Environment

The creation of clouds over forested areas shows that reforestation would likely be more effective at cooling Earth’s atmosphere than previously thought, a Princeton study says.

Planting Trees Encourages Cloud Formation—and Efficiently Cools the Planet

New study examines cooling effect of clouds produced by deciduous forests under pressures of climate change

Pictured: A hydrogen fuel station sign in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony in Germany.

'Blue' Hydrogen May Not Be a Very 'Green' Energy Source After All

Climate scientists conclude this so-called clean alternative has a 20 percent larger carbon footprint than natural gas and coal when used for heat

This map shows how land and ocean temperatures have changed from June 2021 relative to the 1951-1980 base period. High values (darker red colors) indicate temperatures that are higher than those in the base period. The number in the top right is an estimate of the global mean temperature increase. All temperatures are in Celsius.

Study Measuring Earth's Vital Signs Warns of Climate Tipping Points

The authors say tropical coral reefs, the Amazon rainforest, and the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets may have passed dangerous tipping points

Feral hogs wreak havoc on the ecosystems they invade, and new research suggests they're also contributing to climate change by releasing 1.1 million cars-worth of carbon dioxide every year.

Feral Pigs Release 1.1 Million Cars-Worth of Planet-Warming Carbon Dioxide Every Year

The study's results add exacerbating climate change to the list of environmental impacts ascribed to this invasive species

Members of the public take part in a blessing of the Lummi Nation totem pole in San Leandro, California, on June 3. The House of Tears Carvers toured the pole around the West Coast before embarking on a two-week journey to Washington, D.C.

Why Indigenous Activists Are Driving a 25-Foot Totem Pole Across the Country

Master carvers from the Lummi Nation, a Native tribe in Washington, crafted the 5,000-pound object from a single red cedar tree

Chris Meyer, a marine invertebrate zoologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, dives around French Polynesia with equipment used to track coral reef health.

Meet the Reef Expert Collecting Environmental Time Capsules

Collecting DNA in waters worldwide can help scientists figure out which places are the most important for conservation

Dune Lankard is embracing a method called regenerative ocean farming.

Facing Warming Waters, Fishermen Are Taking Up Ocean Farming

Called regenerative ocean farming, this model involves growing shellfish and kelp in underwater gardens

Genetic tests reveal that the Shark Bay mouse (pictured) from Shark Bay, Western Australia, is actually a living population of Gould's mouse, which had been thought to be extinct for more than a century.

Australian Mouse Presumed Extinct for More Than a Century Found Alive on Island

The living Shark Bay mouse turned out to be genetically identical to the formerly extinct Gould’s mouse

The new gray wolf pups in Colorado have yet to be photographed, so for now you'll have to make do with this bright-eyed pair.

Gray Wolf Pups Seen in Colorado for the First Time in 80 Years

Wildlife officials spotted at least three pups around a den site located near the Wyoming border

A blue jay photographed at a bird feeder. Fledgling blue jays and grackles in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia have been dying of a mysterious ailment since late May.

Mysterious Ailment Blinding and Killing Birds in Washington, D.C. Area

Authorities are urging the public to take down bird feeders and baths in hopes of curbing the spread of what could be a wildlife disease

Many of the tombs in Japan are elaborately decorated. Nearby visitors can buy flowers, buckets. brooms and other gardening tools to tidy up the graves.

'Tree Burials' Are Gaining Popularity in Japan as Gravesite Space Decreases

In some cities, cemetery plots are the most expensive real estate per square foot

A Florida manatee swimming near the surface.

Florida's Manatees Are Dying at an Alarming Rate

Experts say starvation appears to be the main cause of death. Polluted waters are likely smothering the manatees’ favorite food: seagrass

New research finds oxygen levels in the world's temperate freshwater lakes are declining due to the rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Climate Change Is Draining the World's Lakes of Oxygen

Hotter, longer summers are increasing water temperatures, which reduces lake oxygen levels, especially in deep waters

An aerial photo taken on June 5, 2021 shows the herd of Asian elephants in the Jinning District of Kunming, a populous city located in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

A Herd of 15 Elephants Is Wandering North Across China—and Nobody Knows Why

Experts are unsure why the group began its journey, which now spans more than 300 miles, or where it will end

A wild giant otter photographed in the Bermejo River in Argentina's El Impenetrable National Park. This is the first time the species has been seen in Argentina in more than 30 years.

Giant River Otter Spotted in Argentina for First Time in Decades

The first wild sighting of the species in Argentina since the 1980s, this surprise offers hope to conservationists looking to bring the otters back

A ghost forest on Capers Island, South Carolina.

'Tree Farts' Raise Ghost Forests' Carbon Emissions

As sea level rise poisons woodlands with saltwater, more work is needed to understand these ecosystems' contributions to climate change

New research estimates that Brazil's Atlantic Forest has regrown 4.2 million hectares of forest since 2000.

Globally, Forests the Size of France Have Grown Back Since 2000

New research illustrates the capacity of forests to regenerate if given the chance

A donkey digging a well in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Wild Donkeys and Horses Dig Wells That Provide Water for a Host of Desert Species

A new study finds these equine wells attracted 59 other vertebrate species, boasting 64 percent more species than the surrounding landscape

Homes next to oil refinery in Los Angeles' Wilmington neighborhood. Wilmington has one the highest risks of cancer due to air pollution from the Port of Los Angeles at Long Beach and several oil refineries in the vicinity. The neighborhood is more than 80 percent Hispanic or Latino.

Communities of Color 'Disproportionately and Systematically' Face Deadly Air Pollution, Regardless of Location or Income

A new study finds people of color in the United States are exposed to higher levels of fine particulate pollution

Researchers found low levels of radiation from Cold War nuclear tests in local honey produced in the Eastern United States.

Fallout From Cold War Nuclear Testing Detected in U.S. Honey

The radiation found doesn't represent a health risk for humans, but it might impact bees

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