 | 2008 SEPTEMBER
September 24, 2008
Battle to Replace Domenici in New Mexico Senate Race Centers on Energy Policy
The race for New Mexico's first open Senate seat in 26 years has brought the national renewable energy debate into local focus as Republican Rep. Steve Pearce battles Democratic Rep. Tom Udall for the job.
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| September 4, 2008
Study: Arctic Sea Ice at Second-lowest Level on Record
The Arctic ice cap has melted to a point that exceeds the 2005 level -- previously the second lowest on record -- and could surpass the record this year, scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center have said.
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| AUGUST
August 22, 2008
Environmental Movement Finds New Supporters Among Evangelicals
With gas prices and global warming playing an ever-increasing role in the national discourse, some evangelical churches have begun to focus their faith in a new direction -- on environmentalism.
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| August 18, 2008
Bottling Giant, Maine Residents Battle over Water
Bottled water is a hot commodity -- Americans drank almost 9 billion gallons of it last year. But some Maine residents think less of it should come from their state. They are challenging Poland Spring over rights to the state's spring water aquifers. Tom Bearden reports.
     
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| August 15, 2008
Environmental Demand Drives Eco-friendly Products
As public demand for eco-friendly products increases, businesses rush to fill the gap with "green" products touting a lower carbon footprint. Spencer Michels reports on this growing development.
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| August 15, 2008
Extended Interview: Clorox CEO and Sierra Club Chief on Green Products
In January, Clorox launched a line of all-natural cleaners called "Green Works" -- with an endorsement from the Sierra Club. In this extended interview, Clorox CEO Don Knauss and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope discuss the products, and their decision to work together, with the NewsHour's Spencer Michels.
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| August 15, 2008
Coastal 'Dead Zones' Continue to Spread, Study Finds
Huge swaths of the world's oceans are too starved of oxygen to support shrimp, crabs, fish and other marine life, and these so-called dead zones are growing virtually unchecked, according to a new study.
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| August 12, 2008
Bush Administration Proposes Changes to Endangered Species Act Rules
The Bush administration on Monday proposed a regulatory change that would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether construction projects such as roads and dams have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants.
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| August 11, 2008
Former Oilman Makes Bid for Homegrown Alternative Energy
T. Boone Pickens, a Texan oil tycoon, has made it his mission to promote massive new investment toward alternative energy sources. Pickens discusses his plan and efforts to make energy independence a central issue in the fall campaign.
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| August 6, 2008
Candidates Stick to Energy Rhetoric on Campaign Trail
Presidential hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., continue to spar over energy policy in campaign appearances and television ads. Kwame Holman reports on the latest news from the campaign trail.
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| August 5, 2008
Concerns Surface After A Gorilla Haven Discovery
A discovery of 125,000 lowland gorillas in the Congo basin changes population estimates of the critically endangered species, although threats from poachers and little funding for staff and operations present ongoing challenges. The Wildlife Conservation Society's president discusses the difficulties ahead.
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| August 5, 2008
Endangered Gorilla 'Mother Lode' Uncovered in Republic of Congo
A survey of the vast swamps and forests in the northern Republic of Congo has revealed 125,000 western lowland gorillas living there, more than double the previous known tally of the endangered animal.
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| August 4, 2008
Beijing's Pollution a Contentious Foe for Olympic Athletes
Despite efforts to curb China's air pollution, a thick haze swept over Beijing Monday, just days before the Olympic Games begin. Betty Ann Bowser examines the country's pollution woes and the impact on athletes.
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| August 4, 2008
Candidates Focus on Energy, Spar Over Oil Resources
Sen. Barack Obama delivered a major speech on energy Monday, which included a call to open the nation's strategic oil reserves, while his rival, GOP Sen. John McCain, urged Congress to call off its August recess and pass new energy legislation. Advisers to both campaigns discuss the two views.
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| August 4, 2008
China Prepares for Olympics
With just days to go to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, China is pushing to clean up air pollution in Beijing and show its political tolerance by allowing protest zones around the city. Scott Tong, who is based in Shanghai, took your questions about the country's preparations for the games.
