“Avoiding forest carbon emissions is just as urgent as halting fossil fuel use.” That’s the message contained in a statement written by 40 scientists from five different countries urging the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to consider preserving and regrowing forests as an important part of limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial […]
By Daisy Dunne Sharp declines in summer rainfall could be a “primary driver” of the record-breaking wildfires ripping across the western U.S., research shows. Using satellite data, the study finds that there have been “previously unnoted” declines in summer rainfall across close to a third of forests in the western U.S. over the past four […]
Spending time in nature is known to boost mental and emotional health. Now, a new global study has found that children in 27 developing nations tend to have more diverse diets and better nutrition when they live near forests. The paper, published Wednesday in Science Advances, provides evidence that forest conservation can be an important […]
The Trump administration announced a new plan Thursday to fight ongoing wildfires with more logging, and with no mention of additional funding or climate change. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke stated in a Fox Business interview that the fires are so intense because the forests have “been held hostage by environmental groups” to prevent proper management […]
The following is a joint statement from Global Justice Ecology Project, Indigenous Environmental Network, Rural Coalition, Biofuelwatch and Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. In an apparent effort to allay serious public and scientific concerns about contamination threats from genetically engineered (GE) trees, on Aug. 3 researchers at Oregon State University claimed they had genetically engineered sterility […]
Australia’s Murray Darling basin covers more than a million square kilometers (approximately 386,000 square miles), 14 percent of the country’s landmass. It’s the site of tens of thousands of wetlands, but increasing demand for water has stretched its resources to the limit. Many of the basin’s wetlands and floodplain forests are declining—several former wetlands and […]
Over the past few months, heat records have broken worldwide. In early July, the temperature in Ouargla, Algeria, reached 51.3°C (124.34°F), the highest ever recorded in Africa! Temperatures in the eastern and southwestern U.S. and southeastern Canada have also hit record highs. In Montreal, people sweltered under temperatures of 36.6°C (97.88°F), the highest ever recorded […]
By Hans Nicholas Jong Banning palm oil in favor of other vegetable oils deemed less destructive to the environment could lead to greater biodiversity losses, a new report says. The report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) comes amid mounting debate about the use of palm oil, with the European Union […]
By Alyson Merlin The scale of global conservation can seem daunting, and it is hard to incorporate the fight against global deforestation into our daily routines. If you want to help, but don’t have the stored-up vacation days to participate in on-the-ground activism, the National Wildlife Federation has good news for you! The places where […]