On the hunt with an endangered species: The American fur trapper

Changes in fashion, animal rights activism and the Ukraine conflict have helped crush the global fur trade — and thinned the ranks of a unique group of American outdoorsmen.

By Fredrick KunkleMarch 25, 2023

Auroras shine unusually far south amid strongest solar storm since 2017

A ‘severe’ geomagnetic storm spawned brilliant northern lights as far south as Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona.

By Kasha PatelMarch 24, 2023

A tree fell, killing two children. Their parents are now warning others.

Brian and Crystal Clark's children, Xander and Ziva, died after a tree fell on their golf cart during a camping trip in April.

By Kyle MelnickMarch 22, 2023

Why seniors are blocking entrances to the four largest U.S. banks

Climate activists on Tuesday will protest four banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo — that help finance the fossil fuel industry.

By Maxine JoselowMarch 21, 2023

This visual shows how climate change will affect generations

The UN report emphasizes that overall, the degree of warmth — and the subsequent health of the environment, wildlife and ourselves — can still be altered depending on policies and actions taken today.

By Kasha PatelMarch 21, 2023

Biden will let California lead on electric trucks, despite industry protest

The EPA plans to grant California a waiver that will allow the state to phase out diesel-powered trucks, helping communities burdened by truck pollution.

By Anna PhillipsMarch 20, 2023

In toxic Ohio derailment, other Americans see echoes of their fights

An informal network of activists has popped up to help East Palestine, Ohio, where residents are concerned about health and safety after a toxic train derailment.

By Justine McDanielMarch 19, 2023

Russia is using old oil tankers to bypass export sanctions, risking spills

Fewer ships are willing to load oil at Russian ports on the Gulf of Finland, where even a small problem could be disastrous.

By Michael BirnbaumMarch 17, 2023

This crow is ‘very intelligent’ — and it’s struggling to survive in the wild

Plans to repopulate Hawaii’s forests with its “very intelligent” crows have been upended in part by its natural predator, the Hawaiian hawk. Now scientists are tracking the hawk in order to save the corvids.

By Dino GrandoniMarch 17, 2023

Toxic air, explosions: Inside the bitter battle between Texas residents and Exxon

The oil giant has fought a lawsuit filed on behalf of Baytown residents seeking redress from everyday pollution. A big legal decision looms.

By Anna PhillipsMarch 16, 2023

Water restrictions lifted in Southern California amid rainy winter

Rules that barred nearly 7 million Los Angeles-area residents from watering lawns more than once per week have been lifted

By Joshua PartlowMarch 15, 2023

Why huge masses of seaweed are floating to Florida and the Gulf

The great Atlantic Sargassum belt is a collection of sargassum patches that weighs about 13 million tons and is large enough to be seen from space.

By Allyson Chiu and María Luisa PaúlMarch 15, 2023

Arctic ice has seen an ‘irreversible’ thinning since 2007, study says

New research suggests the decline was a fundamental change unlikely to be reversed this century — perhaps proof the planet has passed an alarming climactic tipping point.

By Scott DanceMarch 15, 2023

Biden undoes Trump-era land deal in Alaska’s Izembek refuge, a Jimmy Carter priority

The Interior Department is withdrawing a Trump-era land-swap deal in Alaska supported by the state's leaders but opposed by conservationists.

By Maxine Joselow and Timothy PukoMarch 14, 2023

EPA proposes rules to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

The Biden administration has proposed new rules to reduce exposure to PFOA and PFOS, ubiquitous toxic chemicals from consumer products.

By Timothy PukoMarch 14, 2023

A warmer world causes extreme drought and rain. ‘Indisputable’ new research proves it.

Warmer global temperatures are increasing the extent, duration, and severity of these extremes, a new study found, and are having more of an effect more than natural climate fluctuations.

By Kasha PatelMarch 13, 2023

The war in Ukraine is a human tragedy. It’s also an environmental disaster.

The conflict in Ukraine is a human tragedy. It is also an environmental disaster.

By Jeff Stein and Michael BirnbaumMarch 13, 2023

Senators scrutinize communication lapses in toxic Ohio train disaster

A Senate hearing Thursday revealed partisan divisions over the Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio, with some blaming EPA and others blaming corporate greed.

By Justine McDaniel, Ian Duncan, Amy B Wang and Scott DanceMarch 9, 2023

Norfolk Southern CEO says he’s ‘deeply sorry’ for train derailment’s impact on Ohio

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified before the Senate on what steps the railway is taking after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

By Justine McDaniel, Amy B Wang, Ian Duncan and Scott DanceMarch 9, 2023

‘Zombie’ viruses are thawing in melting permafrost because of climate change

'Zombie' viruses are buried in the Arctic permafrost. European researchers warn they may increasingly be unleashed as global warming thaws it.

By Michael Birnbaum and Ellen FrancisMarch 9, 2023