People & Population

"The Vaux's Swift is a tiny bird – some people call it “a cigar with wings.” But every fall these little birds make a big trip, from summer breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest down to their winter home in Central and South America. Along the way, many of them roost as a big flock in chimneys up and down the west coast. And their murmurations in the air – and simultaneously dive together into chimneys – are so spectacular that they draw crowds."

"New Yorkers are spending billions on houses in flood-prone areas despite growing awareness of the effects of climate change."

"It was just before dawn when the Ashaninka people, wearing long, tunic-like dresses, began singing traditional songs while playing drums and other instruments. The music drifted through Apiwtxa village, which had welcomed guests from Indigenous communities in Brazil and neighboring Peru, some having traveled three days. As the sun rose, they moved beneath the shadow of a huge mango tree."

"Twenty-one young people on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a novel lawsuit claiming the U.S. government's energy policies violate their rights to be protected from climate change."

"Concern about the fossil fuel and plastics industries’ alleged deception about recycling is growing, with new polling showing a majority of American voters, including 54% of Republicans, support legal efforts to hold the sectors accountable."

"Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin of Maryland is calling on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and his government to release multiple political prisoners before COP29 gets underway this November in the city of Baku."

"Urban wet markets are fertile grounds for viral transmission, experts say. Outbreaks of bird flu have already occurred."

"The family placed flowers by a pair of weathered cowboy boots, as people quietly gathered for the memorial of the soft-spoken tribal chairman who mentored teens in the boxing ring and teased his grandkids on tractor rides. Left unsaid, and what troubled Marvin Cota’s family deep down, was that his story ended like so many others on the remote Duck Valley Indian Reservation. He was healthy for decades. They found the cancer too late."

"The island is struggling to build a more stable electrical grid. What’s taking so long?"