Pollution

Piles of coal sit in front of a power plant in Utah. Such coal-fired power plants emit greenhouse gases that drive climate change.

What Myths About the Anthropocene Get Wrong

These ten misconceptions underplay how much we have altered the global environment and undermine the new perspective we need to deal with a drastically changed world

Climbers collect garbage from Mount Everest in 2020. In recent years, officials have implemented new regulations to help reduce trash on the mountain.

The Nepali Army Is Removing Trash and Bodies From Mount Everest

They expect to haul off ten metric tons of garbage and up to five bodies from the world's tallest peak

A vineyard in central California that had been irrigated with PFAS-contaminated well water from firefighting foam used for years at a nearby airport.

EPA Sets First Federal Limits on Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

Public water systems will have to test water and reduce levels of six types of PFAS if they aren't in compliance with the new rule

A coal power plant in Germany.

80 Percent of Global CO2 Emissions Come From Just 57 Companies, Report Shows

Many of these companies increased their fossil fuel production after the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016

Methane plumes observed at a Louisiana landfill during the study. More than 14 percent of U.S. methane emissions were reported to have come from landfills in 2021.

More Than Half of U.S. Landfills May Be Methane 'Super-Emitters,' Study Finds

Aerial observations of hundreds of large landfills across 18 states found they are leaking 40 percent more methane than is reported to the EPA

In the lab, researchers tested soil samples dating to the first or early second century C.E.

Microplastics Are Contaminating Ancient Archaeological Sites

New research suggests plastic particles may pose a threat to the preservation of historic remains

The Moon's North Pole

Why Scientists Are Calling for the Moon to Be Better Protected From Development

Only a few lunar sites are ideal for certain cutting-edge research—and they’re under threat from mining, satellites and bases, scientists argue

Air pollution can obscure miles of scenery at Joshua Tree National Park in California and other sites.

These Are the Most Polluted National Parks

Five California sites made the top ten list for unhealthiest air, according to a new report

Officials have been working toward the designation for four years.

Oregon Is Now Home to the World's Largest Dark Sky Sanctuary

The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary covers 2.5 million acres in the southeastern part of the state

Humans produce about 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Some chemicals in plastics have been linked to health problems for humans and animals.

Plastics Contain Thousands More Chemicals Than Thought, and Most Are Unregulated, Report Finds

A new database catalogs 16,000 chemicals found in plastics and identifies more than 4,200 that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environment

Scientists conduct sampling at Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, in April 2023. Last summer, a working group chose the lake as a representative location for the influence of human activity on the planet due to the history recorded in its sediment.

Scientists Reject Proposal to Define the Anthropocene, a Geological Age Marked by Human Activity

Experts had suggested a new epoch started in the mid-20th century, but the recent vote demonstrates how tough it is to pinpoint when humans' impact on the planet began

Runit Dome in the Marshall Islands contains radioactive waste from U.S. activity during the Cold War. A new report says climate change may cause its contaminants to enter the environment.

Climate Change May Unearth Cold War-Era Nuclear Waste Stored by the U.S. in Other Countries

A new report finds that melting ice and rising sea levels could disturb radioactive contamination left over from American nuclear tests after World War II

Boiling and filtering tap water, researchers suggest, could reduce concentrations of microplastics by more than 80 percent.

Boiling Tap Water Could Help Remove 80 Percent of Its Microplastics, Study Suggests

Minerals in some tap water can capture tiny plastic particles when the water is boiled, making them easier to filter away, according to a new study

Natural gas flaring emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The majority of atmospheric methane comes from human activity, with the agricultural sector and the oil and gas sector contributing the most from human activities.

New Satellite Will Track Methane Emissions From Space and Pinpoint Their Sources With A.I.

The mission, set to launch next month, comes as countries and fossil fuel companies pledge to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas

In a photo illustration, a hawk moth lands on a flower with an exhaust pipe polluting the interaction.

Air Pollution Makes Flowers Smell Less Appealing to Pollinators, Study Suggests

Nocturnal hawk moths are less likely to visit primroses in air polluted by nitrate radicals, which break down important wild fragrances, researchers find

A hermit crab wears the top of a broken bottle as a shell.

Hermit Crabs Are Using Trash as Shells Across the World, Scientists Find

Researchers analyzed photographs of the crustaceans online, identifying nearly 400 examples of artificial shells, which were often plastic bottle caps

When researchers reviewed footage of flying insects, they saw that the bugs tilted their backs toward the source of artificial light.

Why Are Flying Insects 'Attracted' to Lights? Scientists May Finally Have an Answer

Moths and other insects might turn their backs toward the brightest source of light around—which has historically been the sky—to determine which way is up and which is down, according to a new paper

Plastics break down over time into micro- and nanosized particles that litter our water and air.

One Liter of Bottled Water May Contain 240,000 Tiny Plastic Fragments

A new technique reveals that the liquid may contain 10 to 1000 times more plastic pieces than previously thought

COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and others applaud after nations adopted the first climate deal calling for a transition away from fossil fuels. A lead negotiator for 39 small island nations noted that the group was not in the room when the final agreement was reached.

Nations Agree to 'Transition Away From Fossil Fuels' in Landmark Climate Deal

The agreement, which ended the COP28 climate conference, is not legally binding, but it's the first to explicitly call for moving away from fossil fuels

An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials spotted an oil slick three to four miles wide off the coast of Louisiana last Thursday.

Oil Spill Dumps as Much as 1.1 Million Gallons Into Gulf of Mexico, Raising Concerns About Wildlife

The U.S. Coast Guard is still searching for the specific source of the leak, which occurred last week

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