Environmental news from National Public Radio reports.
- More Crabs!: Scientists Discover A Way To Help Dying Coral ReefsFor many reasons, including climate change, coral reefs are dying around the world. But scientists say some crabs eat coral-choking seaweed and algae and may help with restoring coral reefs.
- As Climate Envoy, Kerry To Seek 'Ambition' With 'Humility'One challenge facing John Kerry in his new role as climate envoy to President-elect Joe Biden will be to convince other governments the U.S. will abide by its commitments.
- Biden Plans To Bring Vilsack Back To USDA Despite Criticism From ReformersVilsack served as secretary of agriculture during the Obama administration and has been a trusted adviser to President-elect Joe Biden. But critics say his time has passed.
- Investors Can Now Bet On The Future Of Water Prices In CaliforniaWater is a precious resources in California — a state plagued by wildfires and drought. Water there is now a commodity and can now be traded like oil and gas.
- Biden Plans To Bring Vilsack Back To USDA, Despite Criticism From ReformersVilsack served as secretary of agriculture during the Obama Administration, and has been a trusted advisor to President-elect Biden. But critics say his time has passed.
- Biden Pledges To Conserve Nearly A Third Of U.S. Land And Water By 2030President-elect Joe Biden wants to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030. It's part of a global push to avoid the worst effects of climate change and the decline of the natural world.
- California's Ancient Redwoods Face New Challenge From Wildfires And Warming ClimateCalifornia's iconic old-growth redwoods are incredibly resilient and built to survive fires. But even they may find it harder to rebound amid the mounting impacts of climate change.
- Ex-Energy Secretary Says Fixing Climate Change Is Tough, There's No VaccineNPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Stephen Chu, former secretary of Energy and a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, about how approaching peak fossil fuel demand will impact Biden's climate policies.
- On A Tour Of 'America's Amazon,' Flora, Fauna And Glimpses Of Alabama's PastA trip through the Mobile-Tensaw Delta offers a little bit of everything, from iris fields and gators, to Civil War history and the wreck of the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to America.
- Offshore Drilling Set To Begin Off Florida Alarms EnvironmentalistsThe drilling is scheduled to start this month in waters off the Bahamas, just 150 miles from the Florida coast. It's raising alarms among environmental groups and businesses that rely on tourism.
- Amazon Deforestation Reaches 12-Year HighLulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Gustavo Faleiros about the unprecedented destruction of the Amazon forest and what it might mean for both Brazil and regional security.
- Mudslides Devastate Small Alaskan TownTwo people are missing a day after a massive landslide roared through the Alaskan coastal town of Haines amid record rains and wind gusts of up to 65 miles an hour.
- Despite Signing The Great American Outdoors Act, Enforcement Has Been SporadicPresident Trump signed a big public lands conservation bill this summer. But so far the White House's implementation of the new law has been scattershot and controversial.
- Trump Rushes To Lock In Oil Drilling In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Before Biden's TermThe Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke.
- News Brief: COVID-19 Bill, Trump Mulls 2024, Doctors Call For Climate ActionTop Democrats back off demands for a larger COVID-19 relief bill. Sources tell NPR that President Trump is considering a run in 2024. Plus, new reports say climate change is making people sick.
- 'We Don't Have To Live This Way': Doctors Call For Climate ActionHeat waves, air pollution and extreme weather are making people sick and, increasingly, killing people. A key report by global physicians says fossil fuels are to blame.
- Who Is Mary Nichols, Leading Contender To Head EPA Under BidenMary Nichols has been in charge of California's Air Resources Board for the past 13 years.
- The Tough Road To Rebuild A Historic Cabin, Memories After Wildfire RuinA wildfire destroyed historic cabins in the Angeles National Forest in September. For some families, these homes were their ties to the past.
- Trump Administration Moves To Sell Drilling Rights To Alaska's Arctic National WildlifeThe Trump administration aims to end a decades-long battle by rushing to sell oil rights in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We look at what's next, and what could stop the push to drill.
- Researchers Predict That Autumn Leaves Might Start Falling Earlier In The FutureResearchers say fall leaves may start falling a few days earlier in the future and it could have global implications for climate change.