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Environment

The Bats of Bracken

As many as 20 million of the winged mammals gather at one Texas Hill Country cave, creating one of nature’s most jaw-dropping displays.

by Lise Olsen

Keep Reading

Corpus Christi Cuts Timeline to Disaster as Abbott Issues Emergency Orders

by Dylan Baddour

Consider the Rattle

by Asher Elbein

A New Generation of Industries Emerges in Texas from Federal Push for Mining Revival

by Dylan Baddour

A cartoon of firefighters accessing a burning building via a window, only to discover a Republican elephant inside. The fire is labeled "Climate Collapse." One firefighter turns to another and says, "Forget it—he insists fire is just a hoax." Feb 09, 2024

Loon Star State: Hoax

This is fine.

by Ben Sargent

A cluster of people with cameras gather among native plants as they hunt for signs of insects and other small wildlife near the visitor center at the LBJ WildFlower Center. Feb 05, 2024

Insects All Around Us

Exploring the foliage for crawling, flying critters in one of Austin’s most beautiful nature preserves.

by Kit O'Connell

A grainy photo of two fish, each about 2-inches long, nestled among underwater greenery. They have orange and pink scales, not unlike some goldfish. This species was recently declared extinct, decades after the last sighting. Dec 04, 2023

Going Extinct in Texas

Declaring an endangered species officially gone can take decades.

by Paula Levihn-Coon

A community fridge painted red, green, brown and yellow in a mosaic-like pattern reads "Free food. Give some, take some." It appears to be outside a deli or restaurant. Oct 27, 2023

Community Fridges Fight Hunger and Climate Change

These dropoff sites for free food appeared across the U.S. during the pandemic, reducing waste and methane emissions in the process.

by Max Graham

The sign outside the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality headquarters in Austin, Texas. Oct 13, 2023

Texas Wants to Adopt Outdated Cancer Risk Standard Despite Concerns

The state is proposing to approve a 17-year-old standard that leading scientists and public health officials call inadequate.

by Dylan Baddour

A ground level view of the wall at the U.S / Mexico border, standing under the sun in the desert. Oct 06, 2023

Biden Administration Waives 26 Laws to Accelerate Border Wall Construction

On the campaign trail, the president once promised there would “not be another foot” constructed under his watch.

by Sharon Zhang

An aerial view of an oil and gas refinery on the Gulf Coast in Texas City. Smokestacks and storage containers dot the landscape under a partly cloudy sky. Sep 13, 2023

Texas Bets on Undersea Carbon Capture, Despite Concerns

Critics worry about leakage through rock layers, pipeline safety and the lackluster record of the technology onshore.

by Amal Ahmed

A prisoner sits on his bunk in his white prison uniform, looking at the camera. The feet and legs of another prisoner sitting on an upper bunk is also visible. A cooling fan is installed nearby. Sep 13, 2023

‘It Will Take the Breath Out of You’: Prisoners Describe Extreme Nighttime Heat in Texas Units

TDCJ will allocate $85 million to provide more air conditioning. In the meantime, people are sweltering in their beds.

by Michelle Pitcher

A composite image, showing an outdoor music party glowing with lasers and colorful people on the right, and on the left the cover of The Free People's Village by Sim Kern, which shows a punk smashing a police robot with a baseball bat. Sep 12, 2023

The Free People’s Village: Everyday Life in Solarpunk Texas

In a novelist’s alternative Texas, Al Gore became president and the War on Climate Change began. What could go wrong?

by Texas Observer Staff

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