Scientists have wondered why there was a major extinction wave some 200 million years ago. Now they suspect that a major explosion of lava that occurred around the same time may be the cause.
Ecocentric
After SARS: A New Virus in Saudi Arabia Underscores the Need to Police Disease in Animals
A new and deadly coronavirus emerges in Saudi Arabia. When will we learn to predict emerging diseases in animals before they make the jump to humans.
Can An Outdoorsy CEO Manage the Interior Department’s Split Personality?
REI chief Sally Jewell gets the nod to become President Obama’s next Interior Secretary. She’ll try to balance the department’s conservation and economic responsibilities
Obama Talks Climate Change. California Is Acting on It
Obama warmed the hearts of environmentalists when he called for climate action during his Inaugural Address, but political realities may tie his hand. In California, things are very different
Mr. Green Jeans: Levi’s Detoxifies Its Supply Chain
After coming under fire from a major environmental group, Levi Strauss moves to clean up its production process. Will other clothing manufacturers follow suit?
A Rig Accident off Alaska Shows the Dangers of Extreme Energy
A drilling rig runs aground off the Alaska coast, underscoring the dangers of Arctic drilling
President Obama: Person of the Year—and Driller in Chief
President Obama promised to deal with climate change in the White House—and he’s helped pump billions into renewable energy and improved energy efficiency. But his biggest legacy may be the historic boom in domestic oil and gas …
After Sandy: Why We Can’t Keep Rebuilding on the Water’s Edge
It’s so obvious we forget it: an extreme-weather event becomes a disaster only if it hits where people and their possessions are. Of the 19 tropical storms that were tracked during this summer’s Atlantic hurricane season, 10 …
Why the New Ken Burns Documentary on the Dust Bowl Has Lessons to Teach Us
The U.S. experienced the worst drought in half a century this year. But it’s nothing compared to the man-made devastation of the Dust Bowl, as a new documentary shows.
Sandy: What a Coastal U.S. Can Learn from Other Threatened Cities
It was called the Watersnoodramp, which in Dutch means “flood disaster”—and it certainly was. The North Sea flood of 1953 was the result of a high spring tide that met a strong storm, resulting in a storm surge that inundated …