National Geographic News - Environment

WEEK IN PHOTOS: Texas Sinkhole, Myanmar Cyclone, More

Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

See a supercell light up the Texas sky, U.S. Marines braving a sandstorm in Afghanistan, the Olympic torch reach the top of Mount Everest, and more.

Livestock, Pets Left Behind As Chile Volcano Fears Loom

Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Tens of thousands of animals are trapped in an ash-covered region of southern Chile after their owners have been forced to flee the still-active volcano.

VIDEO: What If Earth Warms 6 Degrees?

Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Mass extinctions and other nightmare scenarios figure into one expert's speculations on what Earth would be like at 6°C (10.8°F) warmer.

Chile Forces Volcano Evacuation After Hot-Rock Eruption

Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Troops forced out the last holdouts after glowing rocks spewed from Chaitén. An expert warns that a catastrophic flow of toxic gas and ash could follow.

Why the Cyclone in Myanmar Was So Deadly

Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

A "perfect storm" of factors—from location to wind speed to poor preparation—have resulted in perhaps a hundred thousand deaths from Cyclone Nargis.

VIDEO: Orangutans Extinct in 3 Years?

Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The world's largest group of orangutans in Indonesia may face extinction by 2011 because of palm oil plantation expansion, which is destroying habitat, experts say.

Once Lush Sahara Dried Up Over Millennia, Study Says

Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The grassy prehistoric Sahara turned to desert more slowly than previously thought, a new report says—and some say global warming may turn the desert green once again.

Great Tit Birds Shift Mating Schedules Due to Warming

Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Great tits are timing their egg laying to coincide with an earlier emergence of caterpillars in England, a decades-long study has found.

PHOTOS: Chile Volcano Hurts Animals, Farms

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Thousands of horses, cows, and other livestock face a possibly toxic brew of deep ash and gases. And the region's all-important farms may be devastated for decades.

100,000 May Have Died in Myanmar Cyclone, U.S. Says

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Bodies floated in floodwaters, and survivors tried to reach dry ground using blankets as sails, while a U.S. diplomat said up to a hundred thousand may have died.