environment

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

There's Fallout From That Himalayan Fireworks Show

Four Chinese officials lose their jobs after last month's environmentally damaging display

(Newser) - Four Chinese officials have lost their jobs in the fallout to a clothing company's fireworks display in the environmentally sensitive Himalayas last month. Authorities in Tibet's Shigatse city announced the punishments Wednesday, following apologies from Canadian clothing comapny Arc'teryx and Chinese pyrotechnics artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Gyantse County'...

In Forests Around the World, a 'Trail of a Thousand Trolls'

Trash sculptures by Dutch recycle artist Thomas Dambo are meant to connect us to environment

(Newser) - Nestled in forests around the world, a gentle army of giant wooden trolls wants to show humans how to live better without destroying the planet. The Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo and his team have created 170 troll sculptures from discarded materials such as wooden pallets, old furniture, and wine...

UN Court: Countries That Harm Planet Could Be Breaking Law

Court finds clean environment is a basic human right

(Newser) - For the first time, the United Nations' top court has declared that failing to protect the planet from climate change could breach international law. The highly anticipated advisory opinion delivered in the Hague on Wednesday "is likely to determine the course of future climate action across the world,...

Is Inflammation Really a Part of Aging?
Is Inflammation
Really a Part of Aging?
NEW STUDY
Jul 7, 2025 7:55 AM CDT

Is Inflammation Really a Part of Aging?

Indigenous groups show inflammation doesn't necessarily increase with age

(Newser) - A groundbreaking study of Indigenous populations on two continents is challenging the long-held belief that chronic inflammation is an unavoidable part of aging, raising new questions about the role of lifestyle and environment in how we grow older. Researchers analyzed blood data from nearly 2,800 adults across four...

Newsom Signs Bills Rolling Back Key Environmental Law

Move aims to speed up housing development in California amid mounting shortages, homelessness

(Newser) - California has dismantled a pillar of its environmental legacy, speeding up development projects in a bold move to address its deepening housing crisis and homelessness. State leaders on Monday rolled back the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a law that for more than 50 years has been both a...

Trump Orders Federal Agencies to 'Sunset' Green Protections

President's executive order decries 'an energy landscape perpetually trapped in the 1970s'

(Newser) - Federal agencies like the EPA, Department of Energy, and Fish and Wildlife Service have received their mandate from the top: It's time to let go of a slew of environmental protections. On Wednesday evening, President Trump signed an executive order that directed agencies tied to energy and environmental guidance...

To Prep for Climate Summit, Brazil Cuts Down Rainforest

A new 4-lane highway is being constructed ahead of COP30

(Newser) - World leaders will be among the 50,000 people descending on the Brazilian city of Belem this November for the COP30 climate summit . Brazil is hailing it as historic—"a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon." But it's attracting some controversy: Many will...

'Garbage Imperialism' of the '80s Never Really Went Away

New York Times columnist Alexander Clapp says the recycling story we've been told 'often isn't true'

(Newser) - In the '80s, hazardous waste from developed nations like the US began to get sent to undeveloped nations in bulk, with vows made to the recipients to pay them back with schools, hospitals, or cash for absorbing the rest of the world's trash. In 1992, the immorality of...

To Rebuild Fast, Newsom Halts Environmental Rules

California's stringent regulations have been suspended for the time being after fires

(Newser) - With massive rebuilding needed in the Los Angeles area after a series of devastating wildfires, including the deadly Palisades Fire , Gov. Gavin Newsom has already made a big move to expedite that process. The New York Times reports that Newsom has given his OK to a "broad" executive order...

Montana Supreme Court Upholds Climate Activists' Win

Young plaintiffs argued the state violated their right to a clean environment

(Newser) - Montana's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a landmark climate ruling that said the state was violating residents' constitutional right to a clean environment by permitting oil, gas, and coal projects without consideration of global warming. The 6-1 ruling in the case brought by young activists rejected the state's...

Scientists: We Are on the Brink of Irreversible Disaster

'We are stepping into a critical, unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis,' climate experts say

(Newser) - An international coalition of scientists has delivered a report on the Earth that is the equivalent of a doctor telling a patient to sit down for a very serious talk. The climate experts say they assessed 35 of the planet's "vital signs," and 25 were worse than...

