The carcasses of dead pelicans still litter the beaches of northern Peru, even as the last of nearly 900 dolphins are cleared away.

The amount of plastic trash in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has increased 100-fold during the past 40 years, causing "profound" changes to the marine environment, according to a new study.

Up to 3,675 new natural gas wells on federal land in Utah were approved Tuesday by the Obama administration in a deal that even has the backing of key environmental groups.

(Reuters) - Vermont will be the first state to outlaw a controversial oil and gas drilling method known as fracking when Governor Peter Shumlin signs a bill banning the practice, a largely symbolic move given the state's apparent lack of energy reserves.

The previous 12 months were the warmest in the U.S. since record keeping began in 1895, government scientists reported Tuesday, with the period averaging 55.7 degrees Fahrenheit — nearly three degrees warmer than the average May-April.

The earthquake and tsunami that rocked Chile in 2010 unleashed substantial and surprising changes on ecosystems there, yielding insights on how these natural disasters can affect life and how sea level rise might affect the world, researchers say.

Peru's government declares a health alert along its northern coastline as it investigates the unexplained deaths of hundreds of dolphins and pelicans.