For the first time in more than two decades, giant pandas are en route from China to a San Diego zoo in the U.S. — a sign that Beijing is resuming its so-called “panda diplomacy” efforts as relations with the West thaw.

Four-year-old Yun Chuan, a male panda, and Xin Bao, a female panda who’s turning four in July, departed from Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, in China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday.

The pair will reside at the San Diego Zoo for the next 10 years, according to a press release from the zoo.

Many low-income urban areas in the United States have a pressing need for trees. With about half as much tree canopy coverage as their affluent counterparts have, these areas face a host of risks, such as air pollution, poor water quality, and dangerously high heat.

But government tree-planting programs meant to close this gap can face resistance from the very communities they intend to help. The resistance, research shows, is tied not only to residents’ lack of means to maintain trees but also to distrust. 

The strongest solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular auroras worldwide.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, the first of several coronal mass ejections (CME) occurred shortly after 1600 GMT.

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm. It was the first such storm since the Halloween storms of October 2003, which caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa.

In Los Angeles, those who wage war on mosquitoes are adding a weapon to their arsenal: more mosquitoes.

The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District on Thursday launched a pilot program to release tens of thousands of irradiated, lab-raised mosquitoes into the local environment. These mosquitoes are all male and have been sterilized by the radiation, so the hope is that they will find wild female mates and impregnate them with dead-end sperm, rendering the resulting eggs worthless. 

President Joe Biden will be signing a proclamation that will expand the coverage of two national monuments in California, a move that would protect approximately 120,000 acres of land, the White House reported.

The two national monuments include the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryess Snow Mountain National Monument.

Born in 1970, Earth Day has evolved into one of the largest civic events of all time. When we observe the 54th Earth Day on April 22, the health and safety of the planet couldn’t be timelier, especially when it comes to dealing with the proliferation of plastic.

"Planet vs Plastics" is the theme of Earth Day this year. Why?  Because, according to the event’s organizers, "plastics are a danger to humanity and all living creatures, disrupting the balance of life on Earth." Therefore, "EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040."  

The time has come for us to stop “recycling” plastic. Plastic as a material is not recyclable, and the very best thing we can do to celebrate Earth Day this year is to acknowledge that fact.

Oregon’s gray wolf population did not increase last year due in part to a large number of wolves killed by people, causing concern among conservationists and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.