Dan Charles

Dan Charles appears in the following:

Why a campaign has started to bring back some plants that have been forgotten

Thursday, April 18, 2024

The world depends on just a few crops for most of its food. Because that dependence could be risky, a new international effort supports research and development of overlooked plants as food sources.

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Why there's a storm brewing about global food aid from the U.S.

Tuesday, January 09, 2024

The act of providing food aid to countries in need turns out to be a complicated and controversial matter. Here's why.

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Why growing wind and solar projects can't connect to the grid

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Many green energy projects want to connect to the grid but they're running into a surprising obstacle. (Story aired on All Things Considered on June 15,2023.)

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Wind and solar projects are growing, but many can't actually connect to the grid

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Tons of green energy projects, both wind and solar, want to connect to the grid. But they're running into a surprising obstacle.

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Some of America's biggest vegetable growers fought for water. Then the water ran out

Thursday, December 15, 2022

For years, powerful farmers in California's Central Valley fought for more water from the state's rivers. Now some are changing course, because there's no more water to be found.

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Reformist farmers in California are rethinking water

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Reformist farmers in California have deposed the leader of the country's biggest irrigation district, who was known for fighting water regulations. Farmers are accepting less water means less farming.

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Could this cheaper, more climate-friendly perennial rice transform farming?

Monday, November 07, 2022

A promising, less labor-intensive perennial rice is beginning to take off in China, but whether this success can be replicated in other crops like wheat or corn remains to be seen.

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'Water batteries' could store solar and wind power for when it's needed

Friday, October 14, 2022

San Diego has an ambitious plan to store renewable energy, using extra solar power to pump water up a mountain. This old-style "water battery" technology could be set for a revival.

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Meet the California farmers awash in Colorado River water, even in a drought

Tuesday, October 04, 2022

A single irrigation district in California, along the Mexican border, takes more water from the Colorado River than all of Arizona and Nevada. It's under pressure to use less.

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To fight climate change, and now Russia, too, Zurich turns off natural gas

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Zurich, Switzerland, is shutting down the gas supply to some neighborhoods. Originally aimed at fighting climate change and saving money, it's also a step to cut gas imports from Russia.

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How dairy farmers are cashing in on California's push for cleaner fuel

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Big dairy farms are profiting from California's tougher limits on greenhouse emissions. They're getting paid to capture methane from cow manure. But critics say the system subsidizes polluters.

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A satellite finds massive methane leaks from gas pipelines

Thursday, February 03, 2022

A satellite has detected massive leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from natural gas plants and pipelines. Most of these releases are deliberate, resulting from sloppy pipeline repairs.

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In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

President Biden's lofty domestic goals were brought down to earth by congressional opposition, notably from one Democratic senator. International efforts to fight planetary warming also fell short.

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With the loss of Manchin's vote, Biden's climate change agenda may be doomed

Monday, December 20, 2021

Despite a year of increasing weather disasters, Biden's ambitious climate plans may be doomed in Congress.

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Most nations are promising to end deforestation, but skeptics want proof

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

More than a hundred countries just promised to protect and restore forests. Similar pledges in the past have not succeeded, but forest advocates hope that this effort can learn from past mistakes.

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Scientists are working to figure out how climate change influences tornadoes

Monday, December 13, 2021

Tornadoes remain among the most unpredictable weather events. Unlike hurricanes, there's little evidence so far that the planet's warming climate is producing more of them, or more severe ones.

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Carbon trading gets a green light from the U.N., and Brazil hopes to earn billions

Monday, December 06, 2021

Carbon offsets got a big boost from November's U.N. climate summit. New rules could make it easier for companies to pay for carbon-cutting projects in other countries, rather than doing it themselves.

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World leaders commit to ambitious goals at U.N. climate summit

Saturday, November 13, 2021

The U.N. climate summit's landmark decision sets aggressive targets for cutting greenhouse emissions. It also promises more aid for developing countries, but many of those countries wanted more.

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Climate negotiations at COP26 center on timeline and aid to developing countries

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Climate negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, have gone into overtime. Countries are divided over how quickly to cut greenhouse gas emissions and over aid to developing countries.

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Negotiators are in the home stretch on the final day of UN climate conference

Friday, November 12, 2021

The final day of COP26, the UN's conference where global leaders and delegates are negotiating crucial and concrete strategies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, is underway in Glasgow, Scotland.

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