This story originally appeared in The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Parasitic, elusive, and emitting an overwhelming odor of putrefying flesh, Rafflesia—often called the corpse flower—has intrigued botanists for centuries. Now, scientists are warning that it is at risk of extinction and calling for action to …
Read More »A Global Surge in Cholera Outbreaks May Be Fueled by Climate Change
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In early 2022, nearly 200,000 Malawians were displaced after two tropical storms struck the southeastern part of Africa barely a month apart. Sixty-four people died. Amid an already heavy rainy season, the storms Ana and Gombe …
Read More »A Summer of Record Heat Deals Costly Damage to Texas Water Systems
This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The hottest summer on record for many Texas cities has brought millions of dollars in damage to municipal plumbing and the loss of huge volumes of water during a severe drought. Authorities across the …
Read More »What Ever Happened to the Tiny House Movement?
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In 1997, Jay Shafer built his first tiny house: a miniature country chapel with tastefully weathered wood, a high-pitched roof, and tall, crimson-trimmed windows. The exercise was part design challenge, part architectural rebellion. Shafer’s abode measured …
Read More »Welcome to the Republic of Cows
This story originally appeared in Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems, and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. It was published in collaboration with Earth Island Journal. The floatplane bobs at the dock, its wing tips leaking fuel. I try not to take …
Read More »