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.

During COVID-19, a growing interest in recycling food waste at home
With interest in organics recycling programs growing, the pandemic has highlighted Minnesota’s need for more compost sites to handle food waste.
Food is growing more plentiful, so why do people keep warning of shortages?
For more than a century, food has been getting more abundant, and cheaper. Yet people keep worrying about food shortages. Some economists say the fears actually create their own problems.
What the pandemic has revealed about climate change views, activism
The early months of the pandemic saw a short decline in air pollutant levels and the usage of fossil fuels. But while the green effects may be fleeting, the pandemic has offered a variety of lessons for climate change activists about how to move forward with the movement. We explore what’s ahead for climate change education and activism.
Author ventures into the Russian wilds to save a magnificent owl
Ornithologist and writer Jonathan Slaght spent several frigid winters camping in the forests of the Russian Far East. He was there to study the biggest owl in the world, which survived by eating fish snatched out of holes in the river ice.
University of Minnesota lab to study size, force of boat wakes
University of Minnesota researchers plan to launch a study this fall of wakes created by recreational boats, hoping to provide insight into their impact on Minnesota lakes and shorelines.
Air quality disparities persist despite overall gains
A new study finds that the U.S. places with the most polluted air in the 1980s remain the most polluted today. Poor people and people of color are more likely to live in places with dirty air.
Did you get mystery seeds in the mail? Don't plant them
Officials are warning recipients not to plant the seeds and introduce potentially invasive plants to the state. The Agriculture Department isn’t sure what plants the seeds are from, but warn they could pose a risk to farm crops or natural landscapes.
State watchdog office criticizes PUC’s public participation process
The Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor released a report criticizing the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, saying the state’s utility regulator has not done a good job helping the public — particularly Native communities — participate in its complex proceedings.
COVID-19 brings surge of visitors — and some messes — to BWCA
The BWCA and the surrounding Superior National Forest in far northern Minnesota are seeing a surge in visitors this summer. With activities canceled and other trips on hold, vacationers are flocking to the area for the kinds of outdoors getaways that naturally allow for social distancing. That's good news for outfitters. But some of those campers are wreaking havoc.