Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

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Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild
That's the way one scientist puts it — referring to how infected wild birds survive long enough to spread it to birds and mammals around the world. And that's a serious risk for human health.
Stauber reintroduces bill to reverse mining ban near Boundary Waters, return leases to Twin Metals
Northern Minnesota Republican Congressman Pete Stauber has reintroduced legislation to overturn a 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. If passed, the bill would also return mineral leases to Twin Metals, the company vying to build an underground copper mine near Ely.
Long before RFK Jr., Brainerd fought bitter legal battle over fluoride in its water supply
The topic of whether to fluoridate drinking water is back in the public sphere again, in part because of the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary. It’s an issue that caused a decades long debate in the central Minnesota town of Brainerd, which is looking back on that period with an original show, “Fluoride, the Musical.”
David Brancaccio on rebuilding after the Los Angeles fires
The home of Marketplace host David Brancaccio was one of nearly 17,000 buildings destroyed last month in the Los Angeles fires. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with him about the challenges and costs of rebuilding.
Owl ‘irruption’ brings joy for birders, concerns for owls in northeast Minnesota
An uncommon owl “irruption” has brought large numbers of owls to northeast Minnesota, and also brought a ton of tourists and birders flocking to see them. Several owls have been killed and injured by vehicles.
CWD detected in two new areas of the state
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported the discovery of chronic wasting disease in two new areas of the state. The deer infected with the always-fatal disease were identified during testing of samples gathered during the recent firearms season.
Report: Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions bounced back after pandemic, still below 2019 level
Transportation remains the state’s largest source of greenhouse gases, contributing nearly 30 percent of emissions. It’s not clear whether Minnesota is on track to meet its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2025, or reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.