Florida Photo Gallery: Air Show Over Marco Island

MARCO ISLAND, FLA— The Black Skimmer water bird wheels and dives along the southern coasts of the United States with the grace and precision of a combat fighter plane. It fishes for a living, powering low here over the waters off Marco Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Each year condos take a little more of the wild…

The Airboat, Everglades Workhorse

DAVIE, Fla –Mitch Stewart was walking around what he calls his red dream machine, a steel and aluminum concoction with a powerful engine and all kinds of rescue gear. He opened compartments jammed with bundles of defibrillators, medications and hand tools. He showed off framed photographs of the…

Africa’s Deadly Hospitals

KAKAMEGA, Kenya—Helen Wasilwa, who is 20 years old, went to the government hospital here to give birth to her third child. The delivery went fine. But she and her five-pound baby, Kalisha, nearly died from infections they picked up in the hospital from filthy water.
Ms. Wasilwa, a thin woman with hair cut short and an almost child-like face, said she and her daughter…

East Africa Photo Gallery: Malaria in Tanzania

TANZANIA— Malaria kills about a million people a year, mostly young children. One of the worst places for the mosquito -borne disease is Tanzania in East Africa.  Tanzania has made some progress. But it’s got a long way to go. Mosquito nets are the main weapon. Anti-malarial drugs, insecticides and plants that repel mosquitoes are…

Turning to the Ocean To Cool Honolulu Skyscrapers

HONOLULU, Hawaii—Forty years ago, Honolulu was cooled by steady trade winds blowing across the beaches from the northeast. People in downtown shops and offices opened their windows to let in the breeze. But today the skyscrapers that rise in the capital of Hawaii are sealed.

China: Chairman Mao’s Dream Water Project May Benefit Beijing At Expense Of Farmers

BAODING, CHINA — Chairman Mao had a dream. And now, nearly 60 years after he first outlined it for the Chinese people, the dream is becoming a part of the landscape.

American West: Climate Change Threatens National Parks, Yosemite Among Most Endangered

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif.—Wake up on an autumn morning at the Yosemite Lodge and you see a glorious sight: tumbling, foaming water cascading down the raw granite cliffs of Yosemite Falls.

India: An Enduring Plague

Argentina-Brazil: Iguazu Falls Thundering Again After Scary Encounter With Climate Change

IGUAZU, ARGENTINA —You need a poncho when you go to Iguazu Falls. At the Falls, one of the great natural wonders of the world, a fine mist sprays over the jumble of cataracts, the walkways and the lookout points.

Zimbabwe- Neighbors Becoming Less Neighborly As Dwindling Rain Shrinks Border River

PLUMTREE, ZIMBABWE— For as long as anyone can remember, the little towns of Plumtree and Ramokgwebana have shared the waters of the Ramokgwebana River…