Climate Change

A house in Lancaster, California gets a solar power retrofit.

In This One California Town, New Houses Must Come With Solar Power

Starting in 2014, every new house needs to produce at least 1 kilowatt of energy

None

Lockheed Martin Wants to Pull Electricity from the Ocean’s Heat

A type of renewable energy, first proposed in the 1800s, might finally be ready for prime time

None

10 Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since Last Earth Day

Pigeon-eating catfish, Antarctic trash, and more: A list of surprising, alarming and exciting discoveries about our planet from the past year

None

The Colorado: America’s Most Endangered River

A new report points to drought, climate change and increased demand for water as the reasons the iconic river no longer reaches the sea

An artist’s rendering of Fog Bridge at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

An Artist Creates Artificial Fog in San Francisco

Fujiko Nakaya works with an unusual medium. The Japanese artist is sculpting fog clouds at the Exploratorium's new site at Pier 15

None

Trees Make Noises, and Some of Those Sounds Are Cries for Help

Knowing what kinds of noises trees in distress produce means researchers may be able to target those most in need of emergency waterings during droughts

Drought in western Kentucky

Don’t Blame the Awful U.S. Drought on Climate Change

Scientists can attribute particular natural disasters to climate change--just not the 2012 Great Plains drought

Nearly Every American Has Had to Deal With Some Weather Disaster Since 2007

Around four out of five Americans live in a counties declared federal disaster areas in the past six years

Climate Change Could Make Us Choose Between Wine And Pandas

According to the new models, around 70 percent of the area currently suitable or used for grape growing could be gone by 2050

Highly Recommended: Teaching Climate Change And Evolution in Science Class

On Tuesday, United States educators unveiled a new science curriculum that includes new subjects like climate change and evolution

Adélie penguins on Beaufort Island

Climate Change Means More Adélie Penguins

Climate change seems to be giving an unexpected boost to this penguin species

None

New Web Tool Helps Avoid Flooding by Finding the Best Spots to Build Wetlands

Specifically placed small wetlands can help capture watershed runoff, helping city planners to guard against flood disasters

None

The Greening of the Arctic is Underway

As the climate changes, trees and shrubs are poised to take over tundra and alter the Arctic's ecosystems

An island of ice breaking away from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier (in the center of the photo) in the summer of 2010.

Greenland’s Glaciers Are Hemorrhaging Ice, Best Seen By Photos from Space

Satellites snap pictures of Greenland's glaciers, which a new study shows are vanishing at an accelerated pace, helping to spike global sea levels

Fast-Melting Arctic Ice Caused Massive Spring Snowstorms

Record lows of Arctic sea ice also accounts for last year's unusually warm spring

Polar bear-brown bear hybrids like this pair at Germany’s Osnabrück Zoo are becoming more common as melting sea ice forces the two species to cross paths.

Brown Polar Bears, Beluga-Narwhals and Other Hybrids Brought to You by Climate Change

Animals with shrinking habitats are interbreeding, temporarily boosting populations but ultimately hurting species' survival

Perito Moreno, Plate I, 2010. Patagonia

Caleb Cain Marcus’ Photos of Glaciers on a Disappearing Horizon

With a surprisingly light touch, the New York City-based photographer instills feelings of solitude in his images of massive glaciers

None

Vanishing Marine Algae Can Be Monitored From a Boat With Your Smartphone

An app allows boat travelers to track declining levels of phytoplankton, a microscopic organism at the base of the marine food chain

None

Stressed Corals Dim Then Glow Brightly Before They Die

Measuring how coral fluorescence changes may serve as an early indicator of the declining health of a reef

An artist’s rendering of methane hydrate’s small-scale structure, with a methane molecule in green and gold trapped within a blue and silver cage of water.

Japan Just Opened Up a Whole New Source for Fossil Fuels

For the first time, natural gas has been pulled from offshore methane clathrates

Page 74 of 86