Safe havens for coral reefs will disappear as oceans warm
2/2/2022: A new study has found that places that have historically protected coral reefs from thermal stress will decline substantially when global heating reaches 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; at 2°C most coral reef refugia will disappear.
Source: Mongabay
Safe planetary boundary for pollutants exceeded
18/1/2022: An international team of researchers has concluded that humanity has exceeded a planetary boundary related to environmental pollutants, including plastics. The rate at which these pollutants are released far exceeds the capacity of governments to assess the risks.
Source: Stockholm Environment Institute
What to expect from the world’s sixth mass extinction
11/1/2022: The Anthropocene mass extinction is the only one caused by humans, as climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and industrial agriculture all play a hand. A painful reminder of the potential consequences of biodiversity loss for us and the environment.
Source: DW
Rainforests in 2022: A look at the year ahead
4/1/2022: Mongabay founder Rhett Butler anticipates major storylines for tropical forests in the coming year. These range from the post-COVID recovery to worrying trends in Brazil and Indonesia.
Source: Mongabay
Conflict and climate change impede Africa’s Great Green Wall
26/11/2021: Fourteen years since the launch of Africa's Great Green Wall project only 4% of the land restoration in the Sahel region has been completed. Billions of dollars in new funding announced this year have raised hopes that the initiative to combat desertification will gain momentum.
Source: Mongabay
Brazilian deforestation surges 22% to highest level since 2006
18/11/2021: Deforestation has been on an upward trend in the Brazilian Amazon which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the entire Amazon rainforest since 2012. It has accelerated particularly sharply under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.
Source: Mongabay
COP26: key outcomes from the UN climate talks
17/11/2021: A considered summary from the World Resources Institute. The long-awaited COP26 climate summit in Glasgow has made important progress in a number of areas but not enough. The world still remains off track to beat back the climate crisis.
Source: World Resources Institute
World leaders back deal to end deforestation by 2030 (again)
1/11/2021: More than 100 countries, including Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have signed up to the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forest and Land Use to stop and reverse deforestation by the end of the decade. A 2014 UN climate meeting in New York issued a similar declaration.
Source: DW
Half of the world is failing to manage its water resources
18/10/2021: Over half the countries across the world are unlikely to achieve the 2030 target date for managing their water resources sustainably, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization. As water know no borders, more coordination between countries will be necessary.
Source: Devex
The biodiversity crisis is a global security crisis
23/9/2021: Environmental degradation is a key driver of insecurity. To achieve peace, we must protect the planet and finance these efforts accordingly. It is no coincidence that 6 of the 10 largest UN-led peacekeeping operations currently exist in areas highly exposed to the impact of climate change.
Source: African Arguments