Earther

We Finally Know Exactly How the Flint Water Crisis Killed 12 People

In the predominantly black city of Flint, Michigan, 12 people died and at least 87 people got sick between 2014 and 2015—the result of a deadly bacterial outbreak that was suspected to have been triggered by the same water crisis that saw lead leach into the water supply. A pair of studies out this week…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

Prized Forests Lost Big at This Year’s Olympics

Forests are perpetual losers at the Olympics, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. For the upcoming winter games in PyeongChang, South Korea, a swath of virgin forest was razed on Mount Gariwang to accommodate ski runs. Tropical timber sourced from Malaysia is being used to build the New National Stadium for the 2020 games…

Conservation Tracy Staedter

Trump’s Plan to Gut Clean Energy Research Is Misguided and Dangerous

Foiled in his bid to slash the Department of Energy’s clean energy research programs in 2018, Trump is apparently going to try again: As reported by the Washington Post last week, a draft of the administration’s FY-2019 budget proposes cutting funding for the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs by 72 percent. Those…

Energy Maddie Stone

This Is What ‘Snowfall of the Century’ Looks Like in Moscow

Moscow got more than 18 inches of snow on Sunday and Monday, the typical total for a month. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it “the snowfall of the century,” according to Reuters. The heavy snowfall has already killed one, injured at least 22, and destroyed more than 2,000 trees—just from the snow weight. This snowstorm…

Earth Science Yessenia Funes

Permafrost Soils Contain ‘Extraordinary’ Levels of Mercury

Thawing permafrost is creating major problems for Alaskan communities, and the situation is poised to get worse as temperatures keep rising. Now scientists have pinpointed a new reason to be concerned about ancient soils coming out of the freezer for the first time in millennia: mercury. Lots and lots of it. https://gizmodo.com/as-alaska-thaws-everything-changes-1797914137 A study published…

Earth Science Maddie Stone

These National Parks Could Be in Middle Earth

Dan Bell is a biologist with a knack for map-making. Bell doesn’t draw just any old map, though. He likes to draw national park maps, and he pulls inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien. Anyone who’s read The Lord of the Rings series or The Hobbit is familiar with Tolkien’s elaborate maps that help guide readers through…

Conservation Yessenia Funes

Watch a Camera Take a 1,000-Foot Dive Down an Antarctic Ice Shelf

Everything’s harder in Antarctica, and that includes reaching the ocean. On a recent expedition to the frozen continent, scientists melted a nearly 1,200-foot-deep borehole through the Ross Ice Shelf in order to access the icy seawater beneath it. The resultant footage looks straight out of a scifi horror flick. The team of glaciologists, oceanographers and…

Earth Science Maddie Stone

Tesla Is Helping Turn South Australia Into a Vast Solar Energy Plant

South Australia is quickly becoming one of the most ambitious renewable energy hubs in the world. After arriving on the scene late last year when billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk helped the Australian state install the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in just a matter of weeks, on Sunday the government announced plans for the world’s largest…

Energy Ari Phillips

White House Pulls Nominee for Top Environmental Role Who Called Carbon Dioxide the ‘Gas of Life’

Donald Trump’s administration plans to withdraw climate change denier and White House senior environmental adviser Kathleen Hartnett White as its nominee to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, the New York Times reported. The CEQ chief is responsible for coordinating environmental policy across the various agencies that comprise the executive branch. Though the CEQ’s influence…

Climate Change Tom McKay

Students of Color Suffer Disproportionately From Air Pollution, Study Finds

When parents send their kids to school, the last worry on their mind should be whether their children are safe. And I don’t mean from the stereotypical culprits like bullies, peer pressure, or gun violence. I’m talking about air pollution. A study published in the Environmental Research journal in December breaks down the ways Latino,…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

Cape Town’s Reservoirs Are Getting Terrifyingly Low

“Day Zero” sounds like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel, but it’s a reality that Cape Town, South Africa, could face in a few short months. A historic stretch of drought years has turned the city’s reservoirs into deserts. As a result, water managers in the second largest city in South Africa predict…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Please Enjoy These Non-Groundhog Rodents

As you’ve probably heard, it’s Groundhog Day, the one day a year where it’s fine for everyone in the country to obsess over a big ol’ rodent. It’s become a running joke here at Earther that I’m a bit rodent-obsessed. In my (totally correct) opinion, there’s nothing cooler than an urban animal, which means rats…

