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.

5 fast facts about the lack of ice on Lake Superior this year
There’s not much ice on Lake Superior this winter and total ice cover has been decreasing in the last few decades. What’s the outlook for the rest of this winter and what’s behind the change?
How Groundhog Day came to the U.S. — and why we still celebrate it 137 years later
Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter ahead. Groundhogs may not have a great track record when it comes to weather forecasts, but experts say the tradition sheds light on our culture and environment.
Dog helps family escape fire at Duluth home
Fire officials in Duluth say the barking of a yellow Lab named Dudley woke up a 12-year-old girl — who in turn alerted her family and helped everyone to escape to safety after a fire at their home Wednesday night.
Minnesota's carbon-free electricity bill: 8 questions, answered
The measure that sets ambitious standards for clean energy in Minnesota over the next 17 years cleared its final legislative hurdle late Thursday night, and is headed to Gov. Tim Walz for his signature.
Report: Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped, but work still needed
Transportation remains Minnesota’s biggest source of greenhouse gases, followed by agriculture. Emissions from electricity generation continued to fall as utilities shuttered coal plants and relied more on wind and solar energy.
North Dakota landowners at odds in carbon pipeline plans
The proposed $4.5 billion carbon pipeline project would capture carbon dioxide emissions across neighboring states and deposit the emissions deep underground in North Dakota.
A curious Colorado bear strikes a pose for 400 selfies on a wildlife camera
Photoshoots are an unintended — but amusing — use of the cameras. The Open Space and Mountain Parks department in Boulder, Colo., set up nine of them to learn about and protect local wildlife.
Minnesota House passes bill requiring carbon-free electricity by 2040
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a landmark bill Thursday night requiring the state’s electric utilities to get all of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040.