Latest Environmental News

Clams are seen for sale at the Eastern Market in Washington, DC. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

How hurricanes are impacting Florida's clam industry

Florida has lost much of its clam industry from hurricanes over the past year. Clam farmers say it will be a while until they can recover their losses.

Here & Now

03:4411 hours ago

WHOI researcher Andria Salas handles a lobster in Woods Hole. To monitor the heart rate and motion of the animal as the pile driver strikes, the researcher invented a unique crustacean-adapted saddle — "basically, Fitbits for lobster." (Eve Zuckoff/CAI)

Scientists study wind farm construction noise impacts on lobsters by making big noises

Environment

Nov 20, 2024

The level of the water is very low in the Cambridge Reservoir as seen from Winter Street in Waltham on Nov. 8, 2024. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Drought in Massachusetts reaches 'critical' phase

Local Coverage

Nov 19, 2024

The author and her brother, Bobby, in the 1970s. (Courtesy Julie Wittes Schlack)

Now that I’m the ancestor, it’s time for a new dream

Cognoscenti

Nov 19, 2024

Support the news

PFAS Series

PFAS expert tips: How to reduce your exposure to harmful ‘forever chemicals’

Health

05:06Feb 13, 2023

Littleton Electric Light and Water Department workers inside a new water treatment facility that will remove PFAS chemical compounds from the water supply. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Toxic 'forever chemicals' force Mass. towns to face 'true cost of water'

Environment

04:52Feb 14, 2023

Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski points out on a map the origin of the PFAS contamination at the old fire station across the street from town offices. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Private well owners stuck with costs to treat 'forever chemicals'

Environment

05:21Feb 15, 2023

Tracing the path of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ inside the body

Health

05:41Feb 16, 2023

Climate Reality

At WBUR, we cover the climate conversation in ways that spur new ideas, provide a place for debate and arm our community in Massachusetts and beyond with information and inspiration...

Environment

Power Shift: The Future of Offshore Wind

Technicians of the Block Island Wind Farm Support Team repair a crack in the blade of one of the wind turbines. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

We asked big questions about the offshore wind industry. Here’s what we uncovered

Environment

Oct 15, 2021

Offshore wind is America's new industry. Who will build it?

Environment

06:41Oct 13, 2021

Fisherman Jamey McGroarty hurls a dogfish overboard to begin separating the squid from the bycatch from his haul. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As turbines rise, small-scale fishermen have the most to lose

Environment

06:44Oct 14, 2021

The five turbines of the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Big Oil wants to be Big Wind. Can fossil fuel companies be trusted?

Environment

06:13Oct 15, 2021

More Environmental News

People walk along a path near flames in Lynn Woods Reservation on Sunday, Nov. 10, in Lynn. (Steven Senne/AP)

No bonfires, shorter showers: Officials want you to follow these tips as wildfires surge in Mass.

Local Coverage

Nov 13, 2024

Bird-friendly windows at Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay. (Courtesy Maine Audubon)

Maine Audubon put stickers on buildings to prevent bird deaths

Environment

Nov 12, 2024

If you drive for a living, Mass. wants you to buy an electric vehicle

Local Coverage

Nov 12, 2024

Comparison of drought conditions on the banks of the Cambridge Reservoir looking south from Trapelo Road in Lincoln. Left, as seen on July 26, 2016, and right, Nov. 8, 2024. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

The drought in Massachusetts is getting worse

Environment

Nov 7, 2024

Here & Now Climate News

More

Willow Creek School in Willow Creek, Montana. (Matt Volz/AP)

How schools are making playgrounds heat safe

Here & Now

05:38Nov 11, 2024

The Butachimie chemical plant sits in Chalempe, eastern France, Tuesday, Nov.8, 2022. (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

What Trump's win means for global efforts to fight climate change

Here & Now

05:26Nov 8, 2024

Reporters' notebook: 'Electric speed' and hurricane-ready wind turbines

Here & Now

06:53Nov 1, 2024

Battles over environment slow down clean-energy projects

Here & Now

10:25Oct 31, 2024

On Point Environment Stories

Boats cruise over the river Main next to the European Central Bank, right, in Frankfurt, Germany, after the sun set Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Can we save the quietest places in the world?

On Point

47:18Sep 10, 2024

The push to preserve quiet

On Point

Sep 10, 2024

A pedestrian crosses a street holding an umbrella to protect herself from the sun in downtown Los Angeles during a heatwave Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Is extreme heat an extreme disaster?

On Point

47:19Sep 9, 2024

A pedestrian shades from the sun using an umbrella in downtown Los Angeles as Southern California is hit by a heatwave Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

The dangers of extreme heat

On Point

Sep 9, 2024

Cars wait at a red light during rush hour at the Las Vegas Strip, in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 22, 2021. (John Locher/AP)

Fossil fuels are as American as apple pie

Cognoscenti

Climate change could affect fall colors. 30 years of data from N.H. might provide insights on how

Amey Bailey has been watching trees change at Hubbard Brook since 1992. Her observations could help scientists understand how forests are responding to climate change.

Environment

Nov 7, 2024

A row of turbines in the Vineyard Wind project near Martha's Vineyard. (Raquel C Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative)

For environmentalists in Mass., a day of stress eating and laying plans after Trump's win

As the reality of a second Trump administration sank in, climate and environmental leaders described feeling anxiety, but pledged to keep up their efforts to combat climate change and protect...

Environment

Nov 7, 2024

Wind turbines are pictured in Bourne, Mass. on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, near the Cape Cod Canal. (Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative)

New England grid reports greenhouse gas reductions

Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation slid 4%, mainly due to reduced demand for coal and oil power generation.

Environment

Nov 5, 2024

A technician walks with a solar panel during a solar panel installation on the rooftop of Boston Building Resources in Jamaica Plain. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Here’s what’s in the new Mass. climate and clean energy law

The 2024 climate bill builds on the progress Massachusetts is making to quickly and equitably transition to a cleaner, more renewable energy system. Here, in plain English, is what's in...

Local Coverage

Nov 4, 2024

Pumpkins, along with garden waste and other organic waste, await composting in this file photo from California. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Do the pumpkin smash: Boston wants you to compost your gourds in community

The city of Boston, in partnership with local organizations, is holding its third annual pumpkin smash event. The messy fun is an effort to keep pumpkins from ending up in...

Local Coverage

Nov 1, 2024

Diver Zach Talmadge holds on to the line that he'll use to attached to the abandoned lobster traps that he's found on the seafloor. (Courtesy of Noah Oppenheim)

These divers are trying to make a dent in Maine's 'ghost gear' problem, one abandoned trap at a time

A nonprofit serves as a training ground for high schoolers and others wanting to learn to scuba dive — and is trying to make a dent in Maine's ghost gear...

Environment

Nov 1, 2024

The Charles River looking east and the Boston skyline. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

To clean up eastern Mass. rivers, EPA unveils new commercial property permit plan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to require thousands of commercial, industrial and institutional property owners to get new permits and to modify their sites. The agency says the move...

Environment

Nov 1, 2024

Hugo Urbina, of SumCo Eco-Contracting, lifts a panel into the new living seawall at the Condor Street Urban Wild in East Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Snails, mussels and seaweed: Boston project aims to bring life to barren seawalls

A pilot project from the Stone Living Lab aims to make seawalls more friendly for marine life, by turning them into "Living Seawalls." The group is using technology that was...

Environment

03:02Nov 1, 2024