In a brightly-lit room in Houston, Texas, environmental activist Malachi Key is searching through a pile of trash. He picks up a used chicken salad box, which like the other waste in the heap is being sent off for recycling, and slips a tracking device inside.
The 2021 Caldor fire was a wake-up call for California's El Dorado County. The community is one of hundreds around the country waiting on a backlog at FEMA that's holding up disaster preparation projects. JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption toggle caption JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP Placerville, Calif.
About $150 (€130) is what Brian McGowan says he spent on power last year in his home in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. And since installing additional solar panels in the fall, he expects his bill to be even lower this year.
Skip next section Polonium-labeled vial found in German town April 6, 2026 Polonium-labeled vial found in German town German authorities have launched an investigation after a vial labeled Polonium-210 was found during an Easter egg hunt in southern Germany.
Rising utility bills and higher oil and gas prices are a concern for many people now. War in the Middle East and the cost of protecting utility infrastructure from more extreme weather are two factors driving the increases.
While wars and revolutions have long threatened national cultural heritage sites — most recently in Iran and Ukraine — a new danger has emerged in the form of climate change. UNESCO World Heritage sites from the 4,000 year-old pyramid temples in Iraq to the ancient statues of Easter Island are facing extreme erosion and deterioration as temperatures rise and storms and droughts intensify.
After a week of high drama, authorities on the Baltic coast of northern Germany say they have established a restricted zone around a whale that has been stranded in the area to allow the creature to "die in peace." "We did everything we could to give it a chance. This is a unique tragedy.
At a fish market in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, stallholders shout to attract customers to trays piled high with popular frozen seafood such as octopus, squid and shrimp. But that's not all that's on display. Some trays contain sharks with their bellies still swollen with eggs.
The humpback whale stuck for more than a week in two different spots in the Baltic Sea finally started to swim again on Monday evening, despite having shown signs of deteriorating health throughout the day.
Skip next section Police raids homes in Munich region for child pornograpy March 29, 2026 Police raids homes in Munich region for child pornograpy German police raided 14 residences in the Munich region, targeting 14 men between the ages of 17 and 78 for alleged involvement in child pornography.
A neighborhood near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is flooded in September 2011, after heavy rain caused the Susquehanna River to rise dramatically. Mel Evans/AP hide caption toggle caption Mel Evans/AP The town of Duryea, Pa., is on the banks of the Lackawanna River. Residents can see the low, placid water from their churches, schools and houses.
Skip next section Rescue chances fade for stranded humpback whale March 29, 2026 Rescue chances fade for stranded humpback whale The chances of rescuing a stranded humpback whale in the Baltic Sea near Wismar have worsened significantly, according to marine experts.