Environment
Natural surroundings and ecological issues
Latest stories
-
Where have all the Atlantic hurricanes gone? El Nino might bring record slow storm season
The Atlantic is quiet — record quiet — this hurricane season thanks to an enormous El Nino that crushes storms before they get going.
-
Solheim Cup fans arrive the Dutch way, with thousands of bikes at Bernardus Golf
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) — How else would you get to a golf tournament in the Netherlands?
-
Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year.
-
Tourists should skip Kauai for now as it recovers from Hurricane Lowell, officials say
Tourism officials are asking visitors to steer clear of one of Hawaii’s most picturesque islands as residents and businesses work to recover from the latest tropical storm to thrash the state.
-
Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling
State environmental regulators are reviewing permits they recently granted for the Line 5 tunnel project, in light of a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that raised the bar for environmental reviews.
-
The push to remove lead pipes is on. Thousands of water systems still don’t know where theirs are
Kathryn Pilgrim knew the century-old Victorian she bought in Dunkirk, New York, came with old plumbing. She replaced pipes she suspected of containing lead and later installed a kitchen filter designed to remove heavy metals.
-
Hurricane Lowell knocks out a port in Hawaii that is one island's main source for food and fuel
HONOLULU (AP) — Crews began repairing the only cargo port on one of Hawaii's smallest main islands while power was being restored to another island Thursday, two days after Hurricane Lowell skirted along the state's western edge. At least two deaths were linked to the storm.
-
California officials allow plans for the country's biggest kelp farm to move forward
California has long been farm country, and its oceans soon could be, too.
-
Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia's Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze
MEMPAWAH, Indonesia (AP) — A Japanese military transport ship docked on the island of Borneo on Thursday as part of a disaster relief mission to help fight wildfires in Indonesia that are causing a toxic haze impacting people’s health in other countries.
-
Chinese electric bike imports surge as Africa’s EV investments diversify
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s imports of electric motorcycles and three-wheelers from China rose sharply in the first half of 2026, an increase that highlights a divide in the continent's transition to electric vehicles.
-
Global heat stuck on high. Scientists say August was Earth's hottest month they've measured.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth cooked to its hottest month on record in August, blowing far past a key climate threshold, due to the dangerous double whammy of human-caused climate change and a supersized El Nino, according to the European climate service Copernicus.
-
A stronger-than-normal El Nino alarms scientists over Galápagos wildlife and forests
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The prediction that this season’s El Nino phenomenon will be stronger than normal has alarmed the Ecuadorian scientific community, which has warned of its impact on the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands, home to the highest concentration of species not found elsewhere...
-
Takeaways from AP story on a major effort to restore peatland in North Carolina
Investors and scientists are restoring a 23-square-mile tract of peatland in North Carolina to curb emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide and regenerate native habitat. Ditches have drained water from thousands of years accumulated peat, leaving the site vulnerable to drought and wildfire a...
-
In North Carolina, a race is on to restore critical peatland before it dries up or is destroyed
Scientists and investors are restoring a 23-square-mile tract of peatland in North Carolina to help curb climate-warming emissions and restore native habitat. Ditches have drained water from thousands of years of accumulated peat, leaving the site vulnerable to drought and wildfire and unleashing...
-
Nepal's flood disaster and the impact of climate change loom large in the icy shadow of Mont Blanc
CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC, France (AP) — For centuries, French and Italian mountain communities on the flanks of Western Europe's highest peak have gazed upon seemingly eternal glaciers and snow that gave the colossus its name: Mont Blanc, the white mountain.
-
Correction: Grand Canyon-Flooding story
PHOENIX (AP) — In a story published Sept. 10, 2026, about Grand Canyon flooding, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the Transcanyon Waterline starts from the North Rim. The water that serves both the North Rim and South Rim is drawn from the bottom of the canyon.
-
Driveway of coastal mansion owned by Nicolas Cage collapses
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — The driveway of a coastal mansion in Malibu owned by actor Nicolas Cage collapsed Tuesday morning, opening up a giant hole in front of the house.
-
Southern California authorities respond to a leak of an unknown chemical from a tank
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.
-
A wind-fueled wildfire forces hundreds from homes in Turkey as firefighters battle flames
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Firefighters on Tuesday battled a wildfire in Turkey's Mediterranean coastal province of Antalya that forced hundreds of people from their homes and injured at least two people, the state-run news agency reported.
-
Hawaii's western islands hit by fierce winds from Hurricane Lowell, leaving extensive damage
HONOLULU (AP) — Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii's western islands Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands and ripping up stretches of beachside roads.
-
World's most endangered tigers born in Greece as zoos build a safety net
SPATA, Greece (AP) — The world’s most endangered tigers have started a family in Greece, offering hope for a predator rapidly vanishing from the wild.
-
Police arrest suspect in Germany power grid attacks after dayslong search
BERLIN (AP) — Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with a series of attacks on power distribution systems across Germany that led to a massive, dayslong search.
-
Hungry black bears are running into trouble in the Rocky Mountains
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Patrick Sullivan was sure it was a “crazy neighbor” honking a car horn nonstop while Sullivan was up feeding his infant son at 3 a.m. one night this summer.
-
Nepal endured months of political upheaval. Devastating floods are now testing its new government
NEW DELHI (AP) — The flash floods two weeks ago swallowed settlements and swept away roads and bridges in Nepal's mountains and river valleys. Roughly 7,500 homes were destroyed, another 20,000 need rebuilding and at least 12 hydropower projects were damaged. The damage estimate so far of $2.56 b...
-
Hurricane Lowell expected to pass near one Hawaiian island and cause major rains statewide
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green closed schools and government offices on the westernmost islands of Kauai and Niihau for Tuesday as Hurricane Lowell was expected to pass nearby, bringing damaging winds, mudslides, possible tornadoes, dangerous rip currents and as much as 16 inches (about 40 centimeters) o...
