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Cuba and the United States will work together to protect marine life. -

One result of the rapprochement between the two countries will be an exchange of conservation information. The U.S. and Cuban governments announced yesterday that they will map marine life in the protected waters of the Florida Straits and Gulf of Mexico and put together an inventory of shared species. New York Times

Wildlife is thriving around Chernobyl. -

Three decades after the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, a study finds that the numbers of elk, deer, and wild boar in the exclusion zone are similar to those in nearby nature reserves—wolves are actually seven times more abundant. The findings illustrate just how damaging human activity can be to an ecosystem. The Guardian

Frogs are headed toward mass oblivion. -

A new study analyzed recent reptile and amphibian extinctions and found that their rate is 10,000 times higher than other animals. Some 200 frog species have disappeared since the 1970s, and hundreds more are in danger of following suit. Worse, scientists don't know exactly what's driving the deaths. Washington Post

BP agrees to pay $20 billion for Deepwater Horizon spill. -

In the federal government's "largest settlement with a single entity in American history," the oil and gas giant will pay massive fees to five Gulf states and pony up penalties for natural resources damages, Clean Water Act violations, and restoration work. NPR

Germany is giving India $2.25 billion for clean energy projects. -

India is the world's third-largest carbon polluter, but ahead of the Paris climate conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to ramp up the country's renewable energy. And now Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the country that generates more solar power than anywhere else, is chipping in to help India meet its goal. Business Standard

I just couldn’t believe we were paying to poison our kids.

Lee-Anne Walters, a mother from Flint, Michigan, discusses how high lead levels in the community's drinking water have dosed children with the dangerous neurotoxin. The city's residents pay some of the highest water rates in the country.