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| JULY
July 25, 2008
Thousands Stampede for Last of Olympics Tickets
Scuffles broke out Friday as nearly 50,000 people who had waited up to two days for the final batch of tickets to next month's Olympic Games swarmed sales windows in Beijing.
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| July 23, 2008
Why can't the U.K.'s fuel efficient vehicles be sold in the U.S.?
Paul Solman answers this question and many more in the "Business Desk."
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| July 17, 2008
Gore Aims High on Renewable Energy Goal for U.S.
Former Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore outlined a bold climate goal for the nation Thursday, challenging the U.S. to create every kilowatt of electricity through renewable energy sources within 10 years.
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| July 11, 2008
EPA Sidesteps Regulating Greenhouse Gases
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday delayed making a decision about whether human health and welfare are being harmed by greenhouse gas pollution. In a federal notice, the agency instead called for more public comment, essentially bumping the decision to the next administration.
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| July 11, 2008
Study: One-third of Coral Reef Species Face Extinction
Nearly a third of the world's coral reef species face extinction, threatening entire ocean ecosystems.
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| July 10, 2008
Alaskan Village Copes With Real-life Impacts of Global Climate Change
In Shishmaref, Alaska -- a 600-person village 20 miles south of the Arctic Circle -- residents are feeling the effects of climate change: earlier sea ice melts and increasing storm surges. Tom Bearden reports on how the residents are coping.
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| July 9, 2008
G-8 Vows to Cut Emissions but Divisions Remain
Leaders of the Group of Eight nations agreed Tuesday to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. But on Wednesday, a group of five emerging economies refused to sign the deal, saying they want more aggressive emissions cuts. A reporter examines the story.
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| July 7, 2008
High Oil Costs May Advance Conservation Research
Car owners have been wincing in recent months as the price of oil has shot up well over the once-unimaginable $100-per-barrel mark. But an economist at Carnegie Mellon University believes that skyrocketing oil prices are a good thing, and will lead to necessary innovations in conservation and green technologies.
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| July 4, 2008
Calif. Locked in Water Wars as Drought Worsens
As California faces one of the worst droughts in decades, Spencer Michels examines the growing struggle over water rights in the state.
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| JUNE
June 27, 2008
Flooded Farmlands May Take Decades To Recover
As water rushed through Iowa, it didn't just destroy private property; acres of fertile farmland were ruined for years to come. Jerry DeWitt, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, talks about the agricultural damage.
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| June 27, 2008
In Warming World, Plants Seek Higher Ground
Rising temperatures are forcing plant species to migrate up mountains in search of a cooler climate, according to a new study of Alpine plants published Thursday in the journal Science.
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| June 25, 2008
Florida Seeks to Expand Everglades from Sugar Farmland
Florida agreed to buy almost 300 sq. miles of farmland north of the wetlands from a U.S. Sugar company for $1.75 billion. The tentative deal will expand and restore the Everglades, a key U.S. ecosystem, and relieve the sugar company from its financial bind.
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| June 25, 2008
As Oil Prices Rise, Carmakers Look to Electric Future
Rising oil prices and improvements in battery technology are fueling new interest in developing electric cars. Spencer Michels reports on how industry giants and start-up car companies alike plan to release new vehicles by 2010.
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| June 25, 2008
High Court Cuts Damages in Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Almost twenty years since the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Supreme Court decided Wednesday to reduce victims' compensation in Alaska. Two journalists who have covered the story discuss the decision and how the impact of the accident still lingers in the region.
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| June 25, 2008
Extended Interview: Tesla Motors Chairman Elon Musk
NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels talked in April to electric car maker Tesla Motors' founder and chairman, Elon Musk -- an entrepreneur who previously founded PayPal -- about the future of the electric car.
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| June 25, 2008
Extended Interview: Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board
Spencer Michels talked to Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board, in April about the board's recent decision to cut the number of zero-emission vehicles the state will require car manufacturers to build. The board aims to encourage manufacturers to produce more hybrid vehicles instead.
