Explainers

There’s a transformation taking place on farms across the United States.

Learn about the different types of drought, the many factors that contribute to their development, and how climate change can have a significant effect on many of them.

Analysis and information on the EPA's Clean Power Plan.

A slideshow PDF that explains the structure and function of a typical boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR).

It most certainly does not—but it does change the intensity of the heaviest storms.

A straightforward explanation of how we know that humans cause global warming, using charts, graphs, and plain language.

Which 20 countries emit the most carbon dioxide? This table shows data compiled by the Energy Information Agency, which estimates carbon dioxide emissions from all sources of fossil fuel burning and consumption.

Wildfire activity in the US is changing dangerously, as conditions become hotter and drier due to climate change.

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program is a California state regulation that requires automakers to sell electric cars and trucks in California.

Our planet's rich variety of plant and animal life provides many important products and services—from foods and medicines to clean water and pest control—as well as a multitude of less tangible benefits.

Here are four key methods 21st-century farmers are adopting to take better care of the land that they—and we—depend on.

Formed deep underground over thousands of years of heat and pressure, coal is a carbon-rich black rock that releases energy when burned.

Increasingly destructive hurricanes are putting a growing number of people and communities at risk.

Major fossil fuel companies have known for decades that their products—oil, natural gas, and coal—cause global warming.

Certain consequences of global warming are now inevitable, including sea level rise, more frequent and severe heat waves, growing wildfire risks, and an increase in extreme weather events.

Learn how global warming is affecting the US Midwest—and why these consequences will become more costly and damaging in the years to come.

The Clean Air Act has a long record of keeping Americans safe from air pollution and its damaging health effects. A recent decision by Environmental Protection Agency threatens to walk back these vital protections.

A crucial resource helping policymakers use science to serve the public good, federal science advisory committees are facing unprecedented neglect under the Trump administration.