Environment
Living on Earth
November 19, 2016
Americans discard about 100 billion plastic bags each year. Some states and municipalities have passed measures banning or limiting their use. In Western Massachusetts, a more individualized approach has emerged. It's called The BagShare Project.
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Environment
El Niño is back, and global temperature records are in danger
PRI's The World
May 13, 2015
Updated
El Niño is back. That could mean trouble for crops from Africa to Australia, drought relief for Brazil and California — and new record global temperatures as the Pacific Ocean warms up and brings the heat along with it.
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Environment
Welcome to the 'Double El Niño' — and more extreme weather
Living on Earth
March 22, 2015
Updated
A second helping of El Niño could help usher in the next phase of global warming. When it comes, the consequences could be devastating.
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Environment
Will these Alaska villagers be America's first climate change refugees?
Science Friday
August 09, 2015
The 8- to 10-foot-thick ice that once stretched way out to sea is all but gone. Increasingly powerful storms batter its exposed coastline. A lawsuit seeking damages from fossil fuel companies was refused by the Supreme Court. Now the residents of remote Kivalina, Alaska are now wondering how long they can hold out and if anyone is willing to help them.
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Environment
Five years later, the Gulf of Mexico is still recovering from Deepwater Horizon
Living on Earth
April 19, 2015
Things are getting better as oil and toxins from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill dissipate in the Gulf of Mexico — but slowly. Scientists researching the area say no one can be sure when the "pervasive" chemicals will finally disappear.
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Environment
Keeping our planet cooler just got a little easier
PRI's The World
October 18, 2016
Negotiators have agreed to a global phase-out of chemicals that run some air conditioners and refrigerators, but are also big contributors to global warming. That has countries and researchers scrambling to come up with clean and affordable alternatives.
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Environment
'Controversial' nuclear deal signed by Japan and India
Agence France-Presse
November 11, 2016
Japan and India signed a controversial civil nuclear deal on Friday that will allow Japanese companies to export atomic technology to the Asian giant as the two countries deepen economic and security ties.
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Environment
A veggie burger that 'bleeds' might convince some carnivores to eat green
PRI's The World
September 23, 2016
Craving meat, but trying to go vegan? Well, one company's got a burger for you.
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Environment
We're not sure if Zika is causing all those microcephaly cases. But there's no evidence it's pesticides.
PRI's The World
February 16, 2016
Updated
Brazil's surge in microcephaly cases has been widely blamed on the Zika virus. Now some claim it might be caused by pesticides, or even vaccines. We asked an NIH expert to sort out what we know from what we don't.
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Environment
Nuclear reactor closings in the US continue to roil the energy industry
Living on Earth
November 22, 2015
The Entergy Corporation recently announced it would soon close two aging nuclear power plants in the northeast US. At the same time, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted the company a new license to operate a Tennessee reactor that some experts consider one of the least safe in the nation. What does this portend for nuclear energy in the US?
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Environment
California faces the worst water emergency since the Dust Bowl, and it needs solutions fast
PRI's The World
April 02, 2015
Updated
It happened on April Fool's Day, but it's no joke: Governor Jerry Brown says California must reduce its water usage by 25 percent. The state's drought, now in its fourth year, is requiring drastic measures, and one man thinks Australia is the place to look for answers.