 | 2009 JULY
July 9, 2009
G-8 Leaders Take New Steps to Curb Global Warming
As the G-8 summit wrapped up, President Obama and other leaders discussed new goals to limit climate change and assessed the unrest in Iran. Margaret Warner reports from the scene.
   
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| July 8, 2009
At G-8, Small Steps on Emissions, Economic Recovery
Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations gathered in Italy on Wednesday to assess risks to the global economy and other key issues at their annual meeting. Margaret Warner reports from the summit.
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| July 8, 2009
Families Hunt for Water in Niger Valley
Once lush grazing land, the Azawak valley in western Niger now consists of mostly sand, thorns and animal excrement. Quality of life is tied to the rainy season, and during dry spells, families spend much of their time in search of water.
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| JUNE
June 30, 2009
3.6 Trillion and Counting: New Billboard Clocks Emissions
Eight stories above midtown Manhattan, a new billboard has begun counting how much, and how fast, greenhouse gases are entering the atmosphere. Climate Central reports.
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| June 29, 2009
Wind Energy Fuels Job Hopes for Oklahoma Youth
In the final installment of her Generation Next series, which has aired on both the NewsHour and NPR, Judy Woodruff reports on how wind energy is generating new career prospects for young Americans in the Sooner State.
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| June 26, 2009
Climate Bill, Sanford's Future Top Week's Political News
Columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks examine developments in the landmark climate change legislation before Congress, as well as the fallout from S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford's admission to an extramarital affair.
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| June 26, 2009
Landmark Climate Change Bill Moves Through Congress
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday debated landmark climate change legislation that would establish a "cap-and-trade" system for carbon emissions. Kwame Holman reports.
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| June 25, 2009
'Cap-and-Trade' Emissions Bill Faces Test in Congress
As early as Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives may vote on landmark climate legislation that would establish a "cap-and-trade" system for carbon emissions. Judy Woodruff talks to analysts about the measure's pros and cons.
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| June 16, 2009
White House Says Climate Change Already Affecting U.S.
Global climate change is already affecting the United States, according to a report by federal scientists released Tuesday.
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| June 2, 2009
Stalagmites Provide Clues in Changing Rainfall Patterns
ITN's Channel 4 news correspondent Tom Clarke reports on what scientists are learning from stalagmites about the rainfall and changing weather patterns in a remote region of southwest Poland.
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| MAY
May 27, 2009
News Wrap: GM Moves Closer to Bankruptcy
In the day's other news, General Motors moved one step closer to bankruptcy as bondholders rejected the company's offer to trade bond debt for G.M. stock, and Chrysler's lawyers asked a federal bankruptcy court to allow it to sell the bulk of its assets to Fiat.
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| May 22, 2009
Salmon Streams' Struggle Continues 40 Years After Clean Water Act
Special correspondent Hendrick Smith reports on pollution in the Pacific Northwest's salmon streams four decades after the passage of the Clean Water Act. Smith's report grew out of research from his recent Frontline project, "Poisoned Waters."
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| May 22, 2009
Cap-and-Trade Bill Passes House Energy Panel
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved Friday a cap-and-trade bill for greenhouse gas emissions. A reporter examines the bill's pros and cons and the state of the energy and climate policy debate.
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| May 20, 2009
Miller Center Debate Focuses on Energy Policy
Christine Todd Whitman, James Woolsey, John Podesta and Karen Harbert recently debated energy policy and focused on the pros and cons of nuclear energy at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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| May 19, 2009
Georgia's Reliance on Coal Questioned Amid Climate Concerns
Climate Central's Heidi Cullen reports on the coal industry's role in Georgia, a state that gets over 60 percent of its electricity from coal, as new emissions and climate policies are crafted in Washington.
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| May 19, 2009
Analysts Mull White House's New Vehicle Emissions Standards
The Obama administration's new vehicle emissions standards would increase the fuel economy of automobiles to a minimum of 35.5 mpg by 2016. Analysts mull the plan's costs and benefits and assess the challenges ahead for the auto industry.
