Coral reefs are some of the ecosystems most vulnerable to the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that if global warming reaches even two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, 99 percent of them will die off. Yet these unique ecosystems, which currently only take up less than 0.1 percent of ocean […]
At a rate of every other day for the past 10 years, an environmental defender has lost their life protecting their home. That’s one sobering statistic from the latest Global Witness report “Decade of Defiance: Ten Years of Reporting Land and Environmental Activism Worldwide.” For every year since 2012, the environmental and human rights organization […]
Many bird species are sensitive to temperature fluctuations, especially the extreme ones that come with climate change. Global heating is especially difficult for birds, who need shade, cool water and breezes to cool down. A new study by the Oregon State University College of Forestry suggests some bird species can get relief from climate change […]
Across Europe, more and more bus stops are sporting a new look — with lush green roofs designed to support pollinators. The number of bus stops topped with pollinator gardens is expected to increase another 50% in the UK alone by the end of this year. The “bee bus stops” began popping up in Utrecht, […]
Making neighborhoods more “green” through environmental infrastructure and other green investments such as open space parks, rain gardens, permeable pavement and rainwater harvesting can result in an area being perceived as more desirable, which can lead to rents and property values going up. This, in turn, leads to lower-income residents being pushed out — a […]
The perhaps underappreciated champions of underground carbon storage and resilience, grasslands can often be found at most latitudes in open, continuous areas. Their grasses grow to between eight inches and seven feet in height with roots that go deep underground, according to NASA Earth Observatory. The height of the grass depends on soil depth and […]
Sometimes, beauty can be a death sentence. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the demand for decorative feathers devastated the populations of birds like great egrets and birds of paradise. Today, it is the exotic pet trade that threatens bright birds with extinction. A new study published in Current Biology September 15 found that […]
The plains-wanderer is a small, critically-endangered bird with a tawny marking on its chest that can only be found in south-eastern Australia’s arid grasslands. It is estimated that only 250 to 1,000 of these speckled birds are left in the wild, according to Bush Heritage Australia. The plains-wanderer is at risk of impending extinction and […]
In a move that sets a new precedent for corporate leadership in the age of climate change, billionaire founder of sportswear brand Patagonia Yvon Chouinard has announced that he is giving away his entire company to fight the climate crisis and safeguard nature. “Earth is now our only shareholder,” a message from Chouinard on the […]