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While peatlands occupy just 3% of Earth's land surface, scientists say they store about 30% of the planet's land-based carbon. That's more than double held by the world's forests, according to the Nature Conservancy.
In Minnesota, scientists say we are sitting on a climate change superhero. Peatlands, a type of wetland, cover more than 10% of the state — that's the most of any in the lower 48. But over time, peatlands have been misunderstood and mistreated. Now, some are trying to change that.
A mining company wants to dig for materials beneath the Mississippi River in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. The proposal is getting plenty of pushback from neighbors and government agencies.
We know forever chemicals, known as PFAS, are a growing concern. That's why the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency wants to get a better idea of just how pervasive they are in our environment. Adam Del Rosso got to learn more this week about their newest way to track them.
Following the accidental draining of a lake at William O'Brien State Park, environmentalists say they have a rare opportunity to rid the lake of invasive greens.
Plastic pollution is a "grave, growing and under-recognized danger" to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, a report in the Lancet medical journals warns
The International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota has introduced its two newest ambassador wolves to the exhibit pack.
$2.5 million is going towards trees in the Twin Cities. That money will not only plant new trees but also help to remove hazardous ones.
The incident occurred at Grand Prismatic Spring near Old Faithful as tourists were enjoying a close-up view of the famous and popular hot spring.
We first met Minneapolis grandmother Donna Minter back in April when she started a cross-country bike ride. Thousands of miles later, she's crossed the finish line. Adam Del Rosso explains why she hopes the trip has an impact on everyone.
Every time we take flight, there's an environmental cost. Now, scientists are trying to grow a solution that could also be big business for Minnesota farmers.
Every time we take flight, there's an environmental cost. As WCCO's Erin Hassanzadeh explains, scientists are trying to grow a solution that could also be big business for Minnesota farmers.
A group of high schoolers from diverse backgrounds gathered at YMCA Camp Ihduhapi in Loretto, Minnesota for the SPARKS (Student Peer Adventure and Recreation Knowledge Specialists) Spring Leadership Retreat, where they honed their wilderness skills and developed leadership qualities.
It's that time of year when cottonwood seeds begin floating through the air like summer snow, and HVAC professionals say they're more than just a seasonal nuisance.
State and federal lawmakers are unveiling a mobile unit designed to destroy PFAS and other dangerous chemicals in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
34 million people live in one of these major U.S. cities that's sinking, new research shows. See if your area is on the list — and how quickly the land is moving.
Forty thousand tulips are blooming right now at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska.
A few years ago, Minnesota set a lofty goal when it comes to protecting the environment. Gov. Tim Walz signed a law requiring utility companies to provide 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. We wanted to know: Is Minnesota on pace to reach that goal? Good Question. Jeff Wagner explains the innovation keeping the state on track and how you can help
Research shows 1% of the world's rivers are responsible for 80% of all plastic flowing into the ocean.
Topping the list of this year's most endangered rivers in America is our very own Mississippi River. It's driven by flooding and concerns around how prepared we are to deal with a disaster. In Climate Watch, Erin Hassanzadeh tells us how University of Minnesota researchers are looking at a way to target and remove plastics.
For more than 50 years, we've been celebrating Earth Day to protect our planet. As Caroline Cummings reports, dozens of Minnesotans who gathered at the state capitol today worry we're not doing enough.
Earth Day has roots in the Badger State. The founder was a politician and conservationist who grew up in the town of Clear Lake, Wisconsin. Derek James traveled to St. Croix Falls to learn about his vision for a better planet.
In hundreds of U-S. cities, sewage spills into creeks and rivers each time there’s heavy rainfall. The water contamination is a growing concern for environmental advocates as climate change intensifies storms. National Environmental Correspondent David Schechter explains.
In 1993, Don Shelby and a crew from WCCO embarked on a journey to Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. The trip was sparked by this curiosity: How do people and polar bears live side by side in the same town? Thirty years later, WCCO returned to Churchill, enamored by the same thing. Erin Hassanzadeh shows us what's putting the town and its famous bears at risk.
The list of 10 most endangered rivers of 2025, according to the nonprofit American Rivers, includes the Mississippi River and the lower Rio Grande.
Netflix on Friday said it will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO.
Police said this is the city's 13th homicide of the year.
The special edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film "Octopussy," which revolves around a plot to steal a rare Faberge egg.
The weak clipper could bring around an inch of snow to the metro and southern part of the state in the morning and afternoon. The sytsem should move out by dusk.
