Americans in need of emergency disaster housing surged in 2020
Record-breaking wildfires and a relentless hurricane season — on top of an ongoing pandemic — have left more Americans in need of emergency housing than ever before.
ClimateWatch: Climate Change News & Features
Australia's Great Barrier Reef status lowered to "critical"
The world's largest coral reef is now in "critical" condition — the most urgent designated status.
2020 on track to be one of the 3 warmest years on record
As climate impacts reach unprecedented levels, several nations' new emission reduction targets offer renewed hope.
Tens of thousands without power as new fires erupt in California
Almost 60,000 people in southern California are without electricity and hundreds are fleeing their homes as Santa Anna winds fuel new wildfires.
Severe wildfires burning 8 times more area in western U.S.
An exponential increase in high-severity fires threatens a forest's ability to return to its normal state.
Climate action needs American leadership, U.N. chief says
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that three-fourths of new and emerging human infectious diseases are animal-to-human.
Fire devastates world's largest sand island
The fire as been raging for more than six weeks and is consuming large swaths of Fraser Island's unique forests.
COVID lockdowns' impact on greenhouse gas emissions a "tiny blip"
U.N. weather agency voices hope for lasting change after pandemic, but says reduction in greenhouse gases during lockdowns was just a "tiny blip."
Arctic temperatures are astonishingly warmer than they should be
The entire Arctic Circle was an average of 12 degrees Fahrenheit above normal this weekend.
The record-shattering 2020 hurricane season, explained
Like so many other aspects of 2020, the Atlantic hurricane season hurled one shocking event after another.
The air got cleaner in 2020, thanks to the pandemic
But a climate-driven historic wildfire season held back progress on emissions.
389-day Arctic research mission brings urgent call for climate action
"Trying is not enough anymore. We must take action," warns one scientist who spent more than a year gathering data in the rapidly warming far north.
U.K. leader says new gas cars sales will be banned in a decade
PM Boris Johnson brings forward deadline on sale of new gas and diesel cars and vans as he promises Britons a future full of green jobs.
What Biden can do to "reverse the trajectory" on climate change
If President-elect Joe Biden has his way, the tide is about to turn on climate policy. But how much could he really do without Senate support?
Bezos announces first winners of $10 billion climate-change pledge
Prominent environmental nonprofits dominate the first round of "Bezos Earth Fund" grants, which total $791 million.
What climate policy could look like under a President Biden
The president-elect has a bold plan for going green — here's what he can do even without support from lawmakers.
Theta forms, breaking record for most named storms in a season
This is storm number 29, breaking the record of 28 tropical storms set in the memorable season of 2005.
Joe Biden vows to rejoin Paris climate deal if elected
Biden, who has his own climate change agenda, signaled the exodus would end the day he enters office.
Tropical Storm Eta ties record for most named storms in a season
While the number of storms in 2005 was also 28, this is the first time the name Eta will ever be used.
What is fracking, and where do Trump and Biden stand on it?
The issue has been raised numerous times as the candidates make their final push to reach voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Trump falsely claims wind energy "kills all the birds"
"I know more about wind than you do," Mr. Trump said during the presidential debate, erroneously claiming it "kills all the birds."
Colorado wildfires show "climate change is here and now"
As bad as this year has been, scientists warn it's "unlikely that the records from 2020 will stand for long."
Inside Gen Z's fight for climate change action
"We are racing against time," one 18-year-old activist says. "We want our future to be better."
For many climate change finally hits home
With record wildfires and hurricanes ravaging the United States, the effects of extreme weather events made worse by climate change are becoming more visible, and costly, to more and more Americans
Largest wildfire in Colorado history burns over 167,000 acres
The blaze, which is expected to surge again into the weekend, has surpassed 167,000 acres.
Science
Neil deGrasse Tyson on why he's still waiting for proof of aliens
Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why, despite believing life likely exists elsewhere, he's still waiting for real proof.
Neil deGrasse Tyson on new book
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss his updated book "Just Visiting This Planet," which tackles more than 200 questions about science and the universe — including why the sky is blue.
Fall foliage colors muted in several regions due to drought
Leaf-peeping season has arrived in the Northeast and beyond, but weeks of drought have dulled this year's autumn colors and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual.
Arctic seals, most bird species on new list of threatened species
One bright spot is green sea turtles, which have recovered substantially, the IUCN said as it released its latest Red List of Threatened Species.
Bear injures 2 in Japanese grocery store, man killed in separate attack
As Japan faces rising human-bear encounters, an animal trapped in a grocery store injured two men, while a separate reported mauling proved fatal.
Interstellar comet passing by Mars seen in rare images
The images taken by two Mars orbiters show a bright, fuzzy white dot of the comet, also known as 3I/ATLAS, appearing to move against a backdrop of distant stars.
Nobel in Physics goes to 3 scientists for work on quantum technology
One of 2025's three Nobel Prize in Physics winners says the trio's work is "one of the underlying reasons that cellphones work.''
Bill Nye warns U.S. could "cede leadership to other countries" if NASA budget is cut
Bill Nye the Science Guy on Monday protested against a federal budget proposal that would see NASA's funding reduced from $24 billion to $18.8 billion.
3 scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries in immunology
Nobel Prize committee chair says discoveries by the trio of researchers were "decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions."
Supermoon will appear tonight. Here's what to know.
The first supermoon of 2025 will arrive soon. Here's what to know about the phenomenon.
Mysterious planet is gobbling 6 billion tons of gas and dust a second
ESO's Very Large Telescope has observed a rogue planet and revealed that it is eating up gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of 6 billion tons a second.
Saturn's moon shows favorable conditions for life: "Simply phenomenal"
Enceladus has long been considered a prime candidate in the search for life beyond Earth because of its hidden ocean and plumes of water erupting from cracks near its south pole.
From the archives: Naturalist Jane Goodall
Famed naturalist Jane Goodall, who dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees and protecting the environment, died on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 at age 91. In this Oct. 24, 2021 "Sunday Morning" profile, she talked with Seth Doane about her fascination with animals, her groundbreaking work with primates, and her advocacy for a more sustainable future.
Bermuda braces for Hurricane Imelda after a brush with Humberto
The outer bands of Humberto lashed Bermuda ahead of a more direct pass from the newer and stronger Hurricane Imelda.
Why crickets are as good as a thermometer
The chirping of crickets in your backyard can be a soothing seasonal sound, but did you know it's also an accurate way to tell the temperature – if you know the mathematical formula? Robert Krulwich and puppeteer Barnaby Dixon explain.