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
The Next Fracking Frontier: China?
Burdened by its heavy reliance on coal, China looks to unlock its natural gas deposits with the controversial practice of fracking.
In Face of Drought, UN Asks US to Suspend Biofuel Mandate
The worst drought in the US in more than 50 years has brought calls for the federal government to suspend its mandate that 40% of the country’s corn crop be used to make biofuel.
California’s Shark Fin Battle
A recent law in California that banned the shark fin trade is being challenged by leaders in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
US Drought May Prove Boon to Argentine Soy Farmers
American grain producers are suffering through their worst drought in a half century. But soy producers in Argentina are looking forward to record crops and profits. Ian Mount has the story from Buenos Aires.
Pipeline Troubles
Anchor Aaron Schachter talks with The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson about a small oil spill that may have big consequences for a plan to pump oil from Alberta to the Pacific Ocean, and may even play into the fight over the Keystone oil pipeline in the US.
The Drought Felt Around the World?
The impact of this summer’s drought in the US may well be felt around the globe and many of world’s poor will feel the squeeze as harvests fall and prices rise.
A Controversial Wildlife Refuge on Tiger Island
A new and controversial wildlife sanctuary for the “conflict” Sumatran Tigers is the subject of a new BBC Natural World documentary “Tiger Island”.
Satellites Reveal Sudden Greenland Ice Melt
NASA researchers are expressing concern about something they’ve never seen before: the melting of ice across nearly the entire surface of Greenland earlier this month.
Clean Cookstoves Protect Women and the Environment
An estimated 3 billion people in the developing world cook and heat their homes by burning wood, charcoal, or dung. Their simple stoves cause trendous amounts of air pollution. Ari Daniel Shapiro reports from Uganda on the introduction of more efficient stoves that also help protect women from sexual violence.
Beijing Floods Unleash Criticism of Chinese Authorities
Beijing residents began drying out Monday after a weekend deluge that left dozens dead and tens of thousands more displaced. The government says it was the worst rainstorm in 60 years, but it may not have been a purely natural disaster.
“Sloth Map”: Inactivity Study Tracks Global Patterns & Risks
Researchers say physical inactivity is to blame for 1 out of 10 deaths around the globe, about the same as deaths caused by smoking. And a new study finds levels of physical activity roughly track patterns of development–people in higher income countries are the least active.
Report Says Most Lemurs Living on the Edge of Extinction
Experts now say that nine out of 10 species of lemur should be on the ‘red list’ of endangered species. Some species are down to less than two dozen animals.
A Year Without Palm Oil
Angry about widespread deforestation in Southeast Asia linked to palm plantations, a French Ph.D student in geochemistry vows to go a year without consuming any palm oil, and faces the challenges.
‘Wake Up Madagascar’: A Music Tour to Fight Deforestation
An group of musicians from Madagascar are set to tour America to alert people about the deforestation on their island.
Leatherback Turtles, Bulldozers and Human Nature
This week’s news about the disastrous deaths of thousands of young and still incubating leatherback turtles in Trinidad reads like something out of a dark comic novel, a gross parody of a cascade of bad decisions resulting in an epic disaster [...]
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