Science, Tech & Environment
PRI's The World
July 01, 2016
When we found out back in the 1980s that aerosol propellants and refrigerants were eating up the atmosphere's protective ozone layer, many people complained that we couldn't come up with suitable substitutes. But we did, people's hairstyles and fridges are fine, and scientists now say that nature is finally starting to heal the ozone layer.
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Science, Tech & 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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Science, Tech & Environment
Scientists say the retreat of west Antarctica's ice sheet is unstoppable
PRI's The World
May 13, 2014
Scientists say a massive ice sheet in Antarctica is starting to collapse. It's not going to slide into the ocean over night, but rather over centuries. Still, it will fall, scientists say. It's gotten to the point it can't be stopped — and that means rising sea levels.
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Science, Tech & Environment
After a starring role in 2013, look for just a climate change cameo in this year's State of the Union
PRI's The World
January 28, 2014
A year ago, confronting the threats presented by climate change was front and center in President Obama's State of the Union address. But The World's environment editor Peter Thomson expects it to be a lot less prominent this year. That's politics. And that's the nature of climate change.
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Science, Tech & Environment
After 500 or so years, beavers have mysteriously returned to England
PRI's The World
April 22, 2014
Beavers were hunted to extinction hundreds of years ago in England. Now, they have shown up there — in the midst of a contentious debate over whether to reintroduce them in the wild.
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Science, Tech & Environment
A former EPA director is pushing for wider use of nuclear power in the US
Living on Earth
October 13, 2014
Climate change has become such a grave and existential threat that both scientists and concerned citizens say carbon emission reduction must be steep and immediate. This has led many people to call for more nuclear power as part of the solution.
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Science, Tech & 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.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Even the symbol of America is now at risk from climate change
The Takeaway
September 15, 2014
Half of North America's 650 bird species may be forced to change their current habitats because of climate change or perish — including the bald eagle and the common loon. A new Audubon Society study produced maps to show people which of their local birds are at risk.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Agriculture is thriving in bone-dry California, and that's not a good thing
Living on Earth
May 04, 2015
Everyone in California is feeling the crunch as the state tries to cope with its massive drought, but farms aren't suffering quite as much as the rest. That's good for business, but bad for the state's dwindling water resources.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Louisiana's much-needed plan to save its wetlands is short almost $50 billion
Living on Earth
January 04, 2015
Louisiana’s rapidly sinking deltas threaten crucial oil, gas and fishing industries. Louisiana has an ambitious, expensive and first-of-its-kind plan to rebuild the region — but right now no one is willing to pay for it. What would be the cost of failure?
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Science, Tech & Environment
Algae to the rescue at Fukushima? Scientists say it could help
PRI's The World
February 06, 2014
Japanese researchers say they've found a species of algae that could help decontaminate radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. But they say the plant's owners don't seem very interested in the idea.