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| May 19, 2009
New Emissions Rules Mark Strategy Turn for Auto Industry
White House Climate Policy Chief Carol Browner explains the administration's vehicle emissions standards plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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| May 19, 2009
Obama Unveils Tougher Emissions Standards Plan
President Barack Obama outlined plans Tuesday for the nation's first wide-ranging effort to curb vehicle emissions while cutting U.S. dependence on foreign oil, calling the plan an historic turning point toward a "clean-energy economy."
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| May 15, 2009
Washington D.C.'s Bike To Work Day 2009
As people look for ways to save money and conserve energy during the recession, cities across the U.S. hosted Bike To Work Day celebrations to encourage two-wheeled, human-powered commuting. In the nation's capital, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association expected 7,500 cyclists to participate.
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| May 15, 2009
Stimulus Funds May Lend New Gusto to Bike Share Programs
Bike share programs are known to benefit both the purse and the waistline and with new stimulus funding, they may also benefit Washington, D.C.
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| APRIL
April 29, 2009
Climate Studies Suggest Need for Drastic Cut in Fossil Fuels
In order to limit the damage from global warming, the world can use only about one quarter of its known fossil fuel reserves, according to two new research studies.
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| April 22, 2009
College Students Exhibit Sustainable Designs on National Mall
At the Environmental Protection Agency's fifth annual Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, DC, college students exhibited their projects addressing sustainability issues including alternative energy, water purification and green buildings.
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| April 22, 2009
Young Engineers Envision Cities Of The Future
Correspondent Tom Bearden reports on a competition of young engineers designing eco-friendly urban centers of the future.
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| April 21, 2009
'Clean Coal' Debate Plays Out on the Airwaves
American television audiences are likely noticing a battle being waged during commercial breaks as millions of dollars are being spent on advertising to promote or denigrate a mysterious-sounding buzzword: clean coal technology.
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| April 17, 2009
EPA Finding Opens Door to New Emissions Regulations
An EPA report has labeled greenhouse gases as pollutants that threaten public health, paving the way for possible new emissions regulations. Analysts examine what the move means.
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| April 17, 2009
EPA Report Marks First Step Toward Climate Change Regulations
Carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions are a danger to public health and welfare, and possibly even national security, according to an Environmental Protection Agency scientific review released Friday.
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| April 14, 2009
Solar Energy Industry Maintains Footing Amid Recession
Amid the economic slump, there may be a silver lining for solar energy businesses that have withstood the recession so far. NewsHour special correspondent Spencer Michels reports.
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| April 10, 2009
Researchers Examine Arctic Climate Chemistry
In March, two dozen scientists travelled to Barrow, Alaska, as part of an International Polar Year research project to study the atmospheric chemistry of a changing Arctic climate. Photographer Spencer Brown spent a week documenting their trip.
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| MARCH
March 27, 2009
Joint Project Seeks to Stem Impact of Energy Production on Wyoming Wildlife
By all accounts, more than 500 gas wells in an area of eastern Wyoming known as the Jonah Natural Gas Fields have transformed 30,000 acres of rich sagebrush ecosystem into a largely industrial landscape of fuel production.
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| March 23, 2009
Cities, Towns Work to Combat Climate Change
While the United States has never fully ratified the Kyoto climate change protocol, individual cities and towns around the country are aiming to go where the nation as a whole has not.
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| March 17, 2009
What Is Global Warming?
The Earth maintains an average temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Celsius -- temperatures that enable people, plants and animals to live safely within its atmosphere.
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| March 17, 2009
Emissions Trading Ins and Outs
Greenhouse gases harm the environment equally regardless of where they originate, so to slow climate change, it doesn't matter which region of the world cuts back on emissions as long as the global amount falls.
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| March 3, 2009
Reversing Bush Rule, Obama Resumes Safeguards for Endangered Species
President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he wants federal agencies to resume full scientific reviews of projects that could harm endangered wildlife and plants.
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| FEBRUARY
February 20, 2009
NASA to Launch Its First Carbon-Testing Satellite to Measure Greenhouse Gas
NASA plans to launch a satellite Tuesday that will measure concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere, providing scientists with the most complete and precise set of measurements yet of the greenhouse gas.
