Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

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.

Submit a question or story for Getting to Green here.

Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

State regulators’ handling of a PolyMet permit is under scrutiny — here’s why it matters

State regulators’ handling of a PolyMet permit is under scrutiny — here’s why it matters

Minnesota awarded the PolyMet mining company the permits it needs to begin construction on what would become the state’s first copper-nickel mine. Since then, the project has been mired in court battles, over the permits themselves, and how the state issued them. Tuesday begins another chapter.
by Dan Kraker

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'You need to act now': Meet 4 girls working to save the warming world

'You need to act now': Meet 4 girls working to save the warming world

"When we organize, we model the world we want to see," says teenager Xiye Bastida. Activist girls like Bastida have been especially visible in the fight against climate change.
by Anya Kamenetz

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Could cutting back on salt save downtown Minneapolis trees?

Could cutting back on salt save downtown Minneapolis trees?

Minneapolis has planted hundreds of trees in the past few years in an effort to green up downtown, but many aren't surviving past their first year. City staff have been trying to figure out why, and they think they might have found the culprit: salt.
by Kirsti Marohn

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Clones help famous elm tree named Herbie live on, for now

Clones help famous elm tree named Herbie live on, for now

At 110 feet and more than 200 years, Herbie was the tallest and oldest elm in New England and survived 14 bouts of Dutch elm disease because of the devotion of its centenarian caretaker, Frank Knight, the late tree warden of Yarmouth, Maine.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Thousands gather for Women's March rallies across the U.S.

Thousands gather for Women's March rallies across the U.S.

Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday as part of the nationwide Women's March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A mayor in Norway's Arctic looks to China to reinvent his frontier town

A mayor in Norway's Arctic looks to China to reinvent his frontier town

Melting ice means more ships are traversing polar shipping lanes, so Rune Rafaelsen wants Chinese investors to help turn the small town of Kirkenes into a major logistics hub. But doubters abound.
by Jackie Northam

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Scientists seek rare species survivors in wake of Australia wildfires

Scientists seek rare species survivors in wake of Australia wildfires

Australia’s unprecedented wildfire season has so far killed — by one estimate — more than a billion wild animals. Scientists fear some of the island continent’s unique and colorful species may not recover. For others, they are trying to throw lifelines.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Ordinance would ban fur sales in Minneapolis

Ordinance would ban fur sales in Minneapolis

Council members Alondra Cano and Cam Gordon signaled their intent to bring a fur ban ordinance before their colleagues later this month.
by Matt Sepic

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
U.S. court dismisses suit by youths over climate change

U.S. court dismisses suit by youths over climate change

A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit by 21 young people who claimed the U.S. government's climate policy harms them and jeopardizes their future.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!