Special Reports

  • NC Charts New Course on Climate Change

    With a shift in public perception and a statewide plan for climate resilience, efforts to shape policy and protect vulnerable communities still face challenges.

  • COVID-19 Curbs Roadside Litter Cleanups

    COVID-19 precautions have prompted annual and seasonal roadside cleanups organized by state organizations and community volunteer groups to be canceled or postponed.

  • Turtle Trash Collectors Adapt to COVID-19

    UNCW’s MarineQuest outreach program Turtle Trash Collectors has launched a citizen-science project to better understand how COVID-19 is affecting pollution and marine debris.

  • Recycling Industry Faces New Challenges

    Waste and recycling organization representatives have seen a change in what and how residential customers are recycling since the stay-at-home order was put in place this March to slow the spread of COVID-19.

  • Cleanup Organizers Adjust During COVID-19

    Since March, cleanup organizers, who have noticed an increase in COVID-19 related litter, have had to adjust to coronavirus precautions in order to continue to combat litter and debris.

  • Coastal Restaurants’ Plastic Usage Rebounds

    In the first in a series about how COVID-19 has changed the waste stream, including plastics, Ocean Friendly Establishments coordinators continue to encourage using reusables safely when possible.

  • Stormwater Issues Worsen As Climate Warms

    Flooding in North Carolina’s coastal communities has rapidly worsened in scale and frequency as a result of climate change, but stormwater management is a costly problem, even when there’s political will, funding and community support.

  • NC’s First Sea Level Rise Report, 10 Years On

    The original state report on sea level rise in 2010 yielded controversy rather than policy changes to address the problem, but officials say there’s response happening now at the state and local levels.