapted to cold? A wildlife biologist is using many techniques to find out, including stalking muskoxen in a polar bear costume.
Making a point at a Washington, D.C. protest in January.
stephenmelkisethian/flickr
Scientists are concerned that politics will trump evidence in the new administration. A researcher of political psychology explains why these worries matter far beyond questions of science.
J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the ‘father of the atomic bomb’ who chaired the ancestor of today’s Department of Energy, had his security clearance revoked during the ‘Red Scare’ of the 1950s.
AP Photo
A historian of science and technology says Trump team's request for names of Department of Energy employees working on climate change recalls worst excesses of ideology-driven science in government.
Florida’s unique geology means alternative fracking methods would be used, but can aquifers be safely separated from injection wells?
jsjgeology/flickr
There's a debate over whether fracking should be introduced into Florida, a state with a unique geology and hydrology that introduces a long list of environmental concerns.
Maintenance has been pushed off so much that the D.C. Metro needs to shut lines down for months for repairs.
momentsnotice/flickr
Cuban farming is a model of agroecology -- growing food without heavy use of fossil fuel or chemicals. But closer relations with the U.S. could push Cuba back toward large-scale industrial farming.
Author Peter Walker meets with Robert ‘LaVoy’ Finicum at the occupied Malheur National Wildlife refuge on January 20.
Occupier Jason Patrick
A geography professor reports from the front lines of the Malheur occupation. Despite strong local opposition to occupiers, he foresees more conflicts to come.
Protector in chief: Theodore Roosevelt with conservationist John Muir at Yosemite in 1906.
U.S. Library of Congress
Historically, environmental causes enjoyed bipartisan support but gains by NGOs and the emergence of climate change as a social issue have created a sharp political divide.
‘Decarbonizing’ the energy system is above all an infrastructure problem.
m-i-k-e/flickr
Dealing with climate change will require countries to 'decarbonize' their energy infrastructure. The history of infrastructure suggests this could happen quickly once the transition starts.
Where there are groups of seals, there are sharks.
Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environment
A rash of white shark attacks this summer points to a rebounding population in the US – a sign of healthier oceans and the need to coexist with this apex predator.
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