The demands of feeding a planet rapidly careening toward 10 billion people, coupled with the environmental degradation that industry and development has caused, has left much of the world’s soil depleted of nutrients. A professor who studies soil science and is looking to improve the dirt for farmers around the world has been awarded the […]
Current estimates of carbon emissions from melting Arctic permafrost rely on a model of a gradual melt. New research has found abrupt thawing of permafrost which means carbon emissions estimates should be doubled. The rate at which permafrost is thawing in the Arctic is gouging holes in the landscape, according to a new study published […]
Hanging on a gate is a sign reading: “Potatoes — healthy and delicious.” The slogan, to which the word “rare” could justifiably be added, is in line with Cornel Lindemann-Berk’s philosophy of quality over quantity. “We don’t have enough rain in the summer,” he tells DW. “And since we don’t want to water them, we’ve […]
By Gurvinder Singh Jamini Mohan Mahanty is out for a morning walk every day. At 91, he is hale and hearty. A resident of Jharbagda village in Purulia district, West Bengal, Mahanty thanks the “green mountain” in his village for having added some extra years to his life. “I could have died long ago but […]
By Malavika Vyawahare, Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy Madagascar has embarked on its most ambitious tree-planting drive yet, aiming to plant 60 million trees in the coming months. The island nation celebrates 60 years of independence this year, and the start of the planting campaign on Jan. 19 marked one year since the inauguration of President Andry Rajoelina, […]
Last spring, students at Knox College in Illinois traded their notebooks for shovels and planted a rain garden on campus. The garden is not just a bunch of pretty plants. It’s designed to reduce stress on the campus drainage system during heavy rain. “The whole goal behind the rain gardens is … slow it, spread […]
No longer will the options when we die be a choice between just burial or cremation. Soon it will be possible to compost your remains and leave your loved ones with rich soil, thanks to a new funeral service opening in Seattle in 2021 that will convert humans into soil in just 30 days, as […]
By Claire O’Connor Agriculture is on the front lines of climate change. Whether it’s the a seven-year drought drying up fields in California, the devastating Midwest flooding in 2019, or hurricane after hurricane hitting the Eastern Shore, agriculture and rural communities are already feeling the effects of a changing climate. Scientists expect climate change to […]
By Karen Perry Stillerman Sometimes gratitude feels like a stretch, and this fall has been one of those times. We’re in the home stretch of a difficult year. Bad news abounds, and even the holiday that many of us will celebrate this week is complicated — a day of thanks that also evokes loss and […]