Edition: U.S. / Global

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Environment

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

Efforts to save the pirarucu, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, have been a success while offering a strategy for fending off a broader freshwater extinction crisis.

China’s Climate Change Plan Raises Questions

Analysts and policy advisers wonder if the climate accord reached by the U.S. and China goes far enough, and how Beijing will meet its targets.

Deal on Carbon Emissions by Obama and Xi Jinping Raises Hopes for Upcoming Paris Climate Talks

The emissions targets announced by President Obama and the Chinese leader are expected to be at the heart of a 2015 international climate treaty.

Keeping Mates Close and Competition Out in an Ocean Sponge

Evolution has come up with many strategies for successful mating. For one kind of marine crustacean, that means a game of cat and mouse with mates and competitors.

Colorado: Sage Grouse Is Given Protected Status

Federal officials granted protection to the Gunnison sage grouse on Wednesday, a move that could bring restrictions on oil and gas drilling and other activity to preserve the bird’s habitat in areas of Colorado and Utah.

ScienceTake

A Surprising Appetite for Dead Jellyfish

Contrary to conventional wisdom, an accumulation of the gooey bodies at the bottom of the ocean draws scavengers and is a key part of the food chain.

Preserving an Accident, the Salton Sea in California, for the Good of Nature

The Salton Sea, a briny lake created by a mismanaged effort to divert a river, has become a key habitat for migrating birds and is now in danger of drying out.

By Degrees

A Tricky Transition From Fossil Fuel

Denmark is pursuing the world’s most ambitious policy against climate change, but conventional electricity remains a problematic part of the mix.

The Big Fix

Climate Tools Seek to Bend Nature’s Path

It’s called geoengineering, and its possibilities, like reflective droplets in the sky and rocks that remove carbon dioxide, are gaining momentum.

In Texas, Preserving a Neighborhood for Bats

A $20.5 million land purchase near San Antonio will keep the runway for 20 million Mexican free-tail bats clear of human neighbors.

Retro Report

For Gray Wolves, a Success Story Not Without Detractors

The restoration of the gray wolf population in several Western states has put various factions at odds, each claiming to carry the banner of equity.

Multimedia
The Most Ambitious Environmental Lawsuit Ever

A quixotic historian tries to hold oil and gas companies responsible for Louisiana’s disappearing coast.

Germany’s Grass-Roots Energy Revolution

A visit to the Aller-Leine-Tal, one of many energy cooperatives that have contributed to the success so far of Germany’s Energiewende, or energy transition.

Germany’s Offshore Wind Push

The small German island of Heligoland, a popular tourist destination, is undergoing dramatic change as the wind industry takes over.

Op-Ed Contributor

Wobbling on Climate Change

The science of global warming is too important to trivialize.

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