The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, is seen in the background of the shallow Kakhovka Reservoir. Water levels in the reservoir have been falling rapidly after a critical dam collapsed. Kateryna Klochko/AP hide caption
Environment Breaking news on the environment, climate change, pollution, and endangered species. Also featuring Climate Connections, a special series on climate change co-produced by NPR and National Geographic.
Environment
Reagan administration Interior Secretary James Watt, pictured on Dec. 23, 1980, has died at age 85. AP hide caption
A general view showing buildings shrouded by polluted air in Seoul on April 12, 2023. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Wildfire smoke filling the New York City skyline was a familiar sight to communities in the Western U.S., who have had to learn to live with the effects of more extreme fires. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
New York topped the list of most polluted major cities in the world on Tuesday night, as smoke from the wildfires in Canada continues to blanket the East Coast of the United States. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images hide caption
Wildfire smoke is blanketing much of the U.S. Here's how to protect yourself
India is number 1 in global population. This clock board outside the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai keeps track of the numbers. The photo is from June 2, 2023. Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A man talks on his phone as he looks through the haze at the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., on Wednesday. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
In this webcam image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, Wednesday morning, June 7, 2023. AP hide caption
A man stands before the smoky New York City skyline and East River in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Ed Jones/AFP Via Getty Images hide caption
High tides have destroyed roads and structures in Vietnam as rising sea levels threaten farmland in the country's Mekong River Delta. Linh Pham/Getty Images hide caption
In this Oct. 8, 2019, file photo, the Central Arizona Project canal runs through rural desert near Phoenix. The canal diverts Colorado River water down a 336-mile long system of aqueducts, tunnels, pumping plants and pipelines to the state of Arizona. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption
Clifford Walters, a Hawaii man, pleaded guilty to disturbing wildlife after he tried to help a stranded bison calf reunite with its herd. Hellen Jack/National Park Service hide caption
A burnt landscape caused by wildfires is pictured near Entrance, Wild Hay area, Alberta, Canada on May 10, 2023. Canada struggled on May 8, 2023, to control wildfires that have forced thousands to flee, halted oil production and razed towns, with the western province of Alberta calling for federal help. MEGAN ALBU/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Across Canada, tens of thousands have evacuated due to wildfires in recent weeks
Guarani Indigenous block Bandeirantes highway to protest proposed legislation that would change the policy that demarcates Indigenous lands on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. Ettore Chiereguini/AP hide caption
Hvaldimir pictured in Stad, Norway, earlier this year, shortly before he began his abrupt journey south. Rich German hide caption
A meme that cast Dave Brandt as a stereotypical farmer reached cultural ubiquity on social media sites like Reddit. Brandt's death last week sent ripples through both real and virtual spaces that looked to Brandt as a symbol of honest work in the modern age. Reddit hide caption
John Carlon of River Partners says restoring floodplains can help take pressure off downstream levees by storing floodwaters, as well as providing much-needed wildlife habitat. Lauren Sommer/NPR hide caption
California is still at risk of flooding. Maybe rivers just need some space
Adam Savage, host of Tested, and right to repair advocate, shows off the lathe he's fixing at his San Francisco workshop. Chloe Veltman/NPR hide caption
Fixit culture is on the rise, but repair legislation faces resistance
Paddling through the flooded forest in the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption
Come along on a canoe trip through a flooded forest in a Vermont bird sanctuary
Wealthy countries and investors are planning to give Vietnam billions of dollars to help it transition from coal to renewable energy. But the climate deal has come under fire because of Vietnam's record on human rights. STR/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A photo shared by the National Park Service shows a park visitor attempting to help a stranded bison calf reunite with its herd. The plan ultimately ended the animal's chance of survival. Hellen Jack/National Park Service hide caption