Conservation Emily Lipstein

Oil Giant Sues Other Oil Giant Over Climate Change Because This Is Our World Now

Last fall, the cities of Oakland and San Francisco sued oil behemoth Chevron for billions of dollars because of its role in causing climate change. Chevron is, of course, fighting the case, but if it loses, it wants to take down another oil company with it. In a complaint filed in December and highlighted by…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

It Just Got Easier for Oil and Gas Companies to Lease Public Lands

U.S. public lands are getting hit from all angles these days. Not only can those interested in gold and uranium mining now explore treasured lands like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, but oil and gas interests can now access all public lands in a much quicker, less regulated way. In a memo the Bureau of…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

January in New Zealand Was Way Too Hot

January is peak summer in New Zealand, and this year’s summer has been like nothing on record. According to new figures, January was the island nation’s hottest ever month, with no other month coming close. The average temperature for the month was 20.3 degrees Celsius (68.5 degrees Fahrenheit), more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees…

Climate Change Ari Phillips

How to Fuel Your Coffee Addiction Without Wrecking the Rainforest

If you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t survive a workday without that steaming, morning cup o’ Joe. And the four to five cups that follow it. Okay, maybe I have a problem but who doesn’t these days? Seriously—we’re a coffee loving society, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Unfortunately, like most of the…

Conservation Maddie Stone

Farms Are a Hidden Source of Air Pollution in California

California air pollution often conjures images of smoggy Los Angeles skies, but farms—not city streets—might be the actual culprits behind the state’s air pollution. A study out Wednesday in Science Advances looks at the role fertilized croplands play in the state’s nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. As it turns out, farms emit some serious levels of…

Earth Science Yessenia Funes

It’s Time to Worry About California’s Snowpack

Hope everyone enjoyed California’s drought-free year because dry conditions are back in a big, bad way. The second snow survey of the year revealed a dearth of snow in the Sierra Nevada on Thursday. On the same day, the U.S. Drought Monitor updated its estimate to show nearly 44 percent of the state was in…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

Claim Your Gold and Uranium at Bears Ears Starting Friday

Bright and early Friday morning—6 a.m. MST, to be exact—what was once the Bears Ears National Monument will be open to those who want to mine it. They can arrive at the now-unprotected land to, literally, stake some claims. Thank President Donald Trump for that. His proclamation to modify (more like erase) the designation for…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

Donald Trump Supports ANWR Drilling Because His Friend Told Him To

America’s treasures are up for sale and the only thing you need to get them is the president’s phone number. According to Donald Trump himself, he ensured that opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling stayed in the Republican tax bill because a friend of his “in that business” of fossil fuels told…

Conservation Brian Kahn

We Finally Know Exactly How the Flint Water Crisis Killed 12 People

Prized Forests Lost Big at This Year’s Olympics

Trump’s Plan to Gut Clean Energy Research Is Misguided and Dangerous

This Is What ‘Snowfall of the Century’ Looks Like in Moscow

Permafrost Soils Contain ‘Extraordinary’ Levels of Mercury

These National Parks Could Be in Middle Earth

Watch a Camera Take a 1,000-Foot Dive Down an Antarctic Ice Shelf

Tesla Is Helping Turn South Australia Into a Vast Solar Energy Plant

White House Pulls Nominee for Top Environmental Role Who Called Carbon Dioxide the ‘Gas of Life’

Students of Color Suffer Disproportionately From Air Pollution, Study Finds

Cape Town’s Reservoirs Are Getting Terrifyingly Low

Please Enjoy These Non-Groundhog Rodents

Oil Giant Sues Other Oil Giant Over Climate Change Because This Is Our World Now

It Just Got Easier for Oil and Gas Companies to Lease Public Lands

January in New Zealand Was Way Too Hot

How to Fuel Your Coffee Addiction Without Wrecking the Rainforest

Farms Are a Hidden Source of Air Pollution in California

It’s Time to Worry About California’s Snowpack

Claim Your Gold and Uranium at Bears Ears Starting Friday

Donald Trump Supports ANWR Drilling Because His Friend Told Him To

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Just Got Cheaper Again After Spring Sale, With 3 Months of Game Pass Included at No Extra Cost

Protect Your Car Without Overpaying, Batteries Plus Makes Finding the Right Battery Size Easy and Affordable

WD 5TB Portable External Hard Drive for Mac Drops to $0.03 per GB Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale

Apple Offers Rare Olive Branch to Liquid Glass Haters

Mamdani Lifts NYC TikTok Ban for City Employees, but with Some Unusual Restrictions

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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