All Environment
Points of ProgressThe surprising resilience of a smiling salamander and some old buried seedsProgress roundup: Captive-bred salamander can survive in the wild, and old fynbos seeds will germinate, sowing science’s hope for habitat restoration.
First LookOnly 2.7 percent of the ocean is protected. Can the world do more?The top priority of the third U.N. Ocean Conference is to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters. Without a healthy ocean, experts say, climate goals will remain out of reach.
Cover StoryLocal, organic, and bipartisan: How Vermont is challenging Big FoodFarmers in Vermont are trying to build a sustainable local economy for agricultural products. Americans across the political spectrum want it to work.
First LookIt’s huge, stinky, and brown. Record amounts of seaweed are baffling scientists.Caribbean beaches are being engulfed by tons of sargassum seaweed just as tourism season arrives. Scientists think warming waters and agricultural runoff may be contributing to the increasing amount of seaweed washing ashore each year.
Points of ProgressThe benefits of living with bears and letting nature take its courseProgress roundup: Antarctica’s newest research base lowers fossil fuel use, a medieval Italian village welcomes its bears, and more.
The ExplainerHow Trump’s push to end California EV mandates may change rules of the roadPresident Trump says he’ll sign legislation revoking California’s ability to mandate its own shift toward electric vehicles. Here’s a look at what that could mean for the auto market in the state and beyond.
First LookA Peruvian farmer took on a German energy giant. Who won?A decade-long legal battle between a Peruvian farmer and German energy giant resulted in the court throwing out the case. Still, environmentalists hail it as an “unprecedented victory.”
First LookWill it be another record-breaking summer? Scientists say yes.Higher global temperatures have become the new normal. Following boosts from El Niño years, scientists say temperatures haven’t fallen back down after upward swings.
First LookMarathons produce tons of plastic cup waste. One runner came up with a solution.Kristina Smithe wanted to clean up road races. So she came up with a solution: a reusable silicone cup that race organizers can rent to avoid the single-use throwaways. She says her company, Hiccup Earth, has kept 902,000 disposable cups out of landfills.
Points of ProgressHow to plant a city tree, and where timber beats steel for buildingsProgress roundup: Art world wakes up to South Asian talent, a Stockholm method of planting keeps trees happy, and clean energy tops fossil fuels in the U.S.
On chemicals and food, RFK Jr. runs up against powerful GOP constituenciesA report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again Commission blamed environmental toxins for health problems but did not make recommendations.
For the few right whales left, technology and teamwork are showing promiseNorth Atlantic right whales are critically endangered. But cooperation from towns, businesses, fishers, and ecologists to use new technology could create conditions in which the whale population can stabilize.
Points of ProgressHow independence helps caregivers on the job and Indigenous people in ColombiaProgress roundup: Philippine island boosts incomes and mangrove forests, Colombia protects isolated tribes, and U.S. home care workers thrive in co-ops.
Points of ProgressThe right to be a society apart, in Ecuador and South AfricaProgress roundup: A startup gets closer to carbon dioxide emissions-free steel, Germany strategizes for pedestrians, and African penguins gain protections.
Forest conservation has an unlikely ally: FaithSacred forests have long been shielded from destruction by their communities. Recognition of that reality is growing in conservation circles.
Panama vs. US: Whoever runs the Panama Canal needs to find more waterThe Panama Canal is an engineering marvel. But a modern effort to save the critical waterway amid droughts could exact a high human toll.
Points of ProgressMore butterflies and birds: Vulnerable species make gainsProgress roundup: Monarchs doubled in population in Mexico; less drought helped. In South Sudan, a forgotten coffee variety offers climate resilience.
From sand traps to salmon habitat, US golf courses become nature preservesFormer golf courses are growing wild again, increasing the amount of public green space in the U.S. In the process, they are teeing up solutions for long-standing environmental challenges.
Pursuit of critical minerals unearths new idea: Use what’s already dug upRare earth elements are needed for everything from green technology to consumer goods like laptops and batteries. Mining them, though, can cause environmental problems. But researchers say some of what’s needed is already above ground.
Points of ProgressGrafting for chocolate in Peru, and going after invasive species in New ZealandProgress roundup: Grafting revives cacao trees, reforms in Fiji strengthen democracy, and New Zealand commits to pest eradication on three islands.
