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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Microplastics have invaded the deep ocean -- and the food chain
Giant gyres of plastic in the ocean grab headlines, but it's the tiny bits of plastic that scare scientists. And they've made their way everywhere, a new study finds -- including in our seafood.
German automaker Mercedes Benz is the latest to make the move toward a carbon-neutral auto fleet. The automaker pledges to change factories and vehicles to go carbon neutral by 2039.
The 'Great Dying' nearly erased life on Earth. Scientists see similarities to today
It was the biggest extinction in Earth's history. A new Smithsonian exhibit notes that some of the same things that killed over 90 percent of ocean species 250 million years ago are happening now.
When Minnesota cities take over trash collection, they take heat. But sometimes it pays off
There's an ongoing battle over the freedom to decide who hauls trash away. Like St. Paul, some Minnesota cities have struggled to control trash collection, but others have made it a part of their broader efforts to help the environment.
Another tick-borne disease to worry about
Called ALSV, the virus causes headache and fever and was found in Inner Mongolia. Scientists say the discovery illustrates how much we still don't know about ticks.
MN court says PUC didn't weigh oil spill impact in Line 3 pipeline decision
In a victory for Line 3 opponents, the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday reversed the state Public Utilities Commission's approval of the Line 3 environmental review, saying it didn't address the potential impact of an oil spill into the Lake Superior watershed.
The levels in nearly half of the meat and fish tested were double or more the only currently existing federal advisory level for any kind of the widely used manmade compounds, which are called per- and polyfluoroalykyl substances, or PFAS.