NPR News - Environment

The official numbers are in: 2024 is the hottest year on record. Climate change is the main culprit. But there might be something else going on, too.

(Image credit: Selcuk Acar)

As fire crews and air tankers work to block the wildfires' explosive growth, images of red clouds of fire retardant falling onto trees are common. What is it — and what's in it?

(Image credit: David Swanson)

Over 29,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area are on fire right now. The fires emerged after the Santa Ana winds swept into the Los Angeles area Tuesday. The largest is the Palisades fire, which is quickly burning through the Pacific Palisades and Malibu communities. It's one of four ongoing critical fires — only one of which is partially contained. Ahead of the windy week, a Red Flag Warning was issued for an increased fire risk due to the strong winds, low humidity and higher temperature. Today, we dig into the Santa Ana winds: What they are and how they combined with other factors to create conditions for the most destructive fire in Los Angeles' history.

Questions, story ideas or want us to dig more into the science underpinning natural disasters? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

The Great Lakes don't readily evoke images of surfing and surfboard-making, but a surfer in Wisconsin is on an eco-friendly mission to change that.

Planet Money buys a "biodiversity credit" and travels to the Andean cloud forest in Colombia — to see how these credits work, and if they can really help save threatened species.

Southern states don't often deal with winter conditions, but New England does. New Hampshire especially has tips for how to prepare for a winter storm.

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Exposure to wildfire smoke is a growing health problem across the U.S., as climate change increases the risk and intensity of wildfires.

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Extremely dry conditions coupled with high winds have led to an explosive wildfire situation in southern California.

Multiple fires have erupted across the Los Angeles area since Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate, and firefighters are struggling to contain the flames.

Adria Kloke is one of the people who has had to flee. She packed up her belongings, along with her cat, and left her home in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday. Kloke shares her story with NPR.

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(Image credit: Apu Gomes)

The Great Lakes don't readily evoke images of surfing and surfboard-making, but a surfer in Wisconsin is on an eco-friendly mission to change that.

President Joe Biden is moving to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, an effort to block possible action by the incoming Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.

(Image credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta)

As President, Jimmy Carter's priorities included energy efficiency and shifting away from foreign crude oil. The actions he took were criticized then, but laid the groundwork for a country to address climate change now.

Snowflakes. These intricate, whimsical crystals are a staple of magical wintry scenes, but how big can they really get? Well, according to the Guinness World Record keepers, the "largest snowflake" ever recorded was a whopping 15 inches in diameter. It was spotted near Missoula, Montana in 1887. But Kenneth Libbrecht, a physicist at Caltech, has long been skeptical of that record. So he set out to find what makes a snowflake a snowflake and whether that 1887 record is scientifically possible. You can read more about what he discovered here. (encore)

Want to share the snowflakes you've spotted this winter? Email us a photo at shortwave@npr.org.

Farmland is being abandoned across Europe as it's difficult to make a living. Some ecologist fear that some plant and species will lose ground but some hope that other species may fill in the gaps.

New research shows artificial light can upend underwater communities around coral reefs just like they do on land.

Former President Jimmy Carter's work on energy efficiency and renewable energy were criticized, but it laid the groundwork for the country to address climate change now.

Moo Deng and Haggis are joined by another slick, round supreme on the scene — a new pygmy hippo born at Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia. Fans can vote on the two options for her name through Saturday.

(Image credit: Metro Richmond Zoo)

The region drained by the Amazon River, including the Amazon Rainforest, is in the second year of a punishing drought. That has lead to the lowest water levels in more than 100 years for the Amazon and its major tributaries. Millions of people and an array of wildlife depend on those quickly disappearing waters. In a story we first brought you in October, we travel to the region to see the effects.

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The death of an Olympic snowboarding athlete is a reminder that even the most skilled and experienced athletes are not immune to the threat of avalanches, and that knowledge is key to staying safe.

(Image credit: Millo Moravski)

In the early 20th century, a blight fungus wiped out most of the 4 billion American chestnut trees on the eastern seaboard. The loss was ecologically devastating. Short Wave host Emily Kwong dives deep into how scientists are trying to resurrect the American chestnut tree — and recent controversy over a plan to plant genetically modified chestnuts in the wild.

Want to hear about more efforts to recover endangered or lost species? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

Norway is the largest exporter of salmon in the world. And while some of those fish are wild-caught, many are raised in "fish farms"- large cylindrical pens made of nylon in the open water. Sometimes these farmed fish escape, mixing with the local population and causing ecological issues. In a story we first brought you in October, we see farmed fish in a Norwegian fjord and hear about potential solutions to the problem.

(Image credit: Rob Schmitz)