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| June 19, 2008
Three Years On, New Orleans Still Struggles With Hurricane Debris
Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the city is still coping with the toxic debris the storm left behind. Betty Ann Bowser reports from New Orleans on the ongoing controversy over the city's landfills.
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| June 19, 2008
New Orleans Struggles to Curtail Illegal Dumping
An industrial stretch of New Orleans East has long been home to illegal dumps. The situation grew worse after Hurricane Katrina produced more than 62 million cubic feet of debris. NewsHour correspondent Betty Ann Bowser discusses the city's illegal dumping problem.
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| June 18, 2008
McCain and Obama Tout Differing Energy Plans
Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are honing their stances on climate and energy policy, focusing on issues like the federal gas tax and offshore drilling. Advisers for each campaign examine the energy policy debate.
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| June 16, 2008
Iowa Residents Wait to Return Home As Flood Waters Move On
Flood fears eased in Iowa City Monday, as a string of towns in the state's south and east along the Mississippi River prepared for new problems caused by a recent bout of torrential rains and bad weather.
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| June 12, 2008
Drilling for Natural Gas in Wyoming Raises Debate
Wyoming has some of the largest natural gas reserves in the country -- underneath public land -- leading to a debate over whether to drill or preserve the land for other uses. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports from Wyoming.
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| June 6, 2008
Climate Change Bill Blocked, Left to New Congress
Republican senators blocked a proposed global warming bill Friday that would have led to major reductions in greenhouse gases, calling it a huge tax increase.
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| June 5, 2008
World Leaders Pledge to Ease Food Crisis After Political Squabbling
World leaders at a United Nations food summit pledged Thursday to reduce trade barriers and boost agricultural production to combat the food crisis that is spreading hunger and violent unrest across the globe.
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| June 3, 2008
Extended Interview: General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner
The NewsHour interviewed General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner in May about the company's plans for developing alternative fuel vehicles. Excerpts of the interview will air in the coming weeks as part of a report on a new generation of electric cars.
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| June 2, 2008
Lawmakers Struggle to Agree on Plan for Emissions Cuts, Energy Policy
A new climate bill on Capitol Hill aims to reduce carbon emissions by creating a hotly-debated carbon cap-and-trade system. Senators on both sides of the debate weigh the pros and cons of instituting such a system and how it could impact energy and environmental policy.
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| June 2, 2008
Extended Interview: Venture Capitalist Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla is an influential venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. He was a cofounder of Sun Microsystems and later a partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, which helped fund Google and Amazon. In 2004 he started his own company, Khosla Ventures.
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| MAY
May 30, 2008
New Solvents May Lead to Better Biofuels
Molten salts used as solvents may provide a stepping stone toward cheaper, more environmentally friendly biofuels, researchers said this month.
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| May 29, 2008
Venture Capitalists Look to Green Businesses for Boom
A recent surge in investments by venture capitalists in eco-friendly businesses is possibly triggering a boom in green and clean technology. Analysts report on the green market and its ability to make money while saving oil.
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| May 28, 2008
Report Documents Climate Change Impact on U.S.
A recently released government report describes the impact global climate change is already having on U.S. farms, wildlife, forests and water supplies. One of the report's lead authors discusses its findings.
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| May 28, 2008
Modernizing China Confronts Environmental Woes
Since undertaking market reforms in late 1970s, China has enjoyed an economic boom -- but the economic progress has also produced serious environmental damage and pollution problems. Margaret Warner reports on China's environmental woes and their impact on the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
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| May 28, 2008
Experts Answered Your Questions on Consumer Choices Amid High Gas Prices
Gas prices are at an all time high and consumers are deciding whether they can afford to travel. So how are gas prices affecting Americans? And what are some of the money saving alternatives to driving?
Two experts answered your questions.
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| May 23, 2008
Consumers Face Tough Choices as Gas Prices Rise
As the summer travel season begins this Memorial Day weekend, American motorists are shifting their consumption patterns as they adjust to higher prices at the gas pump. Experts examine how consumers are handling the higher fuel prices.
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ENVIRONMENT
