NPR Topics: EnvironmentBreaking news on the environment, climate change, pollution, and endangered species. Also featuring Climate Connections, a special series on climate change co-produced by NPR and National Geographic.Can Humans Control The Clouds- August 6, 2008 Beijing is trying to seed clouds to bring some rain and clear the air before the Olympics. California is seeding, too, for a different reason. Los Angeles County civil engineers are working on a drought-relief project that seeds clouds over the San Gabriel Mountains to ward off fires.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93341406&ft=1&f=1025 Farming Is Latest Casualty In Drought-Stricken Iraq- August 6, 2008 Across Iraq, farmers are struggling with the worst drought the country has faced in years. Some say it's the worst they've seen in their lifetime — and not just because of the lack of rain. Some Iraqi officials blame waste and regional politics, as well as the fighting in Iraqi bread baskets.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93329939&ft=1&f=1025 Along Gulf Coast, Talk Of Restoring Wetlands- August 5, 2008 Researchers working along the Gulf Coast are proposing the restoration of the region's wetlands, which act as a natural speed bump for storms. The plan is part of discussions of how best to protect against another hurricane.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93313791&ft=1&f=1025 The Nation's Largest Landfill Beckons Tourists- August 5, 2008 Los Angeles County is home to the country's largest active landfill. Recently the high-tech Puente Hills Landfill also began offering tours. What is so attention-worthy about a massive pile of trashhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93301844&ft=1&f=1025 Urban Gas Drilling Causes Backlash In Boomtown- August 5, 2008 Fort Worth, Texas, has become the focus of the largest urban gas-drilling boom in the U.S. But residents are starting to demand answers from energy companies on problems related to noise, pollution and pipeline safety. Chesapeake Energy has responded with an unprecedented media campaign to burnish its image and calm the critics.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93300400&ft=1&f=1025 |