River Falls hosts St. John's this weekend in round three of the NCAA tournament.
Police said this is the city's 13th homicide of the year.
CrowBar also includes pieces salvaged from restaurants and bars long gone, including doors from the iconic Palmer's Bar.
Hola Arepa in Minneapolis was heading into dinner rush Wednesday night, when two plain-clothed individuals entered the restaurant, saying they're from the Department of Homeland Security.
Inspire Change Clinic opened its doors in Minneapolis with a simple mission: provide access to marginalized communities. On Thursday afternoon, the clinic should have been bustling with a waiting room filled with families. Instead, the clinic was empty.
An investigation is underway after a police pursuit ended in a shootout near the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, according to police.
Out of the 1,500 men on his ship, Del Thielke was the only one selected to be aboard the USS Missouri when the peace treaty was signed.
The owner of the historic Lutsen Resort on Minnesota's North Shore has been charged with arson and insurance fraud more than a year after a fire destroyed the resort's lodge.
Minnesota will see a higher-than-expected surplus for this current budget, but is expected to see a deficit in the future due to spending outpacing revenues, according to state budget experts.
Police in Duluth, Minnesota, say a mountain lion has been spotted in the city recently.
The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you'll find a toy store unlike any other.
River Falls hosts St. John's this weekend in round three of the NCAA tournament.
Bodycam video captured a sheriff's deputy in Racine County, Wisconsin, saving the life of a little girl from a house fire that killed her mother and the family dog earlier this week.
A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to take a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an immigrant rights group.
A Democrat who served four years as Wisconsin's lieutenant governor and narrowly lost a 2022 U.S. Senate bid is running for governor in the battleground state.
Organizers at Mt. Telemark Village in Cable say there's no shortage of reasons to head north.
Firefighters are continuing a 44-year tradition that happens every year north of the Twin Cities.
It was a scary moment in the Twin Cities over the weekend, as a trailer hauling sled dogs turned over on Interstate 494 in Minnetonka.
On Sunday, members of Minnesota's Somali community spoke out against President Trump's social media post calling for an end to temporary protected status.
Two hundred Thanksgiving meals were distributed to this community by Second Harvest Heartland and the Thielen Foundation.
A Minnesota nonprofit is getting a major boost this week as dozens of college students spend their morning sorting donated shoes to support families in need.
Minneapolis City Council leaders are set to roll out what they’re calling a “people-centred budget."
Minnesota's state budget could go from boom to bust. A new forecast shows a $2.5 billion surplus for the current budget but a $3 billion deficit in the next one. WCCO's Caroline Cummings explains the drop and how it could impact you.
Inspire Change Clinic opened its doors in Minneapolis with a simple mission: provide access to marginalized communities. On Thursday afternoon, the clinic should have been bustling with a waiting room filled with families. Instead, the clinic was empty.
Trump's comments, presented without evidence, have shaken people like Salman Fiqy, who saw an opportunity for the GOP to gain further ground in the Somali community.
A growing climate of fear within Minnesota’s Somali community is leading to empty clinics. Ubah Ali shows us how one health care worker is fighting back.
The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you'll find a toy store unlike any other.
When we do winter weather stories, there's always that one line people use: cold, snow, ice — it's just what happens here. And this week, Ticket King president Michael Nowakowski said that same idea kind of applies to Minnesota Vikings ticket prices.
Thanksgiving is a big day for the farmers who raise the centerpiece of Americans' dinner tables on the last Thursday of November. But in Minnesota, the nation's top turkey producer, the work doesn't stop once the national holiday ends.
A family-owned Linden Hills bar and restaurant is closing its doors for Thanksgiving, but opening the kitchen for those who need it most.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Sentyrz Liquor & Supermarket turned into holiday headquarters for last-minute shoppers.
Police said this is the city's 13th homicide of the year.
The special edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film "Octopussy," which revolves around a plot to steal a rare Faberge egg.
A former Minneapolis elementary school teacher was sentenced to 10 years for possessing child sexual abuse material and soliciting a minor to engage in sexual conduct.
The owner of the historic Lutsen Resort on Minnesota's North Shore has been charged with arson and insurance fraud more than a year after a fire destroyed the resort's lodge.
An investigation is underway after a police pursuit ended in a shootout near the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, according to police.
Inspire Change Clinic opened its doors in Minneapolis with a simple mission: provide access to marginalized communities. On Thursday afternoon, the clinic should have been bustling with a waiting room filled with families. Instead, the clinic was empty.
Minnesotans who welcomed a child this year were able to start applying this week to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026.
