Keith Kloor

Collide-a-Scape

Countdown to Copenhagen

hands are planting a tree in the ground - shutterstock

While tree-planting might seem like an easy, low-cost way to fight climate change, it can actually cause more harm than good if not done properly.

10 Golden Rules for Reforestation Show How to Plant Trees the Right Way

The tailings pond for the Antamina mine in Peru. Scientists found a new microbe in a similar pond in Brazil. The microbe may help clean up toxic waste from copper production. (Credit: Paulo Tomaz/Flickr)

Copper Mine

 Bacteria found around a Brazilian mine could improve copper harvesting.

 Rare Microbes Turn Toxic Sludge into Usable Copper

(Credit: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock)

beach cleanup crew collecting plastic bottles - shutterstock 1521472085

Scientists say that we’re a critical junction when it comes to plastic production. Meanwhile, it’s increasingly clear that these materials threaten the environment and our health.

We’re Facing an Uncertain Plastic Future

Volunteers can help researchers study and save the planet by getting involved in citizen science projects.  (Credit: Debris Tracker)

debris tracker

 This Earth Day, volunteer to help study and explore our home planet. 

Celebrate Earth Day With a Citizen Science Project

An aerial view shows the vast landscape of the Texas Panhandle. Like other areas in the Great Plains, its agriculture relies on water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which is sustained by playas. (Credit: : National Geographic Image Collection/Alamy)

HYXKY4

The Ogallala Aquifer supports one fifth of America's agriculture. But its existence relies on a vital source: playas, a type of wetland that remains threatened.

These Wetlands Feed the Largest Aquifer in the U.S. What Happens If We Lose Them?

cherry trees in Japan

 An exceptionally warm spring has led to the early arrival of cherry blossoms in Japan, causing researchers to draw patterns between local temperature increases and global warming. 

Japan Just Had Its Earliest Peak Bloom of Cherry Blossoms in 1,200 Years. Is Climate Change to Blame?

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