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.

Lions, tigers have 100 years left in the wild, says biodiversity expert
Biodiversity expert Thomas Lovejoy says that if trends continue, lions and tigers will no longer live in the wild and will be confined to zoos and wildlife areas a century from now.
Iron Range's copper-nickel mining poses opportunity and possible threat
After more than a century in which iron mining has played a central role in the economy and culture of northeastern Minnesota, a new kind of mining is poised to join the taconite industry.
No pups born to Isle Royale wolves
Scientists say the gray wolves in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park are in growing danger of extinction and may have stopped reproducing.
Debate continues on frac sand mining's health, environmental impact
As fracking becomes a more contentious issue, so does the increasing demand for silica sand mining in Minnesota. What are the health and environmental concerns surrounding the mining practice?
EQB report sums up frac sand mining issues
The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board has produced a report on silica sand mining. The EQB is a multi-agency oversight body that received a petition to do an in-depth study of the possible environmental effects of frac sand mining.
Minneapolis and St. Paul go dark for Earth Hour
City buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul will go dark for an hour on Earth Day as part of a global climate change event.
A Minnesota filmmaker says he hopes his documentary about frac sand mining will help policy makers understand how the issue is affecting residents and communities.
The Sierra Club is harshly criticizing a new partnership that aims to create tough new standards for hydraulic fracturing.
Government forecasters say much of the United States can expect a warm spring and persistent drought.