Environment
‘You Have Made the Earth Sick’: Notes From an Environmental Theme Park
DefiPlanet, a nature-themed family attraction in France, has a surprisingly blunt message for visitors: “The earth will soon be dead and torn.”
A Bottom-Line Case for the Green New Deal: The Jobs Pay More
A Brookings report finds that jobs in the clean energy, efficiency, and environmental sectors offer higher salaries than the U.S. average.
How an Ancestor of the Bicycle Relates to Climate Resilience
Architecture students in Buffalo built their own versions of the "laufmaschine," a proto-bike invented in response to a 19th-century environmental crisis.
No, Puerto Rico’s New Climate-Change Law Is Not a ‘Green New Deal’
Puerto Rico just adopted legislation that commits it to generating all its power from renewable sources. Here’s what separates that from what’s going on in D.C.
Could Hawaii Be Paradise For Hydrogen-Powered Public Transit?
As prices drop for renewable power, some researchers hope the island state could be the ideal testbed for hydrogen fuel cells in public transportation.
What Happened to Earth Day?
In the beginning, it was a policy-shaking event that awakened a new generation of activists. But now even environmentalists have misgivings about it.
How Scientists Discovered What Dirty Air Does to Kids’ Health
The landmark Children’s Health Study tracked thousands of children in California over many years—and transformed our understanding of air pollution’s harms.
New York City Passes Sweeping Climate Legislation
The Climate Mobilization Act lays the groundwork for New York City’s own Green New Deal.
How Historic Ellicott City Plans to Survive the Next Flood
After catastrophic storms in 2016 and 2018, the Maryland mill town has five flood control plans. But it faces hard choices on how to avoid future disasters.
Mapping Where Traffic Pollution Hurts Children Most
Research shows nearly one in five childhood asthma cases were caused by traffic-related air pollution.
Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’ Water Crisis, One Year Later
In spring 2018, news of the water crisis in South Africa ricocheted around the world—then the story disappeared. So what happened?
‘100 Resilient Cities’ Is No More. Now What?
The Rockefeller Foundation’s global climate-resilience initiative will shutter by summer. But cities say the work must go on.
When People Move Into Tiny Homes, They Adopt Greener Lifestyles
Every major component of a downsizer’s lifestyle is influenced, including food, transportation, and consumption of goods and services.
Floating Cities Aren’t the Answer to Climate Change
UN-Habitat is looking at high-tech urban islands as a potential survival fix for communities at risk from rising seas. This isn’t what resilience looks like.
The Uncertain Future of D.C.’s Cherry Blossoms
The cherry trees at the Tidal Basin look beautiful, but daily flooding at high tide and crumbling infrastructure are threatening their survival.
Climate Change Is Already Battering This West African City
Home to nearly 300,000 people, Saint-Louis, Senegal, is seeing houses destroyed, streets flooded, and crops killed by encroaching saltwater.
London Puts a High Price on Driving Older, Polluting Cars
A new Ultra Low Emissions Zone is expected to affect more than 60,000 vehicles in central London—and it’s just the start of something much bigger.
How Bad Is It to Let Your Cat Outside?
Your adorable house cat is also a ruthless predator. A conservation biologist makes the case for keeping cats indoors, or at least on leashes.
Why Sweden Wants to Revive Europe’s Night Trains
The Swedish government sees this low-cost, environmentally friendly travel option as key to “becoming the world’s fossil-free welfare country.”
Birding Is Booming. So Where Are the Black Birders?
They are in cities like New York; Seattle; and Duluth, Minnesota. Across the United States people are “birdwatching while black.”
Why Trains Are So Much Greener Than Cars or Airplanes
Whether moving freight or people, rail is far more energy efficient and less polluting than other transportation modes. And it could get even cleaner.