Climate Change
Can everyone eat for the planet? I shopped at Dollar Store for a week to find out
As a fossil fuels and climate reporter, most of my journalism focuses on the need to radically overhaul the energy system. But the food sector also needs a makeover, as it creates
Rebuilding Food Security After a Wildfire
When wildfires swept through southern Oregon in 2020, Lena and her family lost 14 years of hard work almost overnight. Their home, their car, and most of their belongings went up in
A Crop for a Saltier Future
In early 2020, a group of Saudi farmers led Vanessa Melino into the desert. Then a plant physiologist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Melino was looking for hardy crops
One Small Town Plans for Climate Change
One of the most iconic landmarks in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon, is a 100-year-old sign that arcs over the main street with the phrase “It’s the Climate” scrawled across it. To an
Welcoming Relatives Home: The Return of the Lynx
The Kettle Mountain Range runs north-south along the eastern flank of the Colville Reservation and north into the Tribes’ ancestral territory in Colville National Forest. Lynx are known to live in the
Welcoming Relatives Home: A Ceremony for Salmon
Richard Whitney was raised on the Colville Reservation in north central Washington, and was always in the woods, cutting firewood, hunting, fishing, or just being “out there, on the rez,” especially with
Welcoming Relatives Home: Bringing Back the Bighorn
From our vantage point in a motorboat on the reservoir known as Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake in eastern Washington, we scan the rocky canyon walls of the Colville Confederated Tribes’ Hellgate game
New Orleans Urban Farmers Prep for Overlapping Climate Disasters
Whenever a disaster strikes in Louisiana, Sprout NOLA springs to life to offer technical assistance to farmers, helping them navigate a wide range of challenges. The nimble group of New Orleans urban
Cities are Struggling with Warmer, Wetter Weather. Better Climate Models Could Help.
Growing up in the marshy plains of the Texas Gulf Coast, Ellen Buchanon had seen her share of floods. But in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey dumped 40 inches of rain on her
As Extreme Heat Blasts Farms, More Harvests Are Taking Place in the Dark
In the summer months, Flor Sanchez and the members of her harvest crew rise before dawn and arrive at a cherry orchard in Washington state’s Yakima Valley when there is only the
From Jane to the Octonauts, Children’s TV Is Taking on the Climate Crisis
Olivia Dreizen Howell wasn't seeking out a climate lesson when she and her kids, aged 7 and 9, tuned into Molly of Denali, a popular children’s show on PBS. But there it
Can We Dig Our Way Out of the Waste Crisis?
In August 2019, the sprawling Kpone landfill, 25 miles from the center of Accra, Ghana, burst into flames. As the city’s only engineered landfill, Kpone had been collecting cast-off clothing from the
Farmers Are Breeding Heat-Resistant Cows
At Vaqueria El Remanso, a small dairy farm west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the cows are different — they have a freshly shaven, suave look. Their short hair is the result
Cities Are Depaving for a Cooler Future
It all started because a man named Arif Khan wanted a garden. In 2007, he had recently moved into a house in Portland, Ore., whose backyard was covered in asphalt. Some friends
Swimmable Cities Are a Climate Solution
As recently as the 1940s, New Yorkers swam in floating pools in the Hudson and East Rivers. A safer alternative to swimming directly in the river, the municipal baths kept residents cool
All Talk and —Yes — Action
In 2020, artist Nicole Cooper was conducting research for a painting series when she stumbled upon a NASA chart showing temperature rise throughout history. “I had this realization of, ‘Look at how
On Farms, Climate Change Is Exacerbating a Mental Health Crisis
When Mike Rosmann, an Iowa farmer and psychologist, heard his phone ring on a spring morning in 2019, he knew he had to answer. In the previous four months, his state had