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![A plume of smoke being emitted into the air from a power plant, Feb. 16, 2022, in Fairbanks, Alaska.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ap23131478489914-5f4ee5b4a39703e0b65fec8a0e66b904cbfa3f90-scaled-e1700505030405-900x422.jpg)
This is how far behind the world is on controlling planet-warming pollution
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) — The hottest year on record is coming to a close, emissions of planet-warming gases are still rising globally, and the most ambitious climate goal on pollution set… Read More
![Tourism infrastructure on the beach lays in shambles after Hurricane Otis ripped through Acapulco, Mexico](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ap23300080231007-5682d54d7c516f8ff8903319948689faa3be0754-scaled-e1698706151184-900x422.jpg)
It’s unlikely, but not impossible, to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius, study finds
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) — It is unlikely, but not impossible, for humans to hit the lower temperature target for global warming set by the landmark 2015 Paris agreement, according to new… Read More
![Two women embrace and cry as they look out over a burned area in Lahaina, Hawaii](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20230822-_dsc6707-edit_custom-e5ab5e97b23db66cdf5665450c287523116036b9-scaled-e1698265654662-900x422.jpg)
Here’s how Americans feel about climate change
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) — Most Americans say that climate change is harming people in the United States, and that climate impacts will get worse over their lifetime, according to a new… Read More
![Children cool themselves with electric fans in Beijing. They are wearing princess dresses.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ap23194652744623_custom-6d971bd2621ad51d88cb2ffc2e54aa074f3934d9-scaled-e1689349337829-900x422.jpg)
Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) — Last month was the hottest June on record going back 174 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It’s the latest temperature record to fall… Read More
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El Niño has officially begun. Here’s what that means for the U.S.
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — El Niño is officially here, and that means things are about to get even hotter. The natural climate phenomenon is marked by warmer ocean temperatures in… Read More
![Residents in southern Malawi repair a home destroyed by heavy rain from Cyclone Freddy.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ap23074543190373-b38c74bd289a7fb08077c96ce2938d6bb0634ce1-scaled-e1679343275638-900x422.jpg)
Cut emissions quickly to save lives, scientists warn in a new U.N. report
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) — The planet is on track for catastrophic warming, but world leaders already have many options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect people, according to a major… Read More
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Climate change is making the weather more severe. Why don’t most forecasts mention it?
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — At global climate talks that just wrapped up, one of the few areas of agreement was about the worldwide toll of climate-driven weather disasters. Leaders from… Read More
![Refrigerators on sale in 2018 in Pennsylvania. The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to phase out the use of cooling chemicals that are powerful greenhouse gases.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ap20199385513927-b85ad44528cdd6ce2bf4c292740e64d8c461e2c4-scaled-e1620063695662-900x422.jpg)
EPA Moves To Cut A Group Of Powerful Greenhouse Gases
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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The EPA plans to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are used in refrigerators and air conditioners. When HFCs are released into the atmosphere, they are extremely good at trapping heat.
![Most Americans receive little or no information about flood risk before they buy a house, leading millions to put their safety, belongings and financial security in harm's way.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cameron_flood-1-2-76e89219287dd00ca6f160e480007062d21a044a-scaled-e1603246602813-900x422.jpg)
Living In Harm’s Way: Why Most Flood Risk Is Not Disclosed
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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About 15 million properties in the U.S. are prone to flooding, but patchwork and ineffective disclosure laws mean most people get little to no information about flood risk before they move.
![A new report finds FEMA is not effectively allocating money for homes that repeatedly flood. More than 100 homes in Cameron Parish, La. have flooded multiple times according to FEMA data.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dsc8947-089c3eb8b3a744a56e57ec6210fbfe06aabccc18-scaled-e1600182552890-900x422.jpg)
Inspector General Slams FEMA Over Repeatedly Flooded Homes
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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At least 37,000 homes in the U.S. have flooded multiple times. The people who own them are eligible for federal help, but a new report finds that FEMA often fails to provide that assistance.
