Topic: Nature and the Environment

Obama embraces states' rights on auto emissions

On Monday, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider a waiver request by California and 13 other states to set standards on auto emissions – including those of greenhouse gases – that are tougher than federal standards.

Under Obama’s energy plan, cars would be cleaner but costlier

The president called for tougher fuel-efficiency standards Monday and may let states regulate vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases.

Eureka! Real science breaks into TV shows

Once ignored or abused to spice up plots, bona fide study now fills prime-time lineups.

EarthTalk: Cloth or disposable? The diaper debate is back.

A new generation of ecoaware parents are rethinking diaper choices for their children. A few new products make it easier.

Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff

Listen to a new CD of soulful Portuguese songs, watch tiny tough butterflies migrate south, see the president's flying office Air Force One from the inside, and more.

A hybrid? Forget it, say rising number of pickup buyers.

Sales of trucks at some dealerships jumped by more than 30 percent in December.

Obama halts some of Bush's 'midnight rules'

Only hours into his presidency, Barack Obama has ordered a freeze on all the new and pending federal regulations that the Bush administration pushed through in its final days.

US forests hold new evidence of global warming

Scientists see a trend in longer dry spells and winter snowpacks melting earlier than in the past.

Fiat and Chrysler enter into strategic alliance

The deal will allow the struggling Chrysler to manufacture more fuel-efficient cars using Fiat's technology

Tibet shepherds live on climate frontier

Shrinking glaciers mean longer hikes to water flocks

It's getting warmer in Antarctica

The ability to lose yourself in a scene

Today, children's museums are very hands-on.

USA

Could cows heal the West?

By grazing them in a way that mimics the pattern of wild herbivores, advocates say, rangeland improves.

On the lookout for woodpeckers

Among all the birds that visit the yard, the unusual visitors always stand out.

The White House gardens

Russian gas cutoff energizes nuclear comeback

Italy, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Britain are among those giving nuclear another look.

EarthTalk: When is it best to buy a more fuel-efficient car?

Newer models may save fuel, but consider the carbon footprint involved in manufacturing them.

Your label here: the power of words in a picture

The Monitor's language columnist considers how the labels put on news stories and public events shape our thinking.

Worldwatch's climate book sets high bar for emissions cuts

World carbon emissions will essentially have to come to a halt by midcentury to avoid severe disruption of the earth's climate system, warn the 47 authors of the Worldwatch Institute's book, 'State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World.'

Economic crisis hits city recycling

Falling demand for recycled materials has caused a sudden collapse in scrap prices.

Climate change video of the week: None Like It Hot

Set in the distant future long after politicians have devised a "solution" to global warming, this animation first aired in 2002 as part of the Futurama episode, "Crimes of the Hot," and was subsequently used in Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

Despite roadblocks, automakers promising greener rides

The Detroit Auto Show is in full swing, and it seems that every participant is promising a new hybrid, a gas-sipping microcar, or a fully electric vehicle.

Eco High: How can I ‘green’ my school?

Agencies can’t agree on a definition, which hobbles preservation efforts.

Detroit Auto Show: the highlights