Environment

Image from Fighting Drought With an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain
Video

Fighting Drought With an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain

Ancient methods of collecting and storing rainwater are being used to address severe drought today.

Image from Amazon Rainforest Defenders Confront Violence, Encroachment and Politics
Video

Amazon Rainforest Defenders Confront Violence, Encroachment and Politics

Debates over development in the world’s largest rainforest have led to deadly conflicts, threats to its indigenous people and harm to the global atmosphere.

Image from Unprepared: Lessons From Two Massive Oil Spills
Video

Unprepared: Lessons From Two Massive Oil Spills

A disastrous oil spill off the coast of Alaska and massive explosion of a rig in the Gulf of Mexico revealed a pattern of unsettled standards and inconsistent oversight that cast doubt on the oil industry’s preparedness for future accidents.

Image from We’re Catching More Diseases From Wild Animals, and It’s Our Fault.
Video

We’re Catching More Diseases From Wild Animals, and It’s Our Fault.

Scientists who venture into rainforests and bat caves explain how viruses, like Covid-19, spill over from animals to people, and what we must do to stop the next pandemic.

Image from Our Appetite for Beef Is Growing. So Are Climate Worries.
Video

Our Appetite for Beef Is Growing. So Are Climate Worries.

Scientists warn that to slow climate change, we need to change how we farm and what we eat.

Image from Meatless Burgers Are on Trend. Eating to Save the World Has a Long History.
Video

Meatless Burgers Are on Trend. Eating to Save the World Has a Long History.

Plant-based meats may be high tech, but the ideas behind them have been around for decades.

Image from Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat
Video

Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked talk of population control. So what happened?

Image from Lingering Peril From Lead Paint
Video

Lingering Peril From Lead Paint

About half a million children have dangerously high lead levels in their blood, mostly from exposure to peeling paint and contaminated dust. The fight over who should clean it up has lasted for decades.

Image from Horses: Wild, But Not Free
Video

Horses: Wild, But Not Free

There are now so many wild horses on public land – nearly 100,000 – that they have become caught in a battle between the government, ranchers and environmentalists.

Image from A Barge Full of Garbage Helped to Fuel a Recycling Movement
Video

A Barge Full of Garbage Helped to Fuel a Recycling Movement

In the 1980s, rising public awareness about waste was fueled by a bizarre news story about a meandering New York City garbage barge.

Image from This Snake Is Eating the Everglades
Video

This Snake Is Eating the Everglades

Burmese pythons released into the wild by well-meaning pet owners have created a reptilian nightmare in the Everglades.

Image from Future of Water
Video

Future of Water

The increasing scarcity of drinking water is beginning to capture the world’s attention – but surprisingly, an innovative solution might just be found in one of the Earth’s driest places.

Image from Future of Cities
Video

Future of Cities

In the latest installment of our “What Happens Next” series examining the future of society, we visit Medellín, Colombia—a city that has reinvented itself over the past few decades, turning its violent past into a sustainable future by transforming its slums.

Image from Blazes That Damaged Yellowstone Changed Wildfire Strategy
Video

Blazes That Damaged Yellowstone Changed Wildfire Strategy

A rapidly growing California wildfire is threatening a grove of giant Sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, some nearly 3,000 years old. For context, we examine the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park that ignited a debate over firefighting tactics and sustainable forestry.

Image from Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement
Video

Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement

Author Rachel Carson’s strike against the pesticide DDT turned her into both an environmental hero and a foil for those who believe regulation has gone too far. That fight is more relevant than ever.

Image from Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers
Video

Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

In the late 1990s, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, more than two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?

Image from Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone was a Success. That's When Trouble ​Began.
Video

Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone was a Success. That's When Trouble ​Began.

In the 1990s, the federal government reintroduced the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park. It was considered a big success. And that’s when the real fight began.

Image from Bees: Colony Collapse Disorder Is More Complicated Than You'd Think
Video

Bees: Colony Collapse Disorder Is More Complicated Than You'd Think

The mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder has pushed honeybees into the public eye. But the story of their plight – and its impact – is much more complicated.

Image from Earthquake Readiness: How the San Franciso 1989 Quake Shook Awareness
Video

Earthquake Readiness: How the San Franciso 1989 Quake Shook Awareness

The 1989 earthquake that shook San Francisco sent out a wake up call that continues to echo across the country.

Image from The Fly That Quarantined California and Pitted Environmentalists Against Farmers
Video

The Fly That Quarantined California and Pitted Environmentalists Against Farmers

In the summer of 1981, the Mediterranean fruit fly spread through California’s Santa Clara Valley, infesting backyard fruit trees and threatening the state’s $14 billion agricultural industry.

Image from The Minneapolis Bridge Collapse that Sounded the Alarm on US Infrastructure
Video

The Minneapolis Bridge Collapse that Sounded the Alarm on US Infrastructure

At the height of rush hour on August 1, 2007 a bridge carrying eight lanes of I-35W traffic over the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed, sending cars and trucks plunging into the water below.

Image from Toxic Waste in the Neighborhood: The Love Canal Disaster
Video

Toxic Waste in the Neighborhood: The Love Canal Disaster

In 1978, toxic chemicals leaking from an old landfill thrust an upstate New York community called “Love Canal” into the national headlines, and made it synonymous with “environmental disaster.”

Image from Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster
Video

Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and Louisiana’s troubled housing recovery has shaped the response to every major disaster since, including Hurricane Sandy.

Image from Freeing Willy
Video

Freeing Willy

In the wake of the 1993 hit movie Free Willy, activists and fans campaigned to release the movie’s star – a captive killer whale named Keiko – and launched a story Hollywood couldn’t invent.