Climate Change
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
Insurers Invest in Fossil Fuels at Homeowners’ Expense
W hen Florida resident Scott Maynard, 67, opened his home insurance bill this year, he got a nasty surprise. The premium on his family’s four-bedroom home in Miami-Dade County had jumped from
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
Microplastics Are Everywhere. What Are They Doing to Our Health?
Microplastics are everywhere. Everyday items like clothing, food packaging, cosmetics and car tires shed tiny particles of plastics, which in turn find their way into blood, baby poop, placentas and breastmilk. According
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
How to Stop Funding the Climate Crisis
There’s a good chance that the money you have sitting in the bank generates more carbon than anything else you do. According to the activist Bill McKibben, who analyzed a 2021 report
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
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
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
Can Art Help Us Grasp the Plastics Crisis?
Duke Riley started out making maritime crafts, like sailor’s valentines and scrimshaws, entirely out of shells, bones and other natural materials that washed ashore on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and
Can the Farm Bill Fix America's Water Crisis?
For years, Michael Prado has provided bottled water to his neighbors in Sultana, a town of about 785 people in California’s Central Valley. That’s because most wells in town have been contaminated
Is Fast Fashion Making Us Sick?
On a recent spring afternoon, journalist Alden Wicker was examining a neon orange purse at H&M. The price tag read $14.99, but instead of listing materials, it simply said “vegan.” She raised