![The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. The move comes as climate change drives more frequent and severe wildfires, hurricanes and other hazards.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ap_19284540678115-358728aee75cd9b158e75bc3d50754d213b529c3-e1572904113327-900x422.jpg)
U.S. Formally Begins To Leave The Paris Climate Agreement
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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Under the agreement hammered out in 2015, the first day that countries can reverse the promises they made is Nov. 4, 2019. It will be another year before the American withdrawal is official.
![A coal-fired power plant in central Poland. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2018, and the world is on track for potentially catastrophic climate change in the coming decades.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ap_18339632056232-dcb138263e68e8b13e9f056d2c039716d3035e4e-e1569248575589-900x422.jpg)
U.N. Climate Summit Sets Stage For New National Emissions Promises
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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Humanity is not on track to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Delegations from nearly 200 countries are meeting to discuss promises they made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
![Water that came under a levee in Greenville, Miss., in 2011 caused this street to collapse. The city has had major floods twice since then, including record-breaking high water this year. Greenville's mayor says many residents live in low-lying areas served by outdated infrastructure.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/gettyimages-114026332-18e0832d50adcdb1b57c05c476632971d6013a0a-e1564072702867-900x422.jpg)
Small Towns Fear They Are Unprepared For Future Climate-Driven Flooding
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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The central U.S. just experienced the most widespread river flooding ever recorded there. Flood defenses in major cities largely performed well, but many smaller communities were simply overwhelmed.
![Jaeleen Sattler's border collie Sprint catches a frisbee during a competition in California. New research suggests that dog stress mirrors owner stress, especially in dogs and humans who compete together.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/bordercollie-cbaf11ddd3aa7543d988b1066807ba2b572d8a05-e1559829282548-900x422.jpg)
You May Be Stressing Out Your Dog
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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When people who own dogs are stressed, their dogs also get stressed, a new study suggests. It’s another indication of how emotionally synchronized dogs and their humans can be.
![Smog fills Utah's Salt Lake Valley in January 2017. Winter weather in the area often traps air pollution that is bad for public health.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gettyimages-633244474-56c087566e58abd31290f9cff841d5f203776f76-e1553873132169-900x422.jpg)
EPA Science Panel Considering Guidelines That Upend Basic Air Pollution Science
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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Some panel members said they don’t agree that breathing sooty air can cause premature death. The panel’s draft recommendations to the EPA would change how it assesses the dangers of air pollution.
![A power plant near Katowice, Poland, the host city for a major global climate conference that began on Sunday. It is the most important climate meeting since the 2015 Paris climate agreement was signed.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ap_18330550847350-dda172b617fb9c2d3b0f6beebd80cc3cb27a8819-e1543858144352-900x422.jpg)
High Stakes As International Climate Conference Begins
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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The U.N. climate meeting underway in Poland is the most important climate conference since the 2015 Paris Agreement set emissions reduction goals for nearly every country on Earth.
![A CT-scan image of the skull of an ancient bird shows how one of the earliest bird beaks worked as a pincer, in the way beaks of modern birds do, but also had teeth left over from dinosaur ancestors. The animal, called Ichthyornis, lived around 100 million years ago in what is now North America.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/reduced-size-ichthyornis_2-51e695071e8d01b61ce6ab07e2555bdba5441972-e1525296898812-900x422.jpg)
How Did Birds Lose Their Teeth And Get Their Beaks? Study Offers Clues
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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Modern birds are dinosaurs without toothy jaws, and with bigger brains. Newly published research fills in some of the missing links in their evolution.
![](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/picture1-femalewithcub-55913609d7bab8fc072f6af01d7dd879d9cab921-890x422.jpg)
Mother Bears Are Staying With Their Cubs Longer, Study Finds
By: Rebecca Hersher | NPR
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In many parts of the world, it is illegal to shoot a brown bear with cubs. The restrictions have made mother bears more likely to spend an extra year with their cubs.