Cases always rise in colder months, with the use of furnaces and people working on gas motors in closed garages.
A jury has awarded an Iowa woman a $19.8 million verdict against the Mayo Clinic and a colorectal surgeon in a lawsuit brought in Minnesota courts, according to her attorneys.
ByHeart said it can't rule out that all of its baby formula across all product lots could be contaminated, citing recent test results.
Netflix on Friday said it will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO.
The yellow childhood home of the Purple One is abandoned and in need of some TLC, despite the City of Minneapolis recently granting it landmark status.
Legendary rock 'n roll band Guns N' Roses is hitting the road again next year and will make a stop in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Jimmy Cliff, who famously sang about the "many rivers" we all must cross, has died after suffering a seizure and pneumonia, his family say.
More than 20 years after its theatrical release, the movie "The Notebook" is still stealing hearts with a romance for the ages. The classic love story is now a hit Broadway musical taking the stage in St. Paul.
River Falls hosts St. John's this weekend in round three of the NCAA tournament.
Julius Randle had 28 points and nine rebounds, carrying Minnesota on a quiet night from Anthony Edwards, and the Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-116 on Thursday night.
J.J. McCarthy has returned to the lineup for the Minnesota Vikings, refreshed after an injury absence to resume his much-delayed development with a better perspective on how to handle this most difficult job.
A White Bear Lake Native, Bill Butters lived a hockey life through and through – playing for coach Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota before embarking on a pro career throughout most of the 1970s with the Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Minnesota North Stars.
Cade Tyson had 17 points and eight rebounds to help Minnesota upset No. 22 Indiana 73-64 on Wednesday in the Big Ten debut for both head coaches, the Gophers' Niko Medved and the Hoosiers' Darian DeVries.
Minnesotans who welcomed a child this year were able to start applying this week to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026.
Minnesotans who welcomed a child in this year can start applying to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026. In Talking Points, Esme Murphy spoke with Matt Varilek, the commissioner of the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development about the program's rollout and who qualifies for the program.
Minnesotans who welcomed a child this year were able to start applying this week to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026.
Minnesota lawmakers and small businesses are scrambling to get a piece of new federal legislation overturned that they say would eliminate Minnesota's hemp industry.
A new federal law threatens the hemp industry that Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar says provides 2,700 Minnesota jobs and has generated $16 million in taxes for the state through nine months in 2025.
The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you'll find a toy store unlike any other.
With the holidays fast approaching, and lutefisk on the menu for many families, one Minnesota town has the distinction of being called the "Lutefisk Capital of the Country."
How would you like to own a former Cold War missile site? In Dakota County, Minnesota, there's a one-of-a-kind property that could be yours for the right price.
It's a photograph found in homes across the country, and even overseas. The picture "Grace" shows a man bowing his head in prayer with food and what appears to be a Bible in front of him.
Fall harvest means barns across the Midwest are a busy place — but for a central Minnesota woman, they aren't just farm buildings, they're works of art.
It is the food that is top of mind right now, but did you know more turkeys come from Minnesota than anywhere else in the country?
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnehaha, Minnetonka, Minnewaska, Minneota. Those are just some of the place names in "the Land of 10,000 Lakes" featuring "minne" as the first five letters.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we wanted to do a deep dive into gratefulness, and why it makes us feel better.
Many commuters know the Interstate 394 and Interstate 94 interchange seems to back up almost every afternoon. And you face the choice: should you wait in the back of the line or try to get closer and swoop in?
According to the Minnesota Christmas Tree Association, 50% of their farms open before Thanksgiving, which used to be unheard of.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
From food shelves to school programs, our team is proud to serve where it matters most.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
A weak clipper could bring around an inch of snow to the metro and southern part of the state in the morning and afternoon.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
The weak clipper could bring around an inch of snow to the metro and southern part of the state in the morning and afternoon. The sytsem should move out by dusk.
The Twin Cities and southern Minnesota could see some light snow showers Friday, and temperatures will climb after Thursday's frigidity.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says we will have some light snow by early tomorrow morning.
A weak clipper could bring around an inch of snow to the metro and southern part of the state in the morning and afternoon.
Minneapolis City Council leaders are set to roll out what they’re calling a “people-centred budget."
Federal agents announced a dozen arrests amid an operation in the Twin Cities, plus more of the day’s top stories.
The shooting is under investigation. Police said this is the city's 13th homicide of the year.
The Twin Cities and southern Minnesota could see some light snow showers Friday, and temperatures will climb after Thursday's frigidity.