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Climate

Billions of federal dollars could replace lead pipes. Flint has history to share

Jeneyah McDonald used to spend much of her days looking for enough clean water. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption

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Sylvia Jarrus for NPR

National

Billions of federal dollars could replace lead pipes. Flint has history to share

The new infrastructure legislation makes money available to remove potentially poisonous pipes around the country. In Flint, Mich., mistrust runs deeper than the plumbing does.

Billions of federal dollars could replace lead pipes. Flint has history to share

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Research News

Climate change and city lights are tricking trees into growing leaves too soon

A study of trees in dozens of cities found that urban heat and light pollution are pushing urban trees to sprout leaves about a week earlier than trees in more rural settings.

Climate change and city lights are tricking trees into growing leaves too soon

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Biden calls for higher fees for oil, gas leasing on federal land, stops short of ban

An oil well works at sunrise Aug. 25, 2021, in Watford City, N.D., part of McKenzie County. The Biden administration on Friday, Nov. 26, called for an overhaul of the nation's oil and gas leasing program. Matthew Brown/AP hide caption

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Matthew Brown/AP

Energy

Biden calls for higher fees for oil, gas leasing on federal land, stops short of ban

A long-awaited report by the Interior Department proposes reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program, but doesn't end the practice, troubling environmentalists.

Veteran anti-consumerist crusader Reverend Billy takes aim at climate change

Reverend Billy (William Talen, left) among a flock of supporters. Courtesy of Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping hide caption

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Courtesy of Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping

Culture

Veteran anti-consumerist crusader Reverend Billy takes aim at climate change

Reverend Billy, the flamboyant "altar-ego" of New York performance artist William Talen, celebrates 20 years of crusading with his Stop Shopping Choir.

Veteran anti-consumerist crusader Reverend Billy takes aim at climate change

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Fighting Fires and Family Secrets
Eskay Lim / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Throughline

Fighting Fires and Family Secrets

Uncontrollable western wildfires and a hidden family history — two puzzles that can only be solved with knowledge buried in the past. Indigenous people in Montana fight fire with fire, drawing on the unique relationships their ancestors had to one of the West's greatest threats today. And a young woman grapples with the secret that binds her family together, but also tears them apart. This week, we bring you stories produced by two members of the Throughline team: Victor Yvellez and Anya Steinberg. Through their past work before joining the show, we'll travel from the homelands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes to the freezers of a cryobank to answer questions about family, tradition, and the future.

Fighting Fires and Family Secrets

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Animals

Western U.S. monarch butterfly population is doing better than expected

In recent years, monarch butterflies have all but disappeared from their annual Pacific Coast migration. But there are promising signs the population could stage a comeback.

Western U.S. monarch butterfly population is doing better than expected

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The biggest problem facing the U.S. electric grid isn't demand. It's climate change

The Baltimore Gas and Electric Fitzell substation in Edgemere, Md., is about a year old and was built so that it can eventually be modified to provide more capacity. Ian Morton for NPR hide caption

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Ian Morton for NPR

Energy

The biggest problem facing the U.S. electric grid isn't demand. It's climate change

The infrastructure package sets aside billions for the power grid. That may not be enough to reshape a system not designed for the extreme weather brought about by a warming planet.

The biggest problem facing the U.S. electric grid isn't demand. It's climate change

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Detroit homes are being overwhelmed by flooding — and it's not just water coming in

A car is submerged by floodwaters on a portion of I-94 in Detroit, several days after heavy rains flooded parts of the city in June. Matthew Hatcher/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Hatcher/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

National

Detroit homes are being overwhelmed by flooding — and it's not just water coming in

The city has experienced more frequent and severe flooding due to climate change and an aging stormwater system. Detroiters hope federal infrastructure funding eases the problem.

National

Wildland firefighters are split on whether higher pay would keep them in the industry

Wildland firefighters will soon see big increases in pay and other benefits from the infrastructure bill. But firefighters are split on whether the changes are enough to keep them on the job.

Wildland firefighters are split on whether higher pay would keep them in the industry

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Sailboats packed with migrants seek Italy on lesser-known migration route

Sailboats used by smugglers to transport migrants and refugees are beached on Le Cannelle beach in Isola Capo Rizzuto, Calabria region, Southern Italy, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Alessandra Tarantino/AP hide caption

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Alessandra Tarantino/AP

World

Sailboats packed with migrants seek Italy on lesser-known migration route

The route is increasingly being used by wealthier Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and Kurds aboard new or nearly new sailboats that can more easily avoid detection by authorities.

Climate change is making it harder to provide clean drinking water in farm country

Janis Elliott lives in the unincorporated Iowa town of Avon. She put a reverse osmosis system in her home after she found nitrate levels almost double the EPA health standard. Clay Masters/Iowa Public Radio hide caption

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Clay Masters/Iowa Public Radio

Environment

Climate change is making it harder to provide clean drinking water in farm country

Iowa Public Radio News

The largest water utility in Iowa is sounding alarms that it won't be able to keep up with cleaning the water for more than 600,000 customers as extreme weather swings become more common.

Climate change is making it harder to provide clean drinking water in farm country

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Intense wildfires have killed up to 1/5 of the earth's largest trees

Recent wildfires in California have highlighted the fragility of giant sequoias. The National Park Service says many were killed or badly hurt earlier this year during a blaze.

Intense wildfires have killed up to 1/5 of the earth's largest trees

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Anxiety and grief comes with climate change

The environmental movement is doing more to address the psychological toll on activists and volunteers, encouraging resilience and self-care to counteract anxiety and grief over planetary damage.

Anxiety and grief comes with climate change

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Prize-winning photos capture the grit and suffering of flood survivors in South Sudan

Nyayua Thang, 62, left, stands waist-deep in the floodwaters in front of an abandoned primary school in South Sudan. Members of her village, displaced by extreme flooding as a result of heavy rainfall, are using the building as a refuge. Only small mud dikes at the entrance of the door are keeping the water out. (November 2020) Peter Caton for Action Against Hunger hide caption

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Peter Caton for Action Against Hunger

Goats and Soda

Prize-winning photos capture the grit and suffering of flood survivors in South Sudan

The photo series Unyielding Floods recently won its fifth award this year. It captures the strength and hardship of those affected by flooding of biblical proportions in South Sudan.