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While tornadoes can obliterate communities, hailstorms cause damage across much larger areas.

(Image credit: Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

Grilling usually involves burning fossil fuel. But some manufacturers are offering electric grills and citing climate change and convenience as reasons to switch.

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The House and Senate both voted to loosen regulations on air pollutants like dioxin and mercury, which are associated with higher cancer risk.

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Forecasters expect 13 to 19 storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and the end of November. At least 6 of those are forecast to be full-blown hurricanes.

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For community groups to allege violations of environmental rules, a state law says groups have to use federally-approved testing equipment, and it sets restrictions for analyzing and sharing the data.

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Scientists have found a way to sample DNA out of the air on a large scale — making it possible to one day track the health and well being of all kinds of species around the world.

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The Trump administration is rewriting policies and reducing funding for multiple agencies that handle climate change, including NOAA, EPA and FEMA. We asked NPR reporters Lauren Sommer and Alejandra Borunda what that the implications of that are — and who the changes will affect.

Want to hear more ways research is being impacted by the new administration? Email us at shortwave@nprg.org to let us know — and we may cover your idea in a future episode!

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.

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Flamingos look silly when they eat, but new research suggests they're actually being smart.

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Government incentives for climate-friendly upgrades are confusing to navigate, and it can be hard to find businesses that sell them. So a new industry is emerging to help: the decarbonization coach.

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Prosecutors say that as news of the crime spread, the two men exchanged messages relishing the outrage and sadness they caused. The tree in northern England was believed to be about 200 years old.

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Google, Microsoft and Meta have all pledged to reach at least net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Amazon set their net-zero deadline for 2040. To understand how these four tech companies could possibly meet their climate goals amid an artificial intelligence renaissance, Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong discusses the green AI movement. Speaking with scientists, CEOs and tech insiders, she explores three possible pathways: nuclear energy, small language models (SLMs) and back-to-the-future ways of keeping data centers cool.

Listen to Part 1 of Short Wave's reporting on the environmental cost of AI here.

Have a question about AI and the environment? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

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An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly electronics and save money on bills, consumer and environmental groups said.

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Human eyes have only seen a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the areas of the world that are covered by deep water. Scientists want to change how they explore these regions.

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By 2028, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that U.S. data centers could use as much as 12% of the nation's electricity. The reason: generative AI. Since 2022, AI innovation by four leading tech companies — Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon — has led to annual increases in both energy and water consumption. So, in this episode, Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong probes huge water footprint of AI. We begin with the rise of data centers, then look at how computers came to need so much water and, finally, what tech companies are doing to try to turn the ship around.

P.S. Part 2 talks about the leading solutions in the green AI movement. So don't miss our Friday episode!

Curious about tech and the environment? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave

(Image credit: Deven Dadbhawala)

Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.

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Attorneys general from 17 states and D.C. are challenging an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects.

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One national park boasts the most diverse collection of wildflowers in the country, and they're blooming right now.

The cartoonish-looking salamanders have faced an uncertain future in the wild. But researchers hope that breeding axolotls in captivity and releasing them in the wild can help their numbers.

(Image credit: Francois Guillot)