Sunrise at the Hempstead Plains on Long Island, New York.

Biodiversity

Amid the Sprawl, a Long Island Prairie Makes a Quiet Comeback

Tucked into quintessential suburbia, the Hempstead Plains Preserve is a small sliver of the grassland that once covered a vast area of Long Island. New research shows that thoughtfully planted yards and gardens can bolster the biodiversity in such urban wildland fragments.

By Janet Marinelli

Climate

How an Early Oil Industry Study Became Key in Climate Lawsuits

For decades, 1960s research for the American Petroleum Institute warning of the risks of burning fossil fuels had been forgotten. But two papers discovered in libraries are now playing a key role in lawsuits aimed at holding oil companies accountable for climate change.

By Beth Gardiner
Solutions

How Floating Wetlands Are Helping to Clean Up Urban Waters

As cities around the world look to rid their waterways of remaining pollution, researchers are installing artificial islands brimming with grasses and sedges. The islands’ surfaces attract wildlife, while the underwater plant roots absorb contaminants and support aquatic life.

By Susan Cosier
Energy

As Evidence Mounts, New Concerns About Fracking and Health

Two decades after the advent of fracking, a growing number of studies are pointing to a link between gas wells and health problems, particularly among children and the elderly. Researchers are now calling for new regulations restricting where wells can be located.

By Jon Hurdle

A young deer along a barbed-wire fence on the Latvian-Russian border.

Biodiversity

Fenced In: How the Global Rise of Border Walls Is Stifling Wildlife

Amid a rising tide of nationalism, walls and fortified fences are proliferating around the world. These barriers pose a growing threat to wildlife — blocking animal migrations and threatening millions of species that will need to move to keep up with a changing climate.

By Fred Pearce

E360 Digest

Digest Archive →

U.S. Commits $75 Million to Relocate Three Tribes Threatened by Climate Change

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will grant three tribes $25 million each to relocate homes, schools, and critical infrastructure threatened by sea-level rise, flooding, and erosion. These are the first grants distributed under a program aimed at helping tribes cope with climate change. More about U.S. Commits $75 Million to Relocate Three Tribes Threatened by Climate Change →
Los Angeles City Council Moves to End Oil and Gas Drilling

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Friday to ban all new oil and gas drilling within the city and to phase out existing wells over the next 20 years. More about Los Angeles City Council Moves to End Oil and Gas Drilling →
UK, Germany, France on Pace for Their Hottest Year on Record

Following a summer marked by devastating heat waves, the UK, Germany, and France are on track for their hottest year on record, weather officials say. More about UK, Germany, France on Pace for Their Hottest Year on Record →

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Laurier University scientist William Quinton and a group of Indigenous Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ walk through a bog near the Scotty Creek Research Station in the Northwest Territories.

INDIGENOUS LANDS

Native Guardians: Canada’s First Nations Move to Protect Their Lands

Faced with mounting impacts from warming and a push for resource development, Indigenous communities in northern Canada are setting aside vast areas for protection. They are also partnering with scientists on research that can help conserve their lands and their way of life.

By Ed Struzik

ANALYSIS

With Lula Back, Can Brazil Turn the Tide on Amazon Destruction?

With his return as Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is promising to reverse the alarming rate of deforestation in the Amazon. But as he heads to key UN climate talks, his ambitious plans to achieve “zero deforestation” will need to find international support.

By Jonathan Watts
INTERVIEW

How Digital Technology Is Helping Decode the Sounds of Nature

Digital technology is enabling scientists to detect and interpret the sounds of species as diverse as honey bees, peacocks, and elephants. In an e360 interview, geographer Karen Bakker discusses the surprising and complex ways that animals and plants use sound to communicate.

By Nicola Jones
Biodiversity

Last Resort: Moving Endangered Species in Order to Save Them

Scientists have long warned that climate change and other threats will require relocating some endangered species outside their historic ranges. Now, U.S. officials are proposing rules that would enable them to use this new — and potentially controversial — conservation tool.

By Zach St. George