News & Commentary

A New Deal for the Okapi, Africa’s “Unicorn”

December 13, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

How protecting the okapi could bring income, sanitation, health services, and security to a remote area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Cli-Fi Genre Gives Us a Peek at Planet Earth in 2040

December 6, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In the latest issue of the literary quarterly McSweeney’s, 10 short-story writers imagine what the world might look like in 20 years without effective climate action.

Think You Know What Water Looks Like? Take a Look at This.

December 5, 2019 PerspectivesArcticAlisa Opar

Photographer Roger Fishman goes airborne to capture a unique perspective on rapidly changing Arctic landscapes.

Corporate Leaders to Trump: Withdrawing From the Paris Agreement Makes Bad Business Sense

November 26, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Thousands of companies are stepping up where the president has stepped down—to save the planet along with their profits.

Parks Are Good—but They Can (and Should) Be Better

November 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

At their best, urban green spaces have the power to restore our weary souls—and maybe even to curb sprawl. Why do we so often treat them like civic afterthoughts?

The Surprise Middleman in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade: The United States

November 20, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new report finds that huge shipments of shark fins are smuggled through U.S. ports on the way to their final destinations.

The EPA Says It Wants “Scientific Transparency.” What It Really Wants Is Control Over Research.

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A newly proposed rule would let Andrew Wheeler decide what kind of science is—and isn’t—allowed to inform our country’s public health protections.

Preserving Dead Parrots in Order to Save the Living

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

The people of Papua New Guinea treasure feathers from the Pesquet’s parrot for use in ceremonial headdresses. But the practice could be driving the birds to extinction.

On California’s Fires, More Smoke and Mirrors From Trump

November 8, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

While the state smoldered, the president lashed out at Governor Newsom—and completely ignored the role played by climate change.

IEA: Renewable Energy Has Winning Potential

November 1, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The International Energy Agency says solar is about to boom (some more) and offshore wind farms could power the whole world—18 times over! If we let them, that is.

The Faces of Trump and Putin, Stenciled in Smog

November 1, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesSusan Cosier

From Chicago to Moscow, this artistic collaboration puts climate change on display—and world leaders on notice.

The Fate of This Coral Species Rests in a Dark Room in Tampa

October 28, 2019 Latest NewsFloridaJason Bittel

Scientists have coaxed Atlantic pillar corals to spawn in captivity for the first time—a breakthrough that could save the species from extinction.

This Researcher Thinks It’s OK to Joke About Climate Change

October 25, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In fact, he thinks laughing about it may help us put an end to it.

These Environmental Artists Do the Mash—the Monster Mash

October 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesPatrick Rogers

Laura and Gary Dumm reanimate classic horror-flick monsters in bone-chilling scenes of the Anthropocene.

We Need a Just Transition—Because We Should Abandon Coal, Not Coal Workers

October 18, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Taking care of those communities distressed by the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is an economic and ethical imperative.

The World’s Beauty and Destruction—Bound Together

October 8, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesPatrick Rogers

With thread, plastic, and reams of climate data, textile artist Tali Weinberg displays our dangerous entanglement with the fossil fuel industry.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Climate—and Why It Needs Some Oomph

September 27, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The stories that really reach people are the ones with stirring scenes, suspense, and relatable characters.

Has Climate Consciousness Reached a Tipping Point?

September 20, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We don’t want to jinx it, but with the Youth Climate Strike it sort of looks like . . . yes. (Finally.)

Weaving Beauty into the Borderlands

September 16, 2019 PerspectivesWestCourtney Lindwall

Through wall-size juxtapositions of bright, open flowers and jagged, disjointed lines, artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood explores the fractured landscape along the U.S.–Mexico border.

This Friday, School Is Out—and the Climate Strike Is On!

September 16, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

In protests around the globe, the next generation is sending a collective message to world leaders to act on climate change. Here, four teenage activists tell us their personal reasons for striking.