pollution

coal ash pollution

In a Kentucky lake, fish tell the story of long-term coal ash pollution

About 1 in 10 fish in the lake show serious physical deformities — the result, one biologist says, of selenium poisoning.

In a Kentucky lake, fish tell the story of long-term coal ash pollution
CA wildfire

After wildfires, health risks linger

After wildfires, health risks linger
A woman recycles plastic bags from a river near the Dondora dumpsite close to the slum of Korogocho in the capital Nairobi, Kenya, March 17, 2015

Where using plastic bags can land you a $38,000 fine

Where using plastic bags can land you a $38,000 fine
A boy collects plastic from a garbage-covered river in Manila, 2010.

Plastic trash is a big problem. How much do you throw away? (QUIZ)

Plastic trash is a big problem. How much do you throw away? (QUIZ)
Demonstrators against the Dakota Access oil pipeline block a road near North Dakota's Standing Rock Reservation in October. The pipeline would cross historic Native land and pass under the Missouri River, the source of the local water supply.

It's not just about a pipeline. Native activists say Dakota battle is their biggest stand in decades.

It's not just about a pipeline. Native activists say Dakota battle is their biggest stand in decades.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Sioux Nation, leads his people to peacefully pray near a law enforcement barricade just outside of a Dakota Access pipeline construction site north of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on Oct. 29, 2016.

#NoDAPL has momentum, but will it drive Native Americans to vote?

Sacred-site preservation and civic engagement are not the same.

#NoDAPL has momentum, but will it drive Native Americans to vote?

Canaries in the Coal Smoke

An art historian and a biologist discovered a novel way to measure historical air pollution levels: looking soot caught in the feathers of birds from 140 years ago.

Canaries in the Coal Smoke
Energy Transfer Partners Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation

Education and funding are critical issues facing native communities in the US

On an Indian reservation in Nebraska, state and federal politics interfere with the effort to simply educate the kids.

Education and funding are critical issues facing native communities in the US
Protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline

Protesters say mass arrests won't stop their fight against a North Dakota oil pipeline

"One thing that I repeatedly heard," says Jenni Monet, a journalist on the scene, "is that this fight is not over."

Protesters say mass arrests won't stop their fight against a North Dakota oil pipeline
Standing Rock

The Standing Rock Sioux 'know what they're doing' in North Dakota

For weeks, members of the Standing Rock Sioux have gathered in Cannonball, North Dakota, standing against the Dakota Access pipeline. The government has now halted construction pending reassessment of the project.

The Standing Rock Sioux 'know what they're doing' in North Dakota
Muonio Town Center

Here's where to find some of the cleanest air in the world

Want to visit a place with clean air? Really clean air? Maybe the cleanest of any urban area in the world? We check out a place north of the Arctic Circle that gets an A+ in the newly updated WHO Global Urban Ambient Pollution Database.

Here's where to find some of the cleanest air in the world
India's air pollution

She loved to run. In India, she couldn't. It was unhealthy.

The haze is often so thick that people drive with their fog lights on until mid-morning. New York's air, in comparison, "feels as clear as water from a mountain stream." Rhitu Chatterjee writes.

She loved to run. In India, she couldn't. It was unhealthy.
Grand Canyon haze

Fighting the haze at the Grand Canyon

There's still visibility issues at the Grand Canyon, but things seem to be getting better. Here's how.

Fighting the haze at the Grand Canyon
Water faucet lead?

An investigation has found lead in 2,000 US water systems

A recent investigation by USA Today into lead levels in water systems across the country found more than 2,000 examples of systems that pose a risk to consumers.

An investigation has found lead in 2,000 US water systems
Buildings shrouded in smog in Mexico City

Mexico City residents are forced to cope with bad air

New restrictions have reduced the number of cars on the road, but that might not make much of a difference.

Mexico City residents are forced to cope with bad air