Environment Archives

Environment

West Virginia’s Supreme Court Sends Mixed Messages in Cases Pitting Landowners Against Natural Gas Companies

The court has upheld a ruling preventing gas companies from prospecting on people's land without permission, but threw out a series of lawsuits complaining of the nuisance created by their operations.

Ken Ward Jr.

Scientist Raffaele Gamba from the State Museum of National History Stuttgart superscribes the container from a trap used to collect insects in the southwest German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on May 6th, 2019.

Environment

What We Know and Don’t Know About the State of Insect Populations in the U.S. and Europe

Despite the fact that insects make up most of the species on Earth, and much of the planet's biomass, they are significantly understudied compared to mammals, birds, fish, and much else.

Jeremy Hance

Environment

The Oil Industry and Environmentalists Form an Odd Alliance Against Trump on Ethanol

It could be years before farmers see any gains from the rollback of E15 restrictions—or before oil interests and environmental groups see any losses.

Emily Moon

Environment

How Scientists Use the Color of the Ocean to Determine the Impacts of Climate Change

As climate change continues to warm the oceans, researchers have turned to microscopic sediments to observe trends.

Madeline Bender

Environment

A New Study Calculates Bitcoin’s Massive Carbon Footprint

Creating the cryptocurrency requires an enormous amount of energy.

Tom Jacobs

Linesmen from Pacific Gas and Electric repair power lines after the Valley Fire swept through the town of Middletown, California, on September 16th, 2015.

Environment

California’s Largest Utility Resorts to Blackouts to Prevent Wildfires

Outages were intended to be a last resort in PG&E's wildfire mitigation plan, but it has already used them twice during the first weekend of California's wildfire season.

Kate Wheeling

Environment

In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro’s Government Is Gutting Environmental Agencies From the Inside

Fines for illegal deforestation were down 34 percent from January 1st to May 15th this year compared to the same period last year—the largest drop ever recorded.

Sue Branford & Thais Borges

In this handout from the Japanese Defense Agency, personnel are seen clearing sarin off platforms after the 1995 gas attack on Tokyo's subways.

Environment

A Terrorist Attack Led Japan to Remove All Its Trash Cans. Now They’re Making a Comeback.

Public waste bins were largely removed from Japanese cities following the 1995 sarin gas attacks, leading residents to adapt to some particularly stringent waste disposal practices.

Allan Richarz