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Environment + Energy – Articles, Analysis, Opinion

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Bird flu is transmitted mainly by wild birds, like these snow geese in Ruthsberg, Md., in January 2023. Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

As bird flu continues to spread in the US and worldwide, what’s the risk that it could start a human pandemic? 4 questions answered

Avian influenza viruses have evolved to infect birds, but the current H5N1 outbreak is also infecting a wide range of mammals. This suggests that it could mutate into forms that threaten humans.
Native wildflowers, such as these Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) that bloom early in spring are losing access to sunlight as trees leaf out earlier. Katja Schulz/Flickr

Climate change threatens spring wildflowers by speeding up the time when trees leaf out above them

Many beloved wildflowers bloom in early spring, while trees are still bare and the flowers have access to sunlight. Climate change is throwing trees and wildflowers out of sync.
An old-growth tree that was cut in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Biden administration has called for protecting mature US forests to slow climate change, but it’s still allowing them to be logged

Protecting old and mature trees is the simplest and least expensive way to pull carbon out of the atmosphere – but proposed logging projects threaten mature stands across the US.
A new federal regulation will set national limits on two ‘forever chemicals’ widely found in drinking water. Thanasis Zovoilis/moment via Getty Images

Regulating ‘forever chemicals’: 3 essential reads on PFAS

The Biden administration is finalizing the first federal limits on two compounds, PFOA and PFOS, in drinking water. These so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have been linked to numerous health effects.
Hotter-burning fires and a warming climate make it harder for seedlings to survive. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The West’s iconic forests are increasingly struggling to recover from wildfires – altering how fires burn could boost their chances

Over 50 fire ecologists across the Western U.S. took an unprecedented look at how forests in thousands of locations are recovering from fire in a changing climate. The results were alarming.
Red-breasted geese breed mainly on Russia’s Taymyr Peninsula and migrate to areas adjacent to the Black Sea in Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. Daniel Mitev

Russia’s aggression threatens efforts to protect nature beyond Ukraine

Russia has vast natural resources and is involved in many conservation efforts. Its diplomatic isolation as a result of the war in Ukraine is making it harder to protect many wild species and places.
There are many pieces of evidence to help explain why the Earth spins, and some major mysteries. Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Why does the Earth spin?

An astronomer takes us on a tour of the universe to learn about the birth of stars and planets and how they get their spin.