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.

Dams are an often overlooked source of greenhouse gas emissions
It turns out dams emit greenhouse gas — a lot of it. Just how much do they emit and why are some rivers better off left to flow naturally? Steven Hawley, author of “Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World,” discusses what a world without dams could bring.
St. Paul's Como Zoo has a too-cute new snow leopard cub
A new furball arrived at St. Paul’s Como Zoo in recent weeks: a cub born to snow leopards Alya and Moutig. It’s a second cub for the pair, who are part of national effort to preserve and bolster the vulnerable, iconic species.
Train carrying hazardous material derails in NW Minnesota; no injuries or evacuations reported
Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway said some of the cars that derailed near Lancaster, Minn., were carrying hazardous materials, but said “the initial assessment by first responders on the scene is that there are no leaks from the rail cars.”
DNR to rewrite mining rules to prevent noise and light pollution in Boundary Waters 
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it intends to rewrite its mining rules to better protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area from noise and light pollution, by expanding a mining buffer zone around the wilderness.
U of M study focuses on Minnesota's urban coyotes
In late spring, coyote pups spend their first few weeks of life hunkered in dens — some of which are tucked in Minnesota’s various urban parks.
When Minneapolis shelter dogs need exercise, these volunteers come running
A program at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control lets trained volunteers borrow a dog to go out for a run. It gets everyone — whether they have two legs or four — out for fresh air, and can give the dogs a better chance at a successful adoption.