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.

California has a new idea for homes at risk from rising seas: Buy, rent, retreat
Sea level rise is threatening billions of dollars’ worth of coastal property. A California lawmaker is proposing a novel way to retreat from the threat: buying and then renting out properties as long as they're habitable.
After leaving Isle Royale on an ice bridge, wolf made epic journey
A recently published study details the epic journey of a lone female wolf after leaving Isle Royale National Park on an ice bridge. The wolf was one of the first relocated to the park as part of a landmark effort to bolster the wolf population on the Lake Superior island.
The celebration over, Deb Haaland now faces a long to-do list at Interior
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has a long and seemingly insurmountable to-do list, including a pledge to begin repairing a legacy of broken treaties and other abuses against tribes.
Hurricanes keep showing up early — forecasts are catching up
The National Hurricane Center is getting a head start this year by releasing its tropical weather outlook two weeks earlier.
Rain gardens help Minneapolis’ first ‘eco-mosque’ control flooding
Climate change means wetter springs for Minnesota. One north Minneapolis mosque is using rain gardens to manage water and keep rivers clean.
‘Forever chemicals’ found in groundwater at dozens of Minn. landfills
Fifteen of the closed landfills were found to have PFAS contamination at least 10 times higher than the state’s health-based advisory values. MPCA officials say the agency will expand water monitoring and testing efforts to get a better idea of the scope of the contamination and if further action is needed.
One of Biden's biggest climate change challenges? The oceans
Climate change is hitting the oceans hard, both warming and acidifying the water. Ocean scientists are hoping the Biden administration dives in quickly to address it.
Zebra mussels discovered on aquarium plants at Minnesota pet stores
Invasive zebra mussels, which were accidentally brought to the Great Lakes more than 30 years ago on cargo ships from Europe, have now been found in aquarium plants sold at pet stores in Minnesota and more than 25 other states.
Scientists find new invasive mosquito species in Florida
Aedes scapularis mosquitoes are from the tropics and can carry yellow fever. Entomologist Lawrence Reeves recently identified them among mosquitoes he collected near Everglades National Park in 2019.