Environment
ArchiveLax government oversight of Canada’s massive tar sands industry is leading to adverse environmental and health impacts. Investigative journalist Ted Genoways reports on these problems for his latest story in the December issue of Outside. Video courtesy of the NRDC. …
How Sandra Steingraber is leading the war against hydraulic fracking
Billy Parish's quest to make renewable energy the way of the future
The film, directed by anthropologist Pegi Vail, takes a critical look at how and why we inadvertently love places to death.
In the southern Appalachians, one man found that he could stoke a new generation of trail workers with some very old technology.
Stormchasers are risking everything to get closer to tornadoes than ever before. Last spring, during the deadly Oklahoma City outbreaks, they got more than they bargained for. Read the full story.
Motivated by adventure, science, and awe at the power of nature, stormchasers are risking it all to get closer to tornadoes than ever before. Last spring, during the deadly Oklahoma City outbreaks, they got more than they bargained for.
A new documentary features scientists, policy makers and activists who are all wrangling for a cleaner, clearer lake. Watch the full film here.
Warming, polluted waters and increasingly acidic ocean chemistry are landing a one-two punch on marine ecosystems and reef colonies. A new database brings dying corals to the surface.
New Jersey’s post-Sandy strategy: massive resistance to rising seas
Geologist Orrin Pilkey predicted exactly what a storm like Sandy would do to the mid-Atlantic coast and New York City. On a tour of destruction after the deluge, he and David Gessner ponder a troubling question: Why are people rebuilding, as if all this isn't going to happen again?
The billions in federal Sandy relief will mainly be used to rebuild what was there before
Officials have released a detail analysis of the deadly fire that killed 19 elite hotshots. Although much has been previously reported, the document offers a few revelations. Here’s what you need to know.
Is another megaflood imminent in the Boulder, Colorado, area? One thing's for sure—they're gonna need a bigger sewer system.
The course for last weekend's Red Earth Mountain Bike Race in Ishpeming, Michigan, cruised past the ghosts of mining's past—but was underwritten by mining's present.
On the morning of June 30, all 20 members of Prescott, Arizona's Granite Mountain Hotshots headed into the mountains to protect the small town of Yarnell from an advancing blaze. Later that day, every man but one was dead. Through interviews with family, colleagues, and the lone survivor, a former hotshot pieces together their final hours—and the fatal choices that will haunt firefighting forever.
Can you hear us now, wolves? How 'bout now? "Non-consumptive" uses of wolves are increasingly popular in the Upper Midwest, but they could turn into too much of a good thing.
In order to determine how 400-foot, 2,000-year-old Redwoods are fairing in our changing climate, this Berkeley researcher puts on his climbing harness.
Starting this week, Sampson, a rescued Labrador with Conservation Canines, will sniff out a very rare and endangered salamander in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains.
Welcome to Deerlandia, where we kill deer and they kill us. Too bad it's not a spoof.
Does the National Park Service need to offer WiFi, cell service and RV hookups to survive?
The big surprise about the return of great whites to the birthplace of Jaws? No one’s freaking out.
SeaWorld has called the new documentary Blackfish, about its treatment of orcas in captivity, “shamefully dishonest, deliberately misleading, and scientifically inaccurate.” But the co-writer argues that the facts speak for themselves.
The Chokecherry/Sierra Madre wind farm promises to spin up enough electrons to power a million homes, but the project is also a poster child for the fears and anxieties renewable energy can bring to rural America— and to anglers.
Why is Europe dominating the United States in meteorological prognostication? Follow the money.
After Sandy, attention turned to fortifying New York City. But another location on the eastern seaboard faces a more immediate threat.
The battle over a major mining project in Wisconsin's Penokee Hills used to be based on environmental impacts, recreation access, and jobs. Now it's about heavily-armed militia groups brought in to protect mine workers from "eco-terrorist types."
An upcoming film from snowboarder Jeremy Jones aims to get the word out on an energy story that dwarfs the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
What would summer be without access to clean water for swimming, fishing, surfing and paddling? It would probably be about as fun as summer without access to good beer.
Haboobs? Volcano lightning? Keep your hat on, the sky isn't falling just yet.
He was a passionate crusader for conservation and alternative energy, but his first love and last steps were in the wild.
Senior editor Grayson Schaffer was on assignment reporting a story on—coincidentally—tornadoes when this twister hit the Denver airport.
Climate scientists Jason Box and McKenzie Skiles are packing up their ice core drills and heading to Greenland on a crowd-funded expedition.
Drought and climate change have turned western forests into firebombs that go off every summer. Even with new technology, the essential weapon in the fight against flame are the Hotshots, an elite group of wilderness first responders who head straight for the heat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency is making its long-awaited move to lift federal protections for the gray wolf while focusing more resources on Mexican wolf recovery. But the fate of the species remains unclear.
An incredibly beautiful time-lapse of a forest fire burning out of control in northern New Mexico. May 31, 2013.
Competitive paddler and environmental scientist Kristen Podolak works at the confluence of water and fire as The Nature Conservancy's conservation planner
Cruise lines are big on luxury, with an environmental impact to match. With outdated regulations and uneven cleanup efforts, there may be rough seas ahead for the industry (and the environment).
Long-distance cyclists are photographing roadkill in an effort to help scientists determine how to protect various species. A new app can help you do the same.
Environmentalists gain an unlikely ally
With the number of fracking wells surrounding National Parks skyrocketing, a watchdog group exposes the true extent of their damage to our public lands
Carl Zimmer walks into the woods to find out why these tiny beasts are skyrocketing in number—and outsmarting scientists with every bite
The climate activist was released yesterday after being incarcerated for 21 months
While a federal agency works to remove the grizzly bear from the endangered species list, opening the population to hunting, conservationists worry
Mined, dammed, and sucked dry: The annual list of of the country's most endangered waterways is out—and it isn't pretty.
When the Florida Wildlife Commission offered $1,500 for the most Burmese Pythons caught in the Everglades in a month, they had no idea that almost 1,600 would-be wranglers and a cabal of journalists would flock to the cypress swamps for what turned out to be more of a reality-TV audition than a good ole-fashioned bounty hunt. Now that the dust has settled, what
A new startup presents an energy-harvesting soccer ball that will bring easy electricity to resource-poor communities
Tomorrow, on World Water Day, a new start-up is launching a program that aims to raise $1 billion to improve clean water infrastructure by convincing resorts around the world to stop importing plastic bottles
Desertification is out of control, but there may be a way to stop it
Go see the New York Historical Society's exhibition of John James Audubon's "Audubon's Aviary" or go buy the book. Do it now.
The first of a new Adventure Ethics feature wherein we profile those whose work places them at the intersection of adventure and environmental issues
Rachel Dickinson boards a sailboat with ornithologists for a 10-hour voyage to the most remote island in the Falklands, which is home to more than half a million birds
Metallic mining in Wisconsin used to be tightly regulated. Mining Bill SB 1, signed into law by Scott Walker on Monday, is changing that.
The Patagonia founder dishes on environmental activism and the outdoor apparel industry at a sustainable business conference in San Francisco
Denim. American denim.
As rising waters lap at endangered species' heels, the most effective responses are likely found outside the scope of that landmark legislation
In this chapter from Animal Wise, the latest book from journalist Virginia Morell, the author visits renowned scientist Dr. Irene Pepperberg to explore cognition in parrots, specifically, Alex the African Grey
Though its funding ends next year, the Transit in Parks program is seeking solutions to congested parks and opening federal lands to non-motorized travel
Travis Winn, a 29-year-old river guide based in Kunming, is working to bring people from China’s growing cities out to see the last remaining wild river in the country and, in doing so, martial their support for protecting it from a series of proposed dams
With Jewell, the CEO and president of REI, at the helm of the Department of the Interior, could the industry finally find its green mojo?
When an unidentified hunter took out an alpha wolf that has long been a favorite of park tourists and an important part of ongoing research, he unwittingly drew many once-casual observers into a contentious battle between wildlife management, scientists, and hunting advocates
If it takes off, crowdfunded science could create a platform for more nimble, fast-paced research that isn't bogged down by bureaucracy
Browse hundreds of additional stories, gear reviews, interviews, photo galleries, and more on the environment and the ethics of adventure from the Adventure Ethics archive on Outside Online
Photo: Spatial Information Design Lab The Spatial Information Design Lab at Columbia University has built an informative and easy-to-use…
The author of The Fear Project (and Saltwater Buddha) shares what he learned about our most primal emotion during the many months he spent training for a go at Mavericks
What an ostrich sounds like. What an ostrich chick in an egg sounds like. Photo: Shutterstock You might know what an…
John Davis paddling in Congaree National Park. Photo: Susan Baycot Climate change, development, ranching, and oil and gas exploration tend to get a lot of ink when it comes to threats to wildlife in the Western United States. But wildlife corridors are another vital factor,…
On the night of January 11, 2013, during a dive off the Kona coast to view manta rays feeding on plankton, something strange happened. After the divers went down and lit up the water, a bottlenose dolphin slowly swam around them before aproaching…
Depending on where you live, the above video might make you think twice about putting water out for the birds. On January 17, a certain non-profit posted the video on their Facebook page with the following note: “During the drought in Colorado, a…
Noctilucent cloud. Photo: Courtesy of NASA When astronaut Chris Hadfield was asked last week what his favorite photo taken during the first three weeks of a stint on the International…
Here at Raising Rippers, we’re trying to be a little less digital and a little more analog-conscious this year, so it was with some trepidation that we stumbled upon callmehannah.ca, an eco-blog written by a nine-year-old Canadian girl named Hannah Alper. Since launching her site last June,…
Axie Navas takes a look at the controversy behind California's recent ban
Rush hour on Half Dome. Photo: DirectCutter I'll never forget the moment I first glimpsed the iconic Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. It was 2001 and I had recently moved to San Francisco for a job editing…
January through December 2012. Photo: NOAA Last year was the hottest year on record for the contiguous United States since record-keeping began in 1895, according to a Tuesday announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Here's a breakdown…
Planting bulrush in Bayou Sauvage. Photo: Joe Spring It's been seven years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 people and leaving molding shambles in its wake. New Orleans is still recovering, in some places more than others. This past May,…
Shark fins. Photo: Elira/Shutterstock In 2000, a graduate student at the Imperial College of London named Shelley Clarke began using shark fin data from the auction houses of Hong Kong and the ports of Taiwan…
Natural gas development has severely fragmented habitat in many parts of the country, including here, in Wyoming. In Part I of this series, Adventure Ethics interviewed Tom Butler, co-author of Energy: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth, a…
A mining town in Australia. Photo: Microstock Man/Shutterstock In Part I of this series, Adventure Ethics interviewed Tom Butler, co-author of Energy: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth, a new coffee table book by…