Land-dwelling rats are upending life for coral reef fish
When rats invade tropical islands, they can trigger a chain reaction that reverberates all the way to coral reefs, researchers say.
By Dino GrandoniAs the Colorado River dries up, states can’t agree on saving water
California did not sign on to a joint proposal for cuts — an impasse that suggests the wrangling over how to conserve the dwindling water supply that serves 40 million people will continue in coming months.
By Joshua PartlowMaryland trashes recycling company whose sites became alleged dumps
Maryland's Department of the Environment is suing a Prince George's County recycling outfit, for allegedly operating illegal garbage dumps in Cheverly and Baltimore.
By Fredrick KunkleRare mussel species, nearly wiped out, gets rebirth in Virginia river
The James spinymussel was nearly wiped out along the James River, but wildlife biologists have brought it back.
By Dana HedgpethIn Atlanta, a deadly forest protest sparks debate over ‘domestic terrorism’
A protest in an Atlanta forest over a police training facility has become the latest flash point between demonstrators and law enforcement after the city was rocked by racial justice protests in 2020.
By Tim CraigArizona city cuts off a neighborhood’s water supply amid drought
Historic shortages of Colorado River water and a bitter political feud have conspired to leave a Scottsdale, Ariz., neighborhood in a desperate scramble to find enough water to sustain themselves.
By Joshua PartlowNewfoundlanders identify with the ocean. Now some are moving inland.
In the wake of post-tropical storm Fiona, the waters that helped define the Canadian province are now a cause of trepidation.
By Amanda ColettaPrivate jets rule in Davos, as Europe’s leaders try to quash short flights
Europe is trying to reduce short-haul flights, but a Greenpeace analysis of private jet flights near Davos last year found they nearly doubled in the week of the conference.
By Michael BirnbaumMultiple agencies concur: ’22 was one of Earth’s hottest years
Ranking as the fifth- or sixth-warmest year on record, the world experienced unrelenting waves of extreme weather.
By Amudalat Ajasa and Naema AhmedCalifornia’s paradox: Confronting too little water, and too much
Even as rising global temperatures make California drier, hotter and more fire-prone, they will also increase the likelihood of sudden and severe rainfall.
By Sarah KaplanOzone layer continues to heal, a key development for health, food security and the planet, U.N. study says
Scientists say strides in shrinking the “ozone hole” offer a path forward on global warming.
By Scott DanceThe T. rex may have been a lot smarter than you thought
A study published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology suggests the dinosaur’s cerebrum contained enough neurons to solve problems and even form cultures.
By Dino GrandoniGreat Salt Lake on track to disappear in five years, scientists warn
Unsustainable water use is pushing the lake toward collapse, researchers say, imperiling ecosystems and exposing millions of people to toxic dust from the dry lakebed.
By Sarah Kaplan and Brady DennisThe turtle moms that ‘talk’ to their eggs before they hatch
Reptiles aren’t known for their parental instincts, but the giant South American river turtle is an exception. The discovery is spurring a race to save the chatty species.
By Dino GrandoniChesapeake Bay cleanup stalls as blue crabs drop and pollutants remain
The population of blue crabs plummeted to such worrisome levels that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation suggested reassessing how crabs are managed.
By Fredrick KunkleEPA broadens protections for U.S. waterways, reversing Trump
The federal decision – a setback for various industries – broadens which wetlands, streams and rivers can be regulated under the Clean Water Act, but stops short of a controversial Obama-era rule.
By Scott DanceAmid drought, Arizona contemplates a fraught idea: Piping in water from Mexico
As Arizona's water supply from the Colorado River dwindles, it is studying a $5 billion project to desalinate ocean water in Mexico and pump it 200 miles across the border.
By Joshua PartlowDisaster scenarios raise the stakes for Colorado River negotiations
Those responsible for divvying up the Colorado River's dwindling supply are warning that unprecedented shortages could be coming to farms and cities in the West.
By Joshua PartlowA village destroyed by fire vowed to rebuild the right way. Then the fights began.
The experience of Lytton — a town in British Columbia that suffered a disastrous fire last year and has yet to rebuild — shows how adapting to climate threats, and its slow and arduous recovery phase, can inflict its own wounds.
By Joshua PartlowWant to save the planet? Saving whales could help, scientists say.
Restoring the population of whales — which are still being killed in high numbers — could help reduce carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere, according to a new study.
By Rachel Pannett