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.

The National Park Service wants humans to stop licking this toad
The Sonoran desert toad secretes a potent toxin that can make people sick. Despite the risks, some people have discovered that the toad's toxic secretions contain a powerful hallucinogenic.
Money will likely be the central tension in the U.N.'s COP27 climate negotiations
Global efforts to limit climate change can't happen without more aid. Rich countries promised $100 billion to poorer ones to cope with global warming but seven years later, have yet to deliver.
New bison herd roams prairie at Dakota County park
A new bison herd is roaming near the Mississippi River in the south Twin Cities metro. Spring Lake Park Reserve in Dakota County is the latest place in Minnesota to welcome the giant mammals. It’s part of a decadeslong effort to both increase their numbers and restore native prairie lands.
As firearms deer season opens, DNR further expands CWD testing
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is expanding testing for chronic wasting disease in wild white-tailed deer during the fall hunting season. The agency is also asking hunters to help find cases of the fatal neurological disease affecting cervids, including deer and elk.
This Minnesota hazelnut can pump up your favorite recipe and the environment
A University of Minnesota-bred hazelnut exemplifies the benefits of regenerative agriculture, and adds flavor to granola and fall salads. Find Beth Dooley’s recipes for them here.
A Minnesota hazelnut with unique climate fighting abilities
The University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative is developing special crops that can improve crop productivity and fight climate change. One of which is a hybrid hazelnut grown regeneratively that’s packed with flavor and good for the environment.
Glaciers from Yellowstone to Kilimanjaro are predicted to disappear by 2050
A new report says glaciers in a third of UNESCO World Heritage sites will disappear. Two-thirds of glaciers in the heritage sites can be saved — but only if carbon emissions are cut quickly, it says.
Wolf researchers record rare video of a mountain lion in northern Minnesota
Researchers studying wolves in far northern Minnesota have released rare footage of a mountain lion recorded last month on state land about 10 miles south of Voyageurs National Park.