In a “landmark” ruling, Bangladesh’s High Court has suspended all licenses for the adoption of critically endangered wild elephants, meaning they can no longer be legally taken into captivity or exploited, reported the BBC. The ban to protect the approximately 200 wild elephants remaining in Bangladesh was welcomed by animal rights groups. Nearly half the […]
According to a survey by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, hedgehog sightings in the UK are finally on the rise after declining observations of these mammals since 2000. A separate report from 2022, State of Britain’s Hedgehogs, noted a marked decline in hedgehogs, particularly in eastern Britain. According to that report, rural hedgehogs had decreased 30% […]
Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Coral Reefs’? Coral reefs consist of hundreds of thousands of coral polyps — marine animal invertebrates with hard calcium carbonate exoskeletons. Different species grow to form a variety of measurements and shapes — from the size of a pinhead to as large as a foot in diameter. Coral colonies are […]
The United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Resources Outlook — the flagship report of the UN’s International Resource Panel, due to be published later this month — highlights how the consumption of natural resources globally is set to rise by 60 percent by 2060. Raw materials consumption worldwide is already four times higher than it was […]
A bill proposed in California takes aim at single-use cups used for dining in at chain restaurants in the state. The proposed Senate Bill 1167 (SB1167) would require that chain restaurants provide reusable, non-toxic cups for customers that dine in the restaurant, rather than offering paper, plastic or other single-use cups. “California has a massive […]
In 1980, Greg Kauffman — founder of nonprofit Maui Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) — started World Whale Day. A celebration of the humpback whales who grace Maui’s waters each winter, the holiday is observed on the third Sunday of February and is an opportunity to raise awareness about threats to the species. This year, World […]
According to a new report from fossil fuel accountability organization the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), the plastics industry has known for decades that the widespread recycling of its products was not feasible, but continued to promote it and mislead the public. Many of the fossil fuel companies that were aware and deceived the public […]
A new study led by researchers at Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ) has found that the planet has more coral reef area than previously believed. Scientists have identified 134,364 square miles of shallow coral reefs at depths of up to 65.6 to 98.4 feet deep, according to Dr. Mitchell Lyons of the School of the […]
Horseshoe crabs have been on Earth for more than 450 million years — since before the dinosaurs. They are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crustaceans and can live as long as 25 years. Despite having lived through ice ages, the breaking apart of the continents and many other geological and atmospheric changes […]