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.

Homeowners on the hunt for sparkling solar panels are lured by ads filled with images of pristine landscapes and bright sunshine, and words about the technology's benefits for the environment -- and the wallet.
New nonprofit supports DNR moose research
A new nonprofit organization hopes to help save Minnesota's moose population after the DNR announced this week that the state's moose population has dropped by more than a third in just the past year.
Moose, wolves to be collared for Voyageurs park studies
Biologists at Voyageurs National Park are preparing to capture and collar moose and wolves this month as part of two separate wildlife studies.
Silica sand mine study requested by state agencies
State agencies are calling for a broader and more detailed environmental study on two proposed silica sand mines in Winona County. The recommendation comes as some legislators are considering the possibility of a statewide study of the potential environmental and health effects of the booming industry.
Al Gore speaks at Westminster Town Hall Forum about 'The Future'
Former Vice President Al Gore speaks to the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis about his new book, "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change."
DNR: No moose hunting season after population drop
A new aerial survey of moose in northeastern Minnesota shows the population has dropped dramatically, prompting the DNR to cancel this year's moose hunting season.
Hunt Utilities Group looks for new sources of sustainable energy
A small company is gambling that a new line of scientific research could lead to development of a breakthrough alternative energy. In Pine River, the campus of the Hunt Utilities Group sits on 70-acres dotted with an eclectic mix of experimental buildings designed to promote sustainable living. Researchers here are focused on a theoretical energy source once commonly known as "cold fusion."
2 Great Lakes hit lowest water level on record
Two of the Great Lakes have hit their lowest water levels ever recorded, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday, capping more than a decade of below-normal rain and snowfall and higher temperatures that boost evaporation.
Report: Warming bringing big changes to forests
Big changes are in store for the nation's forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns in a report released Tuesday.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it got nearly twice as many calls on its Turn-in-Poachers or TIP line last year than the year before.