Environment

Environment

Scientists Say Miniature Flies Are A Big Worry For Antarctic Island

5:59am December 19, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

A seemingly harmless insect has invaded an island in the Antarctic and, being non-native, is eating up the peat moss and changing the environment. The midges could also infest the Antarctic mainland.

Dutch innovator Boyan Slat poses for a portrait next to the anchors of his plastic collecting system in 2017. The trash collection device deployed to corral plastic litter floating is not capturing any garbage.

Environment

Creator Of Floating Garbage Collector Struggling To Capture Plastic In Pacific

9:48am December 18, 2018

by Francesca Paris

A young innovator wants to remove all the plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But his invention, a long floating boom, is moving too slowly to hold the trash it collects.

Oyster harvests in the Gulf of Mexico have been in decline for decades.

Gulf Oyster Reefs Are Hurting. Now There's Help From Oil Spill Aid Money

8:42am December 18, 2018

by Greg Allen

Oyster harvests in the Gulf of Mexico have declined dramatically. Now scientists are working to rebuild oyster reefs, helped by settlement money from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

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During His Time As Interior Secretary, Zinke Advanced 'Energy Dominance'

1:24am December 18, 2018

by Nathan Rott

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ends his tenure having successfully pushed President Trump's agenda of "energy dominance," but leaving conservationists disappointed.

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Sale Tambaya, a cattle herder in central Nigeria, grazes his cows. After his home state criminalized open grazing in November 2017, he and his family fled with their livestock to a neighboring state where grazing is allowed. Two of his sons died on the jo

Herders Vs. Farmers: A Deadly Year In Nigeria

5:36pm December 17, 2018

by Tim McDonnell

Deadly clashes in the country's Middle Belt have skyrocketed — and a new Amnesty International report says the government is exacerbating the crisis.

Puerto Rico Still Recovering One Year After Hurricane Maria's Deadly Onslaught

A Year Reporting In Puerto Rico

2:49pm December 17, 2018

NPR's Adrian Florido has been in Puerto Rico as people have tried to rebuild.

In the story "The Mole and the Sun," Mole's mother is sick. A medical seer tells him she will recover if his friend Ya Sun can orbit the earth in the opposite direction that it's rotating. The sobering moral is that you can't go against the rules of natur

Magical Photos Bring Fables From Mbomo To Life

9:53am December 17, 2018

by Rachel D. Cohen

The fables were gathered from people in the Congo Basin and illustrated with a touch of magical realism in the new book Congo Tales: Told By The People Of Mbomo.

Researchers studied the carbon storage of deep-water seagrasses living at Lizard Island, Australia.

Environment

Deep Seagrass Bed Could Stall Climate Change, If Climate Change Doesn't Kill It First

6:25pm December 16, 2018

Scientists have identified a giant bed of deep sea grass in Australia's Great Barrier Reef that may be absorbing millions of tons of carbon. But these so-called blue carbon sinks need protecting too.

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Cambodian officials discovered 1,026 pieces of ivory hidden among marble in an abandoned container shipped from Mozambique. Cambodia has emerged as an ivory trade hub in recent years.

Environment

Cambodia Nabs More Than 3 Tons Of Illegal Ivory

10:59am December 16, 2018

by Daniella Cheslow

A tip from the U.S. Embassy alerted Cambodian authorities to a haul of at least 3.2 tons of ivory that shipped from Mozambique.

New Climate Deal Keeps Paris Accord Alive, Draws Path To Implementation

8:25am December 16, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with CNN's Senior International Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh about the climate deal recently reached at a major conference in Poland.