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.

Getting to Green in Minnesota
The climate crisis means we all need to think in new ways about how we heat our homes, get around and a whole lot more. MPR News correspondents Dan Kraker and Kirsti Marohn guest host the first of three shows focused on what the energy transition could look like in Minnesota.
Report shows gain in Minnesota's wetland acres
Wetlands play a key role in improving water quality, storing floodwater, preventing erosion and providing habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. The recent gains are tiny compared to Minnesota’s historical wetland losses.
Hold the salt: 67 Minnesota waterways now 'impaired' due to chloride
Road salt is the biggest source of chloride pollution in lakes, streams and groundwater. It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water.
Researchers find a massive number of plastic particles in bottled water
Researchers found roughly 240,000 detectable plastic fragments in a typical liter of bottled water. Most of them were nanoplastics — particles less than 1 micrometer in size.
Small land transfer may be a big deal in tribal lands debate
In what could become a blueprint for similar Minnesota communities, Lake City, southeast of the Twin Cities, has returned ownership of Dakota burial mounds back to their modern-day relatives at Prairie Island Indian Community. Two communities historically at odds now may be ushering in a period of understanding.
As session approaches, Minnesota lawmakers plan to keep advancing shift to clean energy
Key Minnesota legislators say not to expect climate legislation as ambitious as last year in the upcoming session. In 2023, they passed a historic legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This year their focus will be on making sure the state’s able to achieve its clean energy goals.
Photos: Best good pups at the Land O'Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show
More than 1,300 canines competed for American Kennel Club awards at the Land O’Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show this weekend. See the pups looking pretty in our photo gallery.