Climate Change

The urgency of addressing human causes of climate change has long been apparent. To amplify this issue that's paramount to us all, KPBS has launched a Climate Change Desk to step up our coverage of this existential threat including reported stories and interviews with experts and newsmakers.

Health

How to prepare for power outages if your health depends on home medical devices

Ginny Graves

For most people, power outages are an inconvenience. For those who count on electricity for home medical equipment, they can be a crisis. Here's how to plan ahead for health care needs in a blackout.
'We're screaming into the void.' Across the U.S., heat keeps breaking records

Julia Simon

It’s not your imagination. Temperature records are falling across the U.S. Climate scientists say they've been predicting this for decades.
Science & Technology

These monkeys were 'notoriously competitive' until Hurricane Maria wrecked their home

Ari Daniel

Rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago are known for being intolerant, hierarchical and aggressive. After 2017's Hurricane Maria destroyed their home, the monkeys' society underwent surprising changes.
Environment

‘Nothing will be protected’ — how California environmentalists killed a plan to fast-track ‘green’ energy

Ryan Sabalow

Nearly every major environmental group in California opposed the bill, which would have modified the state’s signature environmental law to speed up upgrades to power lines. Supporters said it would have helped free the state from fossil fuels and make the grid more reliable, but opponents feared it would damage state parks.
Far from the ocean, remnants of storms like Beryl can cause severe floods

Rebecca Hersher

Julia Simon

Even after storms lose their hurricane status and head far inland, they can still cause dangerous floods. Storms like Beryl pose risks far from the coast, even in Canada.
National

Border town firefighters scramble to save migrants from extreme summer heat

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán

Over two hot days, the Sunland Park Fire Department responded to 10 calls to help migrants overcome by heat illness. Firefighters say heat emergencies are increasingly common along the border.
June sizzled to a 13th straight monthly heat record, but July might break string

The Associated Press

It's not that records are being broken monthly but they are being "shattered by very substantial margins over the past 13 months," a climate scientist said.
National

Temperature records are shattered as extreme heat grips the West and East coasts

Juliana Kim

The heat wave in the U.S. is far from over. Parts of both coasts are bearing the brunt of the heat with record-breaking temperatures. The heat will continue its grip over the next few days.
National

As heat waves intensify, more public housing residents may get help with AC bills

Jennifer Ludden

For decades, public housing providers could subsidize heating bills but not air-conditioning. New Biden administration guidance changes that, but critics say it doesn't go far enough.
Why climate change makes a hurricane like Beryl more dangerous

Michael Copley

Rebecca Hersher

Record-shattering ocean temperatures have helped Beryl gain strength as it moves through the Caribbean. It is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever recorded this early in the year.