Dan Charles

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.

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

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.)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.