Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

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Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

What an unseasonably warm winter will mean for farmers this year
The warmest winter on record has also brought some of the lowest snow cover on record to much of Minnesota. What does the lack of snow mean for Minnesota’s soils and farmers this year?
Texas wildfire smoke drifts toward Minnesota
It won’t be anything near the scale of the thick haze that blanketed Minnesota for so many days last summer — but some smoke from massive wildfires in Texas could drift across the Upper Midwest over the next couple of days.
A wildfire scorching the Texas Panhandle has grown to the largest in state history
A wildfire spreading across the Texas Panhandle has become the largest in state history. Authorities say the Smokehouse Creek fire grew Thursday to nearly 1,700 square miles of scorched rural ranchlands and destroyed homes.
Bemidji State University study seeks to discover the secrets of urban deer life
Minnesota’s rural-urban divide doesn’t just affect people. Take deer for example, they are now a fixture in many Minnesota communities. While some people love them, others see them as pests, and dangerous when mixed with traffic. 
Kenai, one of Minnesota Zoo's brown bears, dies at age 17
Minnesota Zoo officials announced Tuesday that Kenai the brown bear has died at age 17. He was the largest of the zoo’s trio of brown bears, which also includes Haines and Sadie.
Wildfires are killing California's ancient giants. Can seedlings save the species?
Extreme wildfires have destroyed about one-fifth of all giant sequoia trees. To safeguard their future, the National Park Service is planting seedlings that could better survive a hotter climate.