The state of the world’s environment is one of the most important stories of the new century. Debates over the impact of climate change reverberate throughout the globe. So do disputes about what actions might be necessary, both to preserve the environment and to develop sources of energy for a growing global community.
The World’s environment coverage, led by environment editor Peter Thomson, examines the health of the planet and explores the impacts of human activity on everything from the earth’s ecosystems to the food we put on our plates.
Environment
Climate Change’s Growing Threats
“Superstorm” Sandy might’ve been the loudest, but the warnings about the growing threats from climate change having been coming fast and furious this fall. As part of our collaboration with the PBS program NOVA, Sam Eaton files this series of three reports examining some of the latest research and most pressing concerns.
An Arctic Climate Catastrophe?
As international climate negotiators meet in Doha, Qatar, scientists are issuing a stark warning of possibly huge emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from the warming Arctic.
Doha Climate Talks: More Hot Air?
Slow-paced international climate negotiations have resumed this week in Qatar amid a rising wave of bad news on carbon emissions, temperatures and extreme weather events.
Restoring Urban India’s Riverbanks
A new biodiversity park along a stretch of the river is starting to restore some of the natural services the landscape used to provide.
Colorado River Agreement to Help Restore Vanished Wetlands in Mexico
A new agreement between the US and Mexico to manage water from the Colorado River has been applauded as a breakthrough for cross-border cooperation on water rights. And it’s also being applauded by environmental groups working in Mexico.
New Town in Canada
For the Geo Quiz, we’re looking for a town in Canada that’s billing itself as the future home of a super-sized ski resort, the only year-round ski resort in North America, in fact.
With Stakes Rising, Can We Stop Catastrophic Climate Change?
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, debate is again raging in the United States about the dangers of climate change. Now two high-profile reports warn that without big changes we’re headed for catastrophic climate disruption.
Food Safety and Eating in China
Eating in China can be a diner’s delight, or a hellish game of chance [...]
Bird Population on Decline in Britain
A new report shows a sharp decline in the number of birds in the UK. There is a similar trend in US. Anchor Marco Werman gets details from one of the repor’s authors, Richard Gregory of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
As Arctic Warms, Scientists Explore Links to Extreme Weather
Months before both this year’s record Arctic ice melt and Hurricane Sandy, a climatologist identified changing weather patterns that suggest links between the two seemingly separate events. Sam Eaton reports from New Jersey.
Environment Roundup: BP Agrees to $4.5 Billion Gulf Oil Spill Settlement; Obama Talks Climate
Four and a half billion dollars. That’s what the British oil giant BP has agreed to pay today to settle federal criminal charges stemming from its massive 2010 oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The World’s Environment Editor Peter Thomson has been following this developing story as well as the rest of the week’s environmental news.
New York Sikhs Organize Help for Sandy Victims
Members of Indian Sikh communities from around New York have organized to help those hardest-hit by Hurricane Sandy. Sikh volunteers are in Queens, providing hot food for displaced people in need of a meal.
‘New’ House in England to be Made Entirely from Waste Materials
We’re looking for a British city where a cool recycling project is about to get underway. A team of architects and recycling experts is planning to build a house — entirely out of trash. The building site is in a city on the south coast of England in the county of East Sussex. Name that coastal city.
How Should We Judge our Economy?
The central question of the presidential election came down to this: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Well, it depends on who you ask and how you measure it. A small, but growing group thinkers say traditional economic measures don’t give an accurate picture of the true health of our economy. And their movement is gaining steam.
Copper Mining Threatens Afghan Buddhas
A Chinese company is set to begin mining one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits. Cash strapped Afghanistan could potentially reap billions of dollars in revenue from the deal. But there’s a hitch. There’s an ancient Buddhist monastery there and the site is full of old Buddha statues and artifacts.
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