Archive for September 2021
Scientists at work: We use environmental DNA to monitor how human activities affect life in rivers and streams
Environmental DNA is a promising tool for tracking species in freshwater ecosystems like Oregon's Elkhorn Creek. Greg Shine, BLM/Flickr, CC BY Rivers, lakes and wetlands cover just 1% of the Earth’s surface but are home to nearly 10% of all species, including fish, mammals, birds, insects and crustaceans. But these rich, diverse ecosystems are in…
Read More4 strategies for a global breakthrough on energy and climate change
Reducing fossil use and increasing renewable energy worldwide are crucial to both sustainable development and fighting climate change. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Two important global events are coming up that are widely hoped to help address what the United Nations calls the “dual challenge” – fighting climate change and ensuring that poorer countries can develop sustainably.…
Read MoreWhy Saving World’s Peatlands Can Help Stabilize the Climate
Peatlands make up 3 percent of the earth’s landscape, yet absorb large amounts of carbon and harbor surprising biodiversity. Although peat bogs and fens are under increasing environmental threat, efforts to protect and restore these ecosystems are gathering momentum.
Read MoreBreaking down China’s seafood trade pathways
No major global fishery ecosystem is untouched by China’s seafood economy. Its world-leading volume of fish catch and position in global seafood supply chains bring it to the forefront of critical economic and conservation policy issues. Our new paper in Marine Policy explores the changing face of China’s seafood economy. We bring to the surface […]
Read MoreThey Knew: How the U.S. Government Helped Cause the Climate Crisis
James Gustave Speth has been calling for action on climate since serving in the White House in the 1970s. In an e360 interview, he talks about his new book, which chronicles how U.S. administrations repeatedly failed to act in response to scientists’ increasingly dire warnings.
Read MoreYoung People Are Experiencing Widespread Anxiety About Climate Inaction, Study Finds
Pew’s new global survey of climate change attitudes finds promising trends but deep divides
Global views on climate change are shifting, but there is still a strong progressive-conservative divide. Stephen Leonardi/Unsplash, CC BY People’s views about climate change, from how worried they are about it affecting them to how willing they are to do something about it, have shifted in developed countries around the world in recent years, a…
Read MoreMore Than 200 Environmental Activists Murdered in 2020, the Most Ever
Some 227 land and environmental activists were killed in 2020, the highest number ever recorded, according to a new report from Global Witness, an international human rights organization.
Read MoreFood production generates more than a third of manmade greenhouse gas emissions – a new framework tells us how much comes from crops, countries and regions
A farmer walks through a rice paddy in India's northeastern state of Assam. Buu Boro /AFP via Getty Images Producing enough food for a growing world population is an urgent global challenge. And it’s complicated by the fact that climate change is warming the Earth and making farming harder in many places. Food production is…
Read MoreWestern fires are burning higher in the mountains and at unprecedented rates as the climate warms
Heat and dryness are leaving high mountain areas more vulnerable to forest fires. David McNew/Getty Images The Western U.S. is experiencing another severe fire season, and a recent study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms. With more than 5 million acres…
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