News & Commentary

Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution

October 18, 2018 DispatchUnited States, InternationalPatrick Rogers

Lizzie Carr is shining a light on what is floating through the world’s waterways, and breaking athletic records along the way.

New York City Is Finally Cleaning Up Its Commercial Garbage Industry

October 17, 2018 DispatchNew York CityNicole Greenfield

A new waste equity law aims to remedy a decades-long injustice that has turned certain outer-borough neighborhoods into de facto dumping grounds.

The Race to Develop Offshore Wind—and Protect Endangered Whales

September 17, 2018 DispatchEast, Rhode IslandNicole Greenfield

As Northeast states make impressive commitments to this clean energy source, scientists are helping them stay out of the way of marine mammals.

Bangladesh: A Country Underwater, a Culture on the Move

September 13, 2018 DispatchInternationalMarcin Szczepanski, Frank Sedlar, Jenny Shalant

In this low-lying, coastal nation inundated by flood after flood, a rural exodus to the cities is reshaping life everywhere.

The Oil and Gas Industry Wants Us to Protect It From Climate Change

August 31, 2018 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

Seriously. It’s asking American taxpayers to fund a 60-mile seawall along the refinery-heavy Texas Gulf Coast.

Just How Bad Was Hawaii’s Volcanic Eruption for Sea Turtles?

August 24, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

A video showing a sea turtle trapped by lava went viral. Now experts weigh in on the eruption’s potential impact on the endangered animals.

By Grieving Her Dead Calf, Tahlequah the Orca Proves She’s Just Like You and Me . . . Sort Of

August 10, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We can’t help but see ourselves when we reflect on the familiar behaviors of animals. But endangered species need more than our empathy.

Good News for These Hawaiian Dolphins (That Look an Awful Lot Like Orcas)

August 8, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiCourtney Lindwall

After years of fighting to protect their habitat, we did it! Hawaii’s false killer whales now have a chance to come back from the brink.

Climate Change Is Worsening Houston’s Housing Crisis

August 8, 2018 DispatchHouston, TexasTim Vanderpool

Since Hurricane Harvey, homelessness has gone up, some public housing residents are living in severely damaged homes, and others have been cast out to remote suburbs—to the detriment of local well-being and the economy.

The Warning Lights Are Flashing for California’s Once-Glorious Salton Sea

August 6, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaStarre Vartan

Since this giant salty lake in the desert lost its water supply, its bird habitat has been shrinking and more toxic dust is wafting up from its dry lake bed. Can the Salton Sea be saved?

Meet the Architect Helping to Build a Solar-Powered Future for Puerto Rico

July 30, 2018 DispatchPuerto RicoNicole Greenfield

Ever since Hurricane Maria devastated the island last fall, Jonathan Marvel and his team at Resilient Power Puerto Rico have been sparking a renewables revolution, one community at a time.

California Hasn’t Come Clean About Its Water Use During the Drought

July 11, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

Farms drink up a majority of the state’s water supply, but the details are murky. Most of the largest irrigation districts aren’t reporting how much water they delivered to farmers.

With Its New Sunscreen Law, Hawaii Aims to Set a Gold Standard for the World to Follow

July 5, 2018 DispatchHawaiiD. W. Gibson

On the heels of the longest coral bleaching event on record, Hawaii hopes that banning a chemical culprit in sunscreen will help save its reefs.

As Waters Rise, Should Seaside Communities Retreat?

June 29, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Whatever the decision, action is needed—and sooner rather than later.

Is the Tide Turning on Our Plastic Addiction?

June 8, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

For the oceans’ sake, we’d better hope so.

The Gulf of Mexico Is Sending Out an S.O.S.—a Message in a Plastic Bottle

June 4, 2018 DispatchKansas, Louisiana, MississippiRobynne Boyd

Thanks to the Mississippi River’s trash stream, the Gulf has some of the highest concentrations of plastic in the world.

A Single Discarded Fishing Net Can Keep Killing for Centuries

May 17, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new report estimates that around 700,000 tons of fishing gear are abandoned in the oceans each year. Now the good news: We can curb this.

In California, a Rallying Cry Against Offshore Oil

May 14, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

As Californians protest the Trump administration’s intent to expand drilling off the Pacific coast, some city and state officials consider new legislation to block it.

A Year of Climate Change, as (Not) Presented by the EPA

May 11, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

On the first anniversary of the agency’s removal of climate change info from its website, a look back at one of the earth’s roughest years on record and the fight to set things right.

In Landlocked Vienna, a Humpback Spreads a Powerful Message

April 26, 2018 DispatchInternationalNicole Greenfield

Austrian students transformed trash into a giant whale sculpture. Now they’re using it to bring international attention to the issue of ocean pollution.