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.

To slow global warming, U.N. warns agriculture must change
The way we produce food and manage land must change radically if humans hope to avoid catastrophic global temperature rise, according to a new report by the United Nations panel on climate change.
Native plants become a weapon in battle to save algae-choked Little Rock Lake
Volunteers this summer are rooting bulrushes and other plants into the mud flats of the drawn down, central Minnesota lake. It’s an experiment they hope will filter out pollution and help restore the lake's health.
New evidence shows popular pesticides could cause unintended harm to insects
Studies are revealing new, unintended threats that neonicotinoid pesticides pose to insects. The chemicals, widely used by farmers, are difficult to control because they persist in the environment.
Ask a farmer: What are you curious to know about farming or life on the farm?
Many Minnesota farmers have had a rough year with flooded fields and being caught in a trade war between the U.S. and China. This week farmers are gathering for their annual summit near Redwood Falls. If you’re like most Americans you aren’t a farmer and won’t be there, but we will be and want your questions for farmers.
Give up your gas stove to save the planet? Banning gas is the next climate push
As more cities and states try to cut carbon emissions, natural gas is becoming a target. The city of Berkeley, Calif., just became the first to ban it in new homes, but it may not be the last.
Court upholds MN rules in copper-nickel mining challenge
The state appeals court dealt a setback to several environmental groups challenging the state's rules governing copper-nickel mining. The groups argued in a lawsuit that the state’s rules over mine waste disposal, mining areas and permits to mine for “nonferrous metallic mineral mining” don't adequately protect the environment.