Stories

Wet Weather Waterlogs New Hampshire Summer Tourism

July 27, 2021

Recent heavy rain is putting a damper on New Hampshire’s summer activities. The record-setting rain that’s hit the state lately has limited the number of tourists heading outside. Many outdoor-centered businesses are improvising after expecting a busy summer with easing pandemic restrictions. New England is experiencing more precipitation, in larger, more concentrated amounts, and at…

Read More

White Mountain Forest Steps Up Wildfire Prevention Efforts In High-Risk Neighborhoods

July 14, 2021

The warming climate is raising the risk of wildfires across the entire U.S., even in states like New Hampshire. Now, forest managers in the White Mountains are stepping up their efforts to prevent major damage, and warning neighbors: It could happen here. On the edge of the White Mountain National Forest in Conway, N.H., public…

Read More

Windfall: The Birth of a New American Industry

July 3, 2021

The United States is poised for the birth of a brand new industry, one that will invest tens of billions of dollars in our economy, reshape our coastal communities, and one that could be one of the sharpest knives in our fight against climate change: offshore wind. It may also represent the first time truly…

Read More

Climate Change Spells End For Climate-Monitoring Weather Station on Cape Cod

June 17, 2021

Since November, the bluff on which the weather station sits has eroded at a rate of 1.78 feet each week, on average. Now, all that stands between the building and the sea is 30 feet of sand. It’s a cruel irony: in this place where scientists study Mother Nature, she’s telling them to leave.

Read More

As Sea Levels Rise in Boston, Stormwater May Have Nowhere To Go

June 17, 2021

Even the experts agree: no one wants to think about the sewer system. “Most people, all they care about is you flush the toilet, it goes away. You do the sink, it goes away. The water comes out, the water turns off. It rains, the water goes away. As long as it’s gone, nobody thinks…

Read More

The Blue Line Was Named For Boston Harbor. Now The Sea Threatens The Service

June 15, 2021

Tidal flats and marshland once surrounded much of Boston, swelling and soaking as the rain fell and tides ebbed and flowed. But over the course of the city’s nearly 400 years, those sensitive areas were slowly filled in to make more buildable land, leaving just 200 acres of wild marsh along the border between Boston…

Read More

The 1-2-3s Of Boston’s Rising Sea Level

June 15, 2021

Boston faces climate change threats from both rising seas and flooding during big rainstorms. These problems are complicated, and they’ll have a profound effect on residents and much of the regional economy. We cover a lot of this information in WBUR’s series “Boston Under Water,” but to help you wrap your head around the issues,…

Read More

Branching Out: Novel Tree Syrups Could Make Forests, Farmers More Resilient

May 19, 2021

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire are studying new ways to make syrup out of the northern forest — not from maple trees, but from beeches, birches, sycamores and more. They want to create new markets for an industry that, right now, depends on just one kind of tree – making it vulnerable to…

Read More

Greening The Grave: Why More People Are Choosing Climate-Friendly Burials

May 6, 2021

Nettie Lesser’s grave is tucked in the back of Mount Auburn Cemetery in a quiet area surrounded by trees and birds and a carpet of purple flowers starting to bloom. The plot blends into the scene around it, the only marker a small plaque the size of a hockey puck; you wouldn’t know it was a…

Read More

On Revere’s Pearl Avenue, Residents Grapple With The Rising Tide Of Climate Change

April 23, 2021

In the Beachmont neighborhood of Revere, there’s a street called Pearl Avenue. It’s a wide quiet street with views of the Atlantic Ocean, Belle Isle Marsh and the Boston skyline — the sort of place that’s great to raise a family, residents say. And in fact, many of its residents are part of one big,…

Read More