msnbc.com: Environment

Tuna carry Fukushima radiation to US

Mon, 28 May 2012 20:00:33 GMT

Across the vast Pacific, the mighty bluefin tuna carried radioactive contamination that leaked from Japan's crippled nuclear plant to the shores of the United States 6,000 miles away — the first time a huge migrating fish has been shown to carry radioactivity such a distance.

Japan: Fukushima nuclear pool not unstable

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:09:00 GMT

Amid concerns of a new disaster should a quake destroy the pool cooling off radioactive nuclear fuel rods at Fukushima's Reactor No. 4, Japan arranged a tour for journalists and declared the situation manageable -- but also very long term.

Canada axes entire marine pollution program

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:52:02 GMT

Canada is notifying government scientists that their jobs will be eliminated or affected by closure of the country's marine pollution program -- but at least one isn't going quietly.

Ohio legislature OKs bill on energy fracking rules

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:09:08 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - The Republican-led Ohio legislature approved a bill setting rules for drilling and related activities in the state's shale gas industry, in a vote late on Thursday, responding to a series of small earthquakes in Ohio last year that experts linked to a practice called fracking.

Weather chief quits after misappropriation probe

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:37:27 GMT

Jack Hayes, the director of the National Weather Service, has stepped down after an internal investigation concluded that the federal agency misappropriated millions in taxpayer dollars.

Is China poor? Key question at climate talks

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:12:37 GMT

Another round of U.N. climate talks closed Friday without resolving how to share the burden of curbing man-made global warming, mainly because countries don't agree on who is rich and who is poor.

Ready for a 'national mammal'? Bison fans are

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:28:33 GMT

Fans of bison are lobbying Congress to declare America's largest land mammal the "national mammal" -- putting it right up there with the bald eagle as an American icon.

'40 tons' of tsunami debris litters Alaska island

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:59:04 GMT

Cleanup workers will on Friday attack a jumble of debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami that litters an Alaskan island, as residents in the state gear up to scour their shores for everything from buoys to building material that has floated across the Pacific.

Two fishermen charged with shooting 11-foot alligator

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:08:25 GMT

Two Fort Worth, Texas, fishermen have been charged in the killing of a large alligator, but both say they were protecting themselves and never intended to commit any crime.

America's best beaches for 2012

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:49:13 GMT

This year, the top honor goes to Coronado Beach near San Diego, Calif., according to Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach.”

Deep-sea aliens hitched ride by submarine to pristine area

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:55:06 GMT

Sure, it sounds like a sci-fi movie: Alien species deep below the ocean latch onto scientists' gear, surface and cause havoc. But it could happen, scientists reported Thursday in a study that concludes those free rides can ruin ecosystems.

Global warming winner: Once rare butterfly thrives

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:08:54 GMT

Global warming is rescuing the once-rare brown Argus butterfly, scientists say.

359 elephant tusks smuggled in ship containers

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:44:44 GMT

Three shipping containers found in Sri Lanka stuffed with 359 elephant tusks came from Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service reported.

Obama taps Yucca Mtn critic to lead nuclear agency

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00:18 GMT

Moving quickly to stem a controversy, President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated an expert on nuclear waste to lead the federal agency that regulates the nation's nuclear power plants.

$10,000 reward in killings of grizzly and her cub

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:41:38 GMT

There's a hunter out there with a $10,000 bull's-eye on his back. That's the reward being offered for information leading to whoever shot a grizzly bear and her cub in Idaho.

Global CO2 emissions hit record, led by China

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:14:36 GMT

China spurred a jump in global carbon dioxide emissions to their highest ever recorded level in 2011, offsetting falls in the United States and Europe, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday.