Environment

The traditional Iñupiaq village of Teller sits on a long spit of land separating two bodies of water off Western Alaska’s Seward Peninsula.

China cut graphite imports to the US, worrying EV carmakers. Can Canada come to the rescue?

China began restricting exports of graphite supplies needed to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries on Dec. 1. EV carmakers are nervous about shortages because the US lacks its own domestic supplies. One of the world's largest sources of graphite has been discovered in Alaska, but the company with mining rights to the site is Canadian.

China cut graphite imports to the US, worrying EV carmakers. Can Canada come to the rescue?
A person in all black walks past a logo at the media center ahead of the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit.

Confidence in UN climate talks at a low point ahead of COP28 in Dubai

Confidence in UN climate talks at a low point ahead of COP28 in Dubai
Salah Fareeq Al-Feroun's farm sits unattended without the necessary water to cultivate Iraq's signature anbar rice, Al-Meshkhab, Najaf Province, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2023.

Iraq's signature anbar rice is disappearing amid water shortages

Iraq's signature anbar rice is disappearing amid water shortages
People marching in street with a Panamanian flag

Copper mine protests roil in Panama

Copper mine protests roil in Panama
COWS GRAZING ON A FARM WITH A GEEEN MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

Cow plague threatening ranches in southern Europe

Cow plague threatening ranches in southern Europe
Two young Panamanians view the solar eclipse.

'The cosmovision of our ancestors': Panama witnesses first solar eclipse in 25 years

Saturday’s solar eclipse cut across the western United States, dipping down into parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It was Panama’s first eclipse in 25 years and it came at an auspicious time when scientists are promoting an interest in astronomy. 

'The cosmovision of our ancestors': Panama witnesses first solar eclipse in 25 years
Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana campus is currently home to about 400 students affected by natural disasters and other crises.

30 years after a devastating earthquake, this school in India continues a legacy of support for survivors

Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana's educational rehabilitation school in Pune, India, was founded to support the complex needs of students who have experienced natural disasters and other traumatic crises. The school hopes to be a model for disaster relief around the world.

30 years after a devastating earthquake, this school in India continues a legacy of support for survivors
Aerial view of the village of Mutucal, Mãe Grande Curuçá Extractive Reserve.

Rural communities in the Amazon face a complex world of carbon credits

Brazil has embraced carbon credits as a way to protect the Amazon and mitigate climate change. But many community activists in the Amazon say carbon offset projects can be problematic.

Rural communities in the Amazon face a complex world of carbon credits
cows in the wild

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine

Rewilding Spain has reintroduced “back-bred” cattle from nearly 10,000 years ago. They hope the aurochs roaming here once again benefits the environment as well as the economy.

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine
Panelist for the online event on the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine.

LIVE Event: The Environmental Cost of the War in Ukraine

Join The World’s Carolyn Beeler for a conversation with Ukrainian environmental scientist Kateryna Polyanska and Doug Weir from The Conflict and Environment Observatory.

LIVE Event: The Environmental Cost of the War in Ukraine
People affected by an earthquake camp outside their homes, in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. 

'Organizing chaos': Moroccans in Spain send aid convoys home after devastating earthquake

Moroccans continue digging out victims from this month’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Atlas Mountains. The death toll now stands at nearly 3,000 people. Many more have been left homeless. Morocco’s government has so far only accepted aid from a handful of countries, but Moroccans overseas are stepping up. In Spain, they’re collecting supplies to send to victims, but it isn’t always easy.

'Organizing chaos': Moroccans in Spain send aid convoys home after devastating earthquake
beach

Why corals in American Samoa are thriving despite warmer oceans 

Despite prevailing narratives of coral bleaching and decline, the reefs of American Samoa have been particularly resilient to warming temperatures that have laid waste to other corals. Scientists there are finding out why, and looking for ways to use this knowledge to help reefs in other parts of the world.

Why corals in American Samoa are thriving despite warmer oceans 
Three people prostrating in prayer on a mat. In the backdrop are mountains and a damaged ancient brick structure.

Tinmel — Morocco’s medieval shrine and mosque — is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake

Morocco is grappling not just with the loss of lives from the recent earthquake, but with the destruction of its cultural heritage. A 12th-century mosque in the village of Tinmel is among them.

Tinmel — Morocco’s medieval shrine and mosque — is one of the historic casualties of the earthquake
Wind turbines turn behind a solar farm in Rapshagen, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. 

War in Ukraine spurs 'rapid deployment' for renewables, energy chief says

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent energy costs surging, European leaders scrambling for alternative suppliers of gas, and redirected flows of Russian oil toward Asia. Some European countries also burned more coal in response to the energy shock. But the most transformational long-term change will be in increased investments in renewable energy, according to International Energy Agency chief energy economist Tim Gould.

War in Ukraine spurs 'rapid deployment' for renewables, energy chief says
oil and gas platform surrounded by water

Norway becomes top gas supplier to Europe after Russia invasion

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended energy markets and sent prices through the roof. As Europe weaned itself off of Russian fuels, it turned to Norway. The country is now the largest exporter of natural gas to Europe.

Norway becomes top gas supplier to Europe after Russia invasion