first responder
At Risk

Harvey ‘Costliest and Worst’ Disaster in U.S. History

HOUSTON, Texas, August 31, 2017 (ENS) – After dumping record rainfall of nearly 52 inches on the east Texas coast, claiming 29 lives and sending thousands of people into shelters or fleeing to higher ground, Hurricane Harvey, now slowed to a tropical depression, is making its destructive way across the Lower Mississippi Valley. […]

Arkema
At Risk

Flooded Chemical Plant Near Houston Explodes

HOUSTON, Texas, August 31, 2017 (ENS) – Two explosions rocked a flooded chemical plant 20 miles northeast of Houston at 2 am this morning. A column of black smoke rose into the air, and the explosions set off an intense fire. More explosions are expected over the next five to seven days. […]

ships
Wildlife

Sea Shepherd Backs Off Japanese Whaling Fight

BURBANK, California, August 28, 2017 (ENS) – Captain Paul Watson says his nonprofit marine conservation group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, will not pursue the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean as it has for the past 12 years due to the military technology Japan is now using. […]

rescue
At Risk

Harvey Inundates Texas Coast, Days More Rain Forecast

AUSTIN, Texas, August 27, 2017 (ENS) – Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding is inundating southeastern Texas, and flash flood emergencies are in effect as Hurricane Harvey dumps record rainfall on the area. The combination of wind and water could leave parts of south Texas “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” warns the National Weather Service. […]

power plant
Air/Climate

Eastern States Slash Allowable Power Plant Emissions

NEW YORK, New York, August 26, 2017 (ENS) – Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states that have the first U.S. market-based compact to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, have decided to reduce the limit on emissions by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030. […]

At Risk

Dangerous Hurricane Harvey Takes Aim at Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, August 24, 2017 (ENS) – Widespread evacuations have been ordered along the Texas Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Harvey, the first major hurricane, Category 3 or stronger, to strike the United States in nearly 12 years. Workers are being evacuated off oil rigs in the Gulf ahead of the storm. […]

Bears Ears
Land Use/Forests

Zinke Recommends Shrinking Some National Monuments

WASHINGTON, DC, August 24, 2017 (ENS) – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended to the White House today that none of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be eliminated, but he says land should be removed from some of them. […]

eclipse
Latest News

Grab Your Eclipse Glasses, Here It Comes!

NEWPORT, Oregon, August 20, 2017 (ENS) – The first total solar eclipse since 1979 to be visible across North America starts early Monday morning, prompting hundreds of celebrations, festivals, star-viewing parties, exhibits, astronomy teachings and citizen science events. […]

fire
At Risk

Wildfire Rages on Icy Greenland’s West Coast

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, August 17, 2017 (ENS) – Greenland, the world’s largest island, known for its vast sheets of ice, is now experiencing its first large wildfire. The fire is burning along the island’s west coast about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Sisimiut, the second-largest city in Greenland, an autonomous county of Denmark. […]

Minamata
Health

Minamata Convention on Mercury Enters into Force

NEW YORK, New York, August 16, 2017 (ENS) – The world’s first treaty to protect the environment and human health in nearly a decade, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, enters into force today, committing 74 countries, including the United States, to reducing the risks to human health and the environment from the release of mercury. […]

270 Park
Business

Largest U.S. Bank to Rely 100% on Renewable Energy

NEW YORK, New York, August 16, 2017 (ENS) – JPMorgan Chase has announced it will source renewable power for 100 percent of its global energy needs by 2020. The firm has offices and operations in more than 60 countries across 5,500 properties, covering 75 million square feet. […]

fire
At Risk

British Columbia Wildfires Force Thousands to Flee

VICTORIA, British Columbia, Canada, August 7, 2017 (ENS) – Hot and dry, the interior of British Columbia is ablaze with wildfires that have driven tens of thousands of residents from their homes and filled the skies over the province with smoke. International firefighting assistance is on the way. […]

ivory
Latest News

New York Crushes Tons of Elephant Ivory in Central Park

NEW YORK, New York, August 4, 2017 (ENS) – Two tons of confiscated illegal ivory were crushed in New York’s Central Park on Thursday in an event hosted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the jeweler Tiffany and Co. […]