The Conversation

THE CONVERSATION: How redefining just one word could strip the Endangered Species Act’s ability to protect vital habitat

May 14, 2025

By Mariah Meek, Michigan State University and Karrigan Börk, University of California, Davis It wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit...

THE CONVERSATION: Federal laws don’t ban rollbacks of environmental protection, but they don’t make it easy

The Conversation

Policy and regulation

April 21, 2025

By Stan Meiburg, Wake Forest University President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin have announced their intent...

THE CONVERSATION: Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research

The Conversation

Water quality

April 12, 2025

By Jack Brand, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Michael Bertram, Stockholm University “Out of sight, out of mind” is...

THE CONVERSATION: EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?

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Policy and regulation Science

April 8, 2025

By H. Christopher Frey, North Carolina State University Science is essential as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency carries out its...

THE CONVERSATION: Revoking EPA’s endangerment finding – the keystone of US climate policies – won’t be simple and could have unintended consequences

The Conversation

Policy and regulation

March 20, 2025

Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law & Graduate School Most of the United States’ major climate regulations are underpinned by one important...

THE CONVERSATION: Zombie water apocalypse: Is Trump’s rhetoric over Canada’s water science-fiction or reality?

The Conversation

Policy and regulation

March 13, 2025

By Tricia Stadnyk, University of Calgary Interest from the United States in Canada’s water is concerning, though nothing new. In...

THE CONVERSATION: Supreme Court sides with San Francisco, requiring EPA to set specific targets in water pollution permits

The Conversation

Policy and regulation

March 5, 2025

By Robin Kundis Craig, University of Kansas The U.S. Supreme Court has limited how flexible the Environmental Protection Agency and...

THE CONVERSATION: NOAA’s vast public weather data powers the local forecasts on your phone and TV – a private company alone couldn’t match it

The Conversation

Hydrology Planning and management

February 11, 2025

By Christine Wiedinmyer, University of Colorado Boulder and Kari Bowen, University of Colorado Boulder When a hurricane or tornado starts...

THE CONVERSATION: Drought can hit almost anywhere: How 5 cities that nearly ran dry got water use under control

The Conversation

Planning and management

February 5, 2025

By Sara Hughes, Adjunct Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; and Michael Wilson, Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee...

THE CONVERSATION: After the fire: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger deadly debris flows – a geologist explains how

The Conversation

Wildfires and watersheds

January 23, 2025

By Jen Pierce, Boise State University While firefighters work to extinguish the Los Angeles-area wildfires, city officials and emergency managers...

THE CONVERSATION: LA fires: Why fast wildfires and those started by human activities are more destructive and harder to contain

The Conversation

Climate change Wildfires and watersheds

January 14, 2025

Virginia Iglesias, University of Colorado Boulder Investigators are trying to determine what caused several wind-driven wildfires that have destroyed thousands...