Julia Simon
Stories
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Health
He started protesting about his middle school principal. Now he's taking on Big Oil
This year, Chima Williams of Nigeria was a winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize for his activism, targeting Shell for an oil spill in his homeland. Here's how the case went.
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Health
Whatever happened to the Malawian anti-plastic activist inspired by goats?
Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, after seeing goats dying from eating plastic bags, took on the plastic industry and won the Goldman Environmental Prize. But Malawi's plastic industry still poses challenges.
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Environment
Drought threatens coal plant operations — and electricity — across the West
The Western drought and shrinking Colorado River basin threaten operations at the region's coal plants. With a looming risk of blackouts, it's unclear who is overseeing this threat on the ground.
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Environment
World Food Prize goes to former farmer who answers climate change question: 'So what?'
The 2022 honoree is Cynthia Rosenzweig, whose computer modeling has shown the impact on global food yield. She talks about her "aha" moment — and the biggest surprise in her findings.
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Environment
A Hotter Climate Means Falling Trees — And More Power Outages
Power outages are a growing problem in a hotter climate, and it's not just from bigger storms. Rising temperatures are also damaging trees, making them more likely to fall on power lines.
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Environment
She Owes Her Big Environmental Prize To Goats Eating Plastic Bags
The demise of the bag-consuming herbivores led Gloria Majiga-Kamoto to push for Malawi to enact a promised ban on single-use thin plastic. Her activism has won her a 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize.
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Environment
Do Carbon Offsets Actually Work? 'Planet Money' Takes A Look
More and more companies are pledging to cut carbon emissions. Many say they'll buy carbon offsets that save forests, but counting how much carbon is actually saved is fuzzy math.
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Environment
To Some Solar Users, Power Company Fees Are An Unfair Charge
Alabama has some of highest solar fees in the U.S. and critics say it's hurting solar customers. It's one of several states where utilities are proposing or raising fees for homes with rooftop solar.
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Health
Why An Indonesian Rehab Center Doesn't Insist On Abstinence
Sam Nugraha of Indonesia says that in his country, a smile can be a mask covering inner turmoil. So how do you get addicts to be honest?
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Politics
The Evolution Of Antitrust Laws In America
With presidential candidates talking about breaking up big companies, NPR's Planet Money looks at the origins of America's antitrust laws.