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.

Meet MPR News reporter Kirsti Marohn 
Host Angela Davis talks with MPR News reporter Kirsti Marohn about covering water, the environment and other issues from central Minnesota. 
Fat Bear Week has a champion: All hail 480 Otis
Who is the fattest bear of all? For the fourth time, the answer is 480 Otis, a brown bear who didn't let his lack of two canine teeth stop him from packing on the pounds.
A new report shows just how much climate change is killing the world's coral reefs
Rising ocean temperatures killed 14 percent of the world's coral reefs, a new analysis finds. But it's not without hope: Experts say many can recover if immediate action is taken to curb future warming.
Wisconsin DNR defies board, reduces fall wolf quota
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials have scaled back the number of wolves hunters can kill during the state's fall season in defiance of the board that controls the agency. 
Minnesota DNR plans review of mining risk to Boundary Waters
Minnesota regulators will take public comments in November and December as part of a court-ordered review of whether the state’s regulations for nonferrous mining are adequate to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Climate-proof Duluth? Why the city is attracting 'climate migrants'
Two years ago, a Harvard professor identified Duluth as a potential destination for future “climate migrants” — people who leave their homes due to rising sea levels or climate-related extreme weather. While initially met with some skepticism from locals, some people have already moved to Duluth because of climate change. And more are looking to come.
Minnesota hawk watchers gear up for peak migration season
During the last decade, more than 7,000 birds of 19 total species have been recorded on average each fall, according to Bethany Lutheran College’s Hawkwatch webpage. Over the last three years, that number has jumped to 8,437 per fall season.
Crews race to limit damage from major California oil spill
Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly Sunday to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history, caused by a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline that fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and could keep the beaches there closed for weeks or longer.