National Park Slams This Lone Piece of Litter
Carlsbad Caverns Blasts
'World Changing' Cheetos Bag
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2024 12:50 PM CDT

Carlsbad Caverns Blasts 'World Changing' Cheetos Bag

Park rangers say litter left in New Mexico park 'may seem trivial, but ... can be world changing'

(Newser) - "At the scale of human perspective, a spilled snack bag may seem trivial, but to the life of the cave it can be world changing." That's the message rangers from Carlsbad Caverns National Park offered last week, along with a photo of an abandoned Cheetos bag, in...

Climate Group 'Awestruck' by Mystery $10M Donation

The money went to Giving Green, a philanthropic organization that gives money to nonprofits

(Newser) - On a Friday morning in April, Dan Stein, the founder of Giving Green, a climate philanthropy organization, found some big news in a surprising email. An anonymous donor had given his fund $10 million. "I didn't quite process the number of zeros," Stein said, adding he was...

Eye on Plastic Waste, Starbucks Rolls Out New Cups

New cold drink cups have 20% less plastic

(Newser) - Booming sales of cold drinks at Starbucks have created growing amounts of plastic waste from the single-use cups that Frappuccinos, Refreshers, cold brews, and other iced drinks are served in. The coffee giant said Thursday it plans to alleviate some of that waste with new disposable cups that contain up...

One Simple New Year's Resolution 'Changed My Life'

Change starts small, Kristin Hostetter reminds us, as she offers tips for sustainable living

(Newser) - On Jan. 1, 2018, Kristin Hostetter made a New Year's resolution that not only stuck but "changed my life." She decided to swear off single-use plastic bottles, and, as she writes at Outside , "my lips have not touched one since." She simply added a reusable...

Cashmere Is Cheap These Days, but There's a Cost to That

Increased demand has taken an environmental toll on the lands where goats are raised

(Newser) - Buying a cashmere scarf or sweater was once a pricy purchase, but the cost of the luxe fabric has gone down in recent years. And according to NPR , the reasons why aren't so great. They caught up with landscape ecologist Ginger Allington, whose research has tracked something of a...

Key Figure in the 'Plant Trees' Movement Has New Message

Ecologist Thomas Crowther says it's better to maintain existing forests than to plant new ones

(Newser) - At this month's environment COP28 summit, renowned ecologist Thomas Crowther addressed environmental officials from around the world and asked them to stop planting so many trees. Which is noteworthy given that Crowther himself is "at least partly" responsible for the worldwide push on that front in recent years,...

Another Scourge in Our Seas: Blast Fishing

The practice of dropping explosives to kill fish quickly is prevalent globally, despite being illegal

(Newser) - Despite being illegal virtually everywhere, blast fishing has continued to harm local fishing industries and marine ecosystems across the globe. The Guardian details how the practice—which uses explosives like dynamite to kill a mass number of fish for quick returns—is "thriving" in Sri Lanka while simultaneously wreaking...

Tennis Has a Recycling Problem
Tennis Has a
Recycling Problem
Sep 10, 2023 8:30 AM CDT

Tennis Has a Recycling Problem

Tennis balls can't be recycled, and experts are grappling with how to manage that waste

(Newser) - Tennis has a fuzzy yellow problem most players don't think about when they open can after can of fresh balls, or when umpires at US Open matches make their frequent requests for "new balls please." Because tennis balls are extremely hard to recycle and the industry has...

Vegan Diets Seen as Way Better for the Environment
Vegan Diets Seen as Way
Better for the Environment
New Study
Jul 27, 2023 9:22 AM CDT

Vegan Diets Seen as Way Better for the Environment

Getting meat-eaters to cut down is like taking millions of cars off the road, say Oxford researchers

(Newser) - For anyone keeping score, this might be meat-eaters 0, vegans 1. A study spotlighted by the BBC found that following a vegan diet—eating only plant-based foods and excluding animal-derived products—can lead to considerable reduction in damage to the environment. In the UK anyway, getting carnivores to cut down...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser