Latest Environmental News

A covered pile of debris, with signs warning the presence of asbestos, at the Route 16 exit of Route 1 south, adjacent to the Prattville-Fitzpatrick Housing Development in Chelsea. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Local Coverage

May 5, 2022

Asbestos found in construction debris dumped in Chelsea

Chelsea residents want answers from the state about why an asbestos-laden debris pile ended up in their neighborhood.

The weather tower at the Mount Washington Observatory. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Climate change is coming for New England's highest peak

Environment

04:29May 2, 2022

Nuts and dried fruit items at a grocery store. (Martha Bebinger/WBUR)

It's hard to avoid plastic while grocery shopping — even for a week

Environment

Apr 29, 2022

A vegan diet seemed difficult and potentially expensive, but writer Barbara Moran wanted to try it out for herself. (Getty Images)

Eating less meat is better for the planet. Could my family go vegan for a month? Could I?

Cognoscenti

05:25Apr 28, 2022

Inquisitive cows at Burley-Demeritt Organic Dairy Research Farm. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Cow burps drive global warming. Scientists think feeding them seaweed could help

Environment

06:37Apr 22, 2022

Power Shift: The Future of Offshore Wind

Technicians of the Block Island Wind Farm Support Team repair a crack in the blade of one of the wind turbines. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

We asked big questions about the offshore wind industry. Here’s what we uncovered

Environment

Oct 15, 2021

Offshore wind is America's new industry. Who will build it?

Environment

06:41Oct 13, 2021

Fisherman Jamey McGroarty hurls a dogfish overboard to begin separating the squid from the bycatch from his haul. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As turbines rise, small-scale fishermen have the most to lose

Environment

06:44Oct 14, 2021

The five turbines of the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Big Oil wants to be Big Wind. Can fossil fuel companies be trusted?

Environment

06:13Oct 15, 2021

Series: Boston Under Water

A Blue Line train passes over a culvert next to the DCR Bennington Street Pump Station. Water from Suffolk Downs flows through the culvert into this pond. Water flowing in the opposite direction, from Belle Isle Marsh, is blocked by tide gates. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Blue Line Was Named For Boston Harbor. Now The Sea Threatens The Service

Local Coverage

06:24Jun 15, 2021

The Vertex building by Fan Pier in the Boston Seaport. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Seaport Cost Billions To Build. What Will It Take To Save It?

Local Coverage

07:13Jun 16, 2021

Flood waters cover Morrissey Boulevard in November 2020. (Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

As Sea Levels Rise in Boston, Stormwater May Have Nowhere To Go

Local Coverage

07:03Jun 17, 2021

Zy Baer's "Polarity" installation imagines how the Fort Point and Seaport neighborhoods could look if nothing is done to reverse the effects of climate change. (Courtesy Fort Point Arts Commission)

'Your Condo Is Going To Flood': A Sculptural Installation Predicts What Climate Change Could Bring

Local Coverage

03:13Jun 18, 2021

More Environmental News

State biologist Lee Kantar examines a dead moose on April 26, 2022. Moose Number 59 was captured and fitted with a radio collar in the winter of 2014. The moose showed signs of anemia, which Kantar says means she had been fed on by ticks and had extreme blood loss. (Esta Pratt-Kielley/Maine Public)

Winter ticks wiped out nearly 90% of the moose calves scientists tracked in part of Maine last year

Environment

May 18, 2022

Different varieties of mushrooms grow in various substrates at Le Champignon de Bruxelles urban farm in the cellars of Cureghem in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. When the founding members of the company first tried to grow their Shiitake, Maitake and Nameko mushroom varieties using coffee grounds as a substrate, they realized the fungi much preferred organic beer waste. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it’s time to include fungi in global conservation goals

Environment

May 17, 2022

Members of the DCR's Urban and Community Forestry Program plant a cherry tree on Maverick Street in Chelsea, part of the “Chelsea Cool Block” project to help mitigate urban heat in the city. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

Health

04:14May 12, 2022

Bees play an essential role in pollinating plants. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

4 things you should know about bees

Environment

May 11, 2022

New data from the federal government shows that the Atlantic cod fishery had the worst year in its centuries-long history in 2021. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP File)

Haul of Atlantic cod, once abundant, reaches new low

Business

May 10, 2022

Local cultivated mushrooms at Allandale Farm in Brookline. (Andrea Shea/WBUR)

I tried to eat 100% local food for a week. Here’s what I learned

Environment

May 6, 2022

A green herb spring salad. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

UMass offers way for students to understand carbon impact of dining hall meals

Environment

May 6, 2022

Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leadership Program. (Courtesy Phil Doyle/Mass Audubon)

New England youth activists resist paralyzing climate anxiety with food sustainability

Local Coverage

May 4, 2022

Winter ticks wiped out nearly 90% of the moose calves scientists tracked in part of Maine last year

Environment

May 18, 2022

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it’s time to include fungi in global conservation goals

Environment

May 17, 2022

MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change

A major report from the MIT Energy Initiative finds the development and deployment of new ways to store renewable energy will be crucial to transitioning...