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| February 20, 2009
NASA Launches Orbiting Carbon Observatory
NASA is set to launch its Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite on Feb. 23. Atmospheric scientists and climatologists are expecting the satellite's measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide to dramatically improve their knowledge of the earth's carbon cycle.
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| February 17, 2009
With Green Energy's Limitations, Scientists Hunt for Alternatives
As the Obama administration highlights the importance of finding and investing in renewable energy, states such as California are trying to determine whether wind, solar and other renewables can replace a significant amount of fossil fuel. Spencer Michels reports.
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| February 12, 2009
More Satellite Collisions Could Occur, Experts Say
As space officials continued to track the debris fields created by Tuesday's collision of two satellites, experts warned that more crashes will inevitably occur in the increasingly crowded orbits above Earth.
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| February 2, 2009
Tenn. Coal Ash Disaster Raises Concerns about Similar Sites Nationwide
In December, tons of spilled coal ash devastated the town of Kingston, Tenn. Tom Bearden reports on the disaster's effects on residents, cleanup efforts and the debate over safety standards for other coal ash storage sites around the country.
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| JANUARY
January 30, 2009
As Wind Power Usage Grows, Wind Farms Expand
On his 120-acre farm in Minnesota, Richard Peterson harvests crops of corn, soybeans and, since 2005, wind. His turbine is just one of 67, all housed on adjoining farmland, that make up a wind farm capable of generating 100 megawatts of power.
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| January 28, 2009
In Iowa, Questions Arise on Impact of Ethanol Production
Al Gore testified before Congress Wednesday on the urgency of energy policy reform and made the case for easing America's reliance on carbon-based fuels. Heidi Cullen of Climate Central reports on an emerging debate over the changing land use and impact of ethanol production in Iowa.
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| January 26, 2009
Obama Orders Regulators to Revisit Fuel Standards
President Barack Obama pledged renewed U.S. leadership to fight global warming Monday, as he ordered regulators to revisit the tightening of fuel-economy standards for new cars and trucks. Experts debate the significance of the announcement for automakers.
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| January 26, 2009
On Day Six, Obama Takes on Global Warming
President Barack Obama asked regulators to reconsider waivers that would allow California and other states to set their own standards for auto emissions and responded to new concerns about the economy at the start of his first full week in office. Jeffrey Brown reports on the developments.
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| January 26, 2009
Obama Moves to Revise Fuel Efficiency Policies
President Barack Obama on Monday ordered federal regulators to reexamine two policies that could lead to tougher fuel-economy standards for new cars and trucks.
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| January 23, 2009
Environmental Groups Weigh Impact of Obama 'Midnight Rules' Freeze
On his first day in office, President Obama ordered a freeze on all pending federal rules put forward by the Bush administration during its final days -- including several controversial environmental regulations.
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| January 22, 2009
New Study Shows Warming Trend in Antarctica
Antarctica, a part of the world that researchers had previously believed was bucking the trend of global warming, is getting warmer after all, according to a newly released study.
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| January 13, 2009
Energy, Education Nominees Begin Confirmation Hearings
Along with Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton, the nominees for Secretary of Education and Secretary of Energy began their Senate confirmation hearings Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Ray Suarez reports on the process.
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| January 13, 2009
Chu Vows to Fight Global Warming at Confirmation Hearing
Nobel-prize winning physicist Steven Chu said at a hearing Tuesday that if he is confirmed as energy secretary, he plans to aggressively pursue policies to combat global warming.
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| January 6, 2009
Bush to Establish World's Largest Marine Sanctuary
President Bush on Tuesday created three new marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean, safeguarding more than 195,000 square miles of coral reefs, underwater volcanoes, rare fish and unique habitats.
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| January 2, 2009
Slowing Great Barrier Reef Coral Growth Worries Scientists
Coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef are growing at their slowest rate in at least 400 years, according to a new study.
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| January 1, 2009
Volatile Fuel Prices Shift Off-shore Drilling Debate
The past year's volatile gas prices are impacting the ongoing debate on whether to drill for oil off the coasts of Virginia and California. Spencer Michels reports on how the price swings and new technology are affecting the controversy.
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ENVIRONMENT
