Environment
Heat makes emergency rooms busier. Study shows which illness and injuries rise during hot spells
When the temperature heats up, so do emergency rooms, according to a massive study of Chicago hospital and urgent care records, which found increased accidental gunshot wounds, kidney complaints, skin problems, varicose veins and even mental health issues related to marijuana use.
Wave energy testing site opens off Oregon, a green energy milestone in the Trump administration
The first large site in the continental U.S. for testing technologies that generate electricity from ocean waves is now open after securing a key green-energy approval from the Trump administration.
At least 8 killed and hundreds missing after avalanche triggers deadly flash floods in Nepal
An avalanche of ice and rock triggered massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds missing while causing widespread damage to villages and infrastructure.
Evacuations ordered in rural Texas as wildfire mushrooms within hours
Evacuations were being ordered Tuesday in rural Texas where a wildfire has ballooned in size, burning through ranchland and forcing schools to delay or cancel classes.
Unusual dragonfly swarms sweep across California after warm spring rains
Californians are spotting swarms of dragonflies flitting around parks, chasing mosquitoes in ponds and hunting flies on farms, a phenomenon experts say was likely fueled by unusually warm spring rains.
Tropical Storm Iselle expected to absorb Tropical Storm Julio in the Pacific Ocean
Tropical Storm Julio in the Pacific Ocean was on track Tuesday to be absorbed by the stronger Tropical Storm Iselle, which is churning to the north.
These plants add color to gardens and pots when summer flowers fade
The hanging planter on my porch has seen better days. And by better days, I mean the summer annuals have dried to a brown crisp that likely has the neighbors wondering if the Addams Family has moved in. I like to believe the extreme heat did them in, but I know neglect has also played a role.
A lush knee-high jungle grows in the Arctic, but warming is changing Earth’s mini-greenhouse
With no tall trees reaching to the sky, Alaska's North Slope tundra can look desolate - especially to outsiders from the Lower 48 who are used to in-your-face greenery.
Indonesians brave choking smoke to pray for rain as country battles wildfires
Authorities in Indonesia's South Sumatra province turned to spiritual measures on Tuesday as huge blazes in central and western regions scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
The world inches toward catastrophic climate events: ‘Bigger shocks are on the way’
In the opening scene of American writer Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future," a heat wave combined with a breakdown of the electrical grid in India kills 20 million people. The devastation causes the world's nations to unite to combat climate change.
Indonesia intensifies aerial firefighting as forest fires scorch multiple provinces
Indonesia on Monday intensified ground and aerial firefighting operations as huge blazes in central and western parts of the country scorched thousands of hectares of forests and peatland, created a choking haze that blanketed cities and crossed borders.
Preservationists are working to extend the life of a rare Revolutionary War ‘witness tree’
Standing beneath the spreading branches of a massive live oak, historian Garrison Marcoux tries to imagine what this scarred, struggling tree saw 245 years ago.
Fast-moving wildfire amid shifting winds threatens Reno, Nevada, forcing thousands to evacuate
An out-of-control wildfire that jumped over fire trucks and made it difficult for crews to reach hot spots destroyed homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. Shifting winds challenged firefighters trying to bring it under control, and authorities urged some 90,000 people to evacuate.
A landslide at a landfill in the capital of Guinea kills 30 people, officials say
A mountainous heap of refuse collapsed at the largest landfill in Guinea's capital Conakry early Sunday killing 30 people, according to an updated toll released by the central government.
Wildfire approaches Reno, Nevada, forcing thousands to evacuate their neighborhoods
The fast-growing Hawk Fire was spreading toward neighborhoods in northwest Reno early Sunday, growing to more than 10,500 acres (42 sq. km.) Nearly 14,000 homes were ordered evacuated, and the "GO NOW" zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus.
Tropical Storm Moke carrying more rain toward hurricane-damaged Hawaii
Tropical Storm Moke was swirling past Hawaii on Sunday, close enough to dump heavy rain on Big Island communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala.
Powerful storm hits Baltic countries, killing 2 and leaving hundreds of thousands without power
Two people died and around half a million people were left without electricity across Latvia and Lithuania after a powerful cyclone, bringing rain and strong winds, hit the region on Saturday and into Sunday morning.
The sunhat is everywhere in Athens as crowds grow larger at ancient sites
Outside the Acropolis, a sea of hats bobs up and down the hill to the ancient site: straw boaters, Panama hats, baseball caps and bucket hats in the relentless heat.
A moderate earthquake shakes Japan, injuring more than 30 people in the Tokyo region
A moderate earthquake rattled eastern Japan, including the Tokyo area, early Sunday, injuring more than 30 people, most of them lightly, officials said. There was no danger of a tsunami.
Officials warn wildland firefighters about the risks of using a supplement for smoke exposure
Fire and medical officials have issued warnings about a supplement offered to Western wildland firefighters who have been exposed to toxic chemicals while battling some of the country's biggest blazes.
