Latest Environmental science News
Seventh graders taking class to water was a stroke of genius
HILTON HEAD, S.C. (AP) — Taking dozens of seventh graders kayaking along Broad Creek wasn’t a dare. Maybe a challenge for some. And a test of patience for others. But leading swaths of life jacket-clad students — fueled with field trip exuberance and teenage wit — tandem...
Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds
A new study blames pollution of all types for 9 million deaths a year globally, with the death toll attributed to dirty air from cars, trucks and industry rising 55% since 2000. That increase is offset by fewer pollution deaths from primitive indoor stoves and water contaminated with...
Menaced by flames, nuclear lab peers into future of wildfire
LOS ALAMOS N.M. (AP) — Public schools were closed and evacuation bags packed this week as a stubborn wildfire crept within a few miles of the city of Los Alamos and its companion U.S. national security lab — where assessing apocalyptic threats is a specialty and wildland fire is a beguiling...
Storm chasers face host of dangers beyond severe weather
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The deaths of four storm chasers in car crashes over the last two weeks have underscored the dangers of pursuing severe weather events as more people clog back roads and highways searching for a glimpse of a lightning bolt or tornado, meteorologists and chasers say. ...
Study: Climate change a major factor in South Africa floods
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — The fatal floods that wreaked havoc in South Africa in mid-April this year have been attributed to human-caused climate change, a rapid analysis published Friday by a team of leading international scientists said. The study by the World Weather Attribution...
Study finds cleaner air leads to more Atlantic hurricanes
Cleaner air in United States and Europe is brewing more Atlantic hurricanes, a new U.S. government study found. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study links changes in regionalized air pollution across the globe to storm activity going both up and down. A 50%...
Earth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026
The world is creeping closer to the warming threshold international agreements are trying to prevent, with nearly a 50-50 chance that Earth will temporarily hit that temperature mark within the next five years, teams of meteorologists across the globe predicted. With human-made...
How climate scientists keep hope alive as damage worsens
In the course of a single year, University of Maine climate scientist Jacquelyn Gill lost both her mother and her stepfather. She struggled with infertility, then during research in the Arctic, she developed embolisms in both lungs, was transferred to an intensive care unit in Siberia and nearly...
NASA climate research scientist wins World Food Prize
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A NASA climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food Prize on Thursday. Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was awarded the...
Increased infectious disease risk likely from climate change
Climate change will result in thousands of new viruses spread among animal species by 2070 — and that's likely to increase the risk of emerging infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans, according to a new study. This is especially true for Africa and Asia, continents that...
