Today's Top 5 Trending: US-Canada Climate Commitments, Houston's Hurricane Threat, Lead in Wells, CA's Stormwater, Lesser-Known National Parks

Obama and Trudeau Unveil Climate Efforts

President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday morning new commitments to reduce planet-warming emissions of methane, a chemical contained in natural gas that is about 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide and that can leak from drilling wells and pipelines. - New York Times

'We're Sitting Ducks'

Houston, home to millions of people and one of the largest shipping lanes in the world, is unprepared for the hurricane that could bring ecological and economic disaster. - Pro Publica

The Corrosive Dangers Lurking in Private Wells

Across the country, millions of Americans served by private wells drink, bathe and cook with water containing potentially dangerous amounts of lead, Reuters reporting and recent university studies show. - Reuters

Parched California Tries to Grab Stormwater Before It Escapes

A network of basins and wells, designed by geologists, can channel storm runoff into natural underground vaults before it vanishes into the sea. - Scientific American

National Parks: Where We Go and Don't Go

Much of the Park Service’s land in the West is poorly visited and little-known. - High Country News

Today's Top 5 Trending

What Will Be the Health Impact of California's Methane Leak?

One big unknown clouds the aftermath of the Los Angeles County methane disaster: the health effects for thousands of people living nearby who were exposed to the gas while it leaked for three and a half months. - InsideClimate News

As Mozambique's Rivers Dry Up, So Does Hope of a Harvest

As southern Africa grapples with devastating drought, maize fields lie empty, the soil is like sand and water must be shared between cattle and people. - The Guardian

Zika Outbreak Could Be Omen of Global Warming Threat

The global public health emergency involving deformed babies emerged in 2015, the hottest year in the historical record, with an outbreak in Brazil of a disease transmitted by heat-loving mosquitoes. Can that be a coincidence? - New York Times

Moving Beyond the Autobahn: Germany's New Bike Highways

With the recent opening of a “bike highway,” Germany is taking the lead in Europe by starting to build a network of wide, dedicated bicycle thoroughfares designed to lure increasing numbers of commuters out of their cars and onto two wheels. - Yale Environment 360

What Scalia's Death Means for Environment and Climate

Here's what Antonin Scalia's legacy on environment reveals about the importance of the next Supreme Court on the EPA Clean Power Plan and other matters. - US News and World Report