Environment

May 16, 2022

In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

Health

04:14May 12, 2022

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz and Attorney General Maura Healey are both running for governor (Photos by Jesse Costa)

Healey, Chang-Díaz both promise all-out climate push if elected governor

Environment

05:34Apr 27, 2022

Theoharides is stepping down from Mass. environmental secretary post

Environment

Apr 27, 2022

Aaron Knight, Dairy & Livestock Manager, looks out into the empty grazing fields at Appleton Fams in Ipswich. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

'There is a price, and not just a dollar amount': A North Shore beef farmer on meat and climate change

Local Coverage

Apr 27, 2022

When farm-to-table means killing your own chicken: A conversation with two local food entrepreneurs

Judy Yao and Aly Lopez, co-founders of Open Hearth Gatherings, discuss climate change and sustainable eating in New England. They say they didn’t create their company to confront climate change,...

Local Coverage

Apr 27, 2022

The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will serve as the onshore staging ground for Vineyard Wind's project. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Offshore wind could create more underwater noise. UNH researchers are measuring those impacts

More development of offshore wind can bring more noise to marine environments, which could have a big impact on marine mammals, which use sound to communicate underwater.

Environment

Apr 27, 2022

Swimmers take a dip during the fourth annual City Splash, hosted by the Charles River Conservancy, July 2016. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Swimmers to return to the Charles River this summer

Charles River groups and state officials will revive the Charles River Swimming Day on June 18, welcoming swimmers to take a recreational dip or compete with their peers along a...

Local Coverage

Apr 27, 2022

WBUR arts and culture fellow Lauren Williams recommends three books to read on the theme of climate change. (Courtesy the publishers)

The WBUR Read-In: Our changing climate

WBUR arts and culture fellow Lauren Williams recommends three books on climate change.

Arts & Culture

Apr 27, 2022

An entrance to UMass-Amherst. (Deborah Becker/WBUR)

UMass Amherst plans to power campus with 100% renewable energy by 2032

All facilities will go from being steam and electricity powered by fossil fuel, to running on hot water heating systems, paired with geothermal energy, according to UMass officials. The new...

Environment

Apr 26, 2022

Diego Rose, professor and director of nutrition at Tulane University. (Courtesy Diego Rose)

Q&A: What Tulane professor Diego Rose has learned about climate change and the American diet

Tulane professor Diego Rose talks about climate change and the American diet: "Even if you if you looked at the least impactful beef that's raised — and all beef was...

Local Coverage

Apr 25, 2022

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Asbestos found in construction debris dumped in Chelsea

Climate change is coming for New England's highest peak

It's hard to avoid plastic while grocery shopping — even for a week

Eating less meat is better for the planet. Could my family go vegan for a month? Could I?

Cow burps drive global warming. Scientists think feeding them seaweed could help

We asked big questions about the offshore wind industry. Here’s what we uncovered

Offshore wind is America's new industry. Who will build it?

As turbines rise, small-scale fishermen have the most to lose

Big Oil wants to be Big Wind. Can fossil fuel companies be trusted?

The Blue Line Was Named For Boston Harbor. Now The Sea Threatens The Service

The Seaport Cost Billions To Build. What Will It Take To Save It?

As Sea Levels Rise in Boston, Stormwater May Have Nowhere To Go

'Your Condo Is Going To Flood': A Sculptural Installation Predicts What Climate Change Could Bring

Winter ticks wiped out nearly 90% of the moose calves scientists tracked in part of Maine last year

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it’s time to include fungi in global conservation goals

In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

4 things you should know about bees

Haul of Atlantic cod, once abundant, reaches new low

I tried to eat 100% local food for a week. Here’s what I learned

UMass offers way for students to understand carbon impact of dining hall meals

New England youth activists resist paralyzing climate anxiety with food sustainability

Winter ticks wiped out nearly 90% of the moose calves scientists tracked in part of Maine last year

Beyond flora and fauna: Why it’s time to include fungi in global conservation goals

MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change

In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

Healey, Chang-Díaz both promise all-out climate push if elected governor

Theoharides is stepping down from Mass. environmental secretary post

'There is a price, and not just a dollar amount': A North Shore beef farmer on meat and climate change

When farm-to-table means killing your own chicken: A conversation with two local food entrepreneurs

Offshore wind could create more underwater noise. UNH researchers are measuring those impacts

Swimmers to return to the Charles River this summer

The WBUR Read-In: Our changing climate

UMass Amherst plans to power campus with 100% renewable energy by 2032

Q&A: What Tulane professor Diego Rose has learned about climate change and the American diet