Environment

a group of tourists take photos of the birds perched on the balcony rails

Macaws lighten things up in Venezuela’s capital, and form a special bond with residents

Blue and gold macaws, a species non-native to the city, have developed a relationship with the residents of Caracas, Venezuela. However, the birds’ future is uncertain as their habitats are becoming increasingly endangered.

Macaws lighten things up in Venezuela’s capital, and form a special bond with residents
A buffalo grazes on the drenched land in the Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia.

‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations

‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations
Children play in the surf at Kite Beach with the Burj al Arab, the Dubai Marina and a man flying a powered parachute in the background in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 8, 2016.

To beat the heat, beach lovers in Dubai head to the shores at night

To beat the heat, beach lovers in Dubai head to the shores at night
Selfie of a man with a camel int he background

Out of Eden Walk: Djibouti and the Red Sea

Out of Eden Walk: Djibouti and the Red Sea
collapsed building

Parents seek justice for children crushed in collapsed hotel during Turkish earthquake

Parents seek justice for children crushed in collapsed hotel during Turkish earthquake
Air quality levels have been bad in Accra since December as harmattan season kicks in across Ghana. The data coming in shows the situation is not improving.

Hazy skies over Accra: Harsh harmattan season in Ghana leads to health hazards, poor air quality

Severe, dry winds during the harmattan season are not new in Ghana. But experts with the country’s environmental agency say climate change is intensifying these weather conditions, leading to increased respiratory problems and poor air quality in Accra, the country’s capital. 

Hazy skies over Accra: Harsh harmattan season in Ghana leads to health hazards, poor air quality
A back shot of a man wearing a bookbag and hat looking into a grass pathway

Out of Eden Walk: The first steps

In early 2013, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek began an epic walk, following the path of the first human migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Host Marco Werman speaks with Salopek, who's now two-thirds of the way along his global journey. Today, he talks about his first steps at the beginning of the walk in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia.

Out of Eden Walk: The first steps
a multiple-exposure photo of insects flying around a light

The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky

It’s an observation as old as humans gathering around campfires: Light at night can draw an erratically circling crowd of insects. In art, music and literature, this spectacle is an enduring metaphor for dangerous but irresistible attractions. And watching their frenetic movements really gives the sense that something is wrong — that instead of finding food and evading predators, these nocturnal pilots are trapped by a light.

The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky
man in front of river

Paul Salopek treks across China as part of his yearslong 'Out of Eden Walk'

The World's hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler talked with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about his experiences walking across China and beyond as a part of his "Out of Eden Walk" project.

Paul Salopek treks across China as part of his yearslong 'Out of Eden Walk'
Uganda Women Birders tackles limiting gender taboos by giving women the experience and resources they need to prove they can do the job.

‘Birds are everywhere!’ Women bird guides in Uganda set a global example

Birdwatching is a rapidly growing and lucrative part of the tourism sector worldwide, but women make up a very small minority of professional guides. Uganda Women Birders, a bird guide club, is revolutionizing the industry by encouraging and supporting women who want to get into the business. Anita Elash reports from the town of Entebbe, Uganda.

‘Birds are everywhere!’ Women bird guides in Uganda set a global example
Projected blue and red stripes over white cliffs

The humble origins of the ubiquitous ‘climate stripes’

When Ellie Highwood was crocheting a blanket as a baby gift in 2017, she wanted to make something that would mean something to the baby's climate-scientist parents. She ended up making a "global warming blanket." And she never could have guessed the impact that the blanket would have.

The humble origins of the ubiquitous ‘climate stripes’
Sea-level rise and storms made stronger by climate change threaten communities across coastal Bangladesh.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters

Millions of people have migrated from villages in coastal Bangladesh to escape climate-related disasters, but people with disabilities often stay behind. This puts their lives in even greater danger as weather conditions become more severe, advocates say.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters
The village of Vallehermoso on La Gomera

Residents of lush La Gomera Island aim to protect it from over-tourism

In the Canary archipelago, the Laurel forest of La Gomera island looks like something from the age of the dinosaurs. Because it is from the age of the dinosaurs. It's lush and eerie, with “trees” that grow horizontally along the ground like enormous vines. In recent times, the UNESCO-protected forest has been threatened by building, forestry and tourists. Locals are figuring out ways to protect this special place.

Residents of lush La Gomera Island aim to protect it from over-tourism
Ghana officially commenced oil production in commercial quantities in 2010.

COP28: African nations resist fossil fuel phaseout, citing economic realities

At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, leaders from the US and EU have backed a phasedown of fossil fuels, with some qualifications.  But many African countries say they deserve to exploit their natural resources and develop just like richer countries. 

COP28: African nations resist fossil fuel phaseout, citing economic realities
Lower reservoir on El Hierro island

Spanish island dumps diesel for wind, water and sunshine

El Hierro, a tiny island in the Canaries, is halfway to the UN goal of ditching fossil fuels. But finding just the right renewable energy mix is proving tough.

Spanish island dumps diesel for wind, water and sunshine