In Brazil’s soy belt, community seed banks offer hope for the Amazon

In Brazil’s soy belt, community seed banks offer hope for the Amazon

By Ana Ionova Not too long ago, the plot of land that Maria Ivonete de Souza inherited was barren, the soil hardened by years of cattle ranching. When the family had arrived to the Amazon from southern Brazil four decades earlier, her father had swiftly cleared the dense rainforest to make way for pasture. “He razed it all by hand, with a saw and an ax,” Souza […]

February 20, 2024 11

Environment

Namibia strengthens climate resilience with insurance pact

The Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia and the Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association Limited have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. According to EIF spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata, the agreement will advance climate change-related insurance products that support sustainable development.

February 19, 2024 49

Environment

Rhinos can’t sweat, making them vulnerable to overheating: global warming could wipe them out in southern Africa

By Timothy Randhir, UMass Amherst Southern Africa is home to 22,137 of the world’s 23,432 white and black African rhinos. But they’re facing grave threats because of a warming planet. Now, the first study of how climate change affects rhinos in southern Africa has found that they will cease to exist in the region’s national parks by 2085 if the world takes the worst-case scenario climate change […]

February 16, 2024 16

Environment

HEATED: Challenging objectivity in climate journalism

By Mike DiGirolamo, Rachel Donald Objectivity has been a main tenet of journalism since early in the 20th century, but its application is loosely defined and humanly impossible to achieve, some media experts argue. Presenting an issue like climate change as a debate with two sides, as is still somewhat common, is often justified under the banner of objectivity, but it’s only one of many dissonant standards that environmental reporters are […]

February 14, 2024 16

Lifestyle

Migrating animals face collapsing numbers – major new UN report

By Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim The world’s travelling animals – marine turtles, whales, sharks, elephants, reptiles, wild cats, birds, and even insects – have entered a period of sharp decline, new research has found. The first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report, released today by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, showed that the conservation status of […]

February 13, 2024 32

Environment

Global warming tops 1.5°C for the first time

The average global temperature has for the first time breached the 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels mark for an entire year - as 2024 saw the hottest January on record. Professor Morgan Hauptfleisch, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences at Namibia University of Science and Technology, reacts to the news. Meanwhile, other scientists say the world is now closer to breaching the […]

February 8, 2024 40

World

In Today’s Troubled World, Building Peace ‘Humanity’s Greatest Responsibility’, Secretary-General Stresses, Outlining Organization’s Priorities for 2024

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ briefing to the General Assembly meeting on the priorities of the Organization for 2024, in New York: Let me begin by extending my very best wishes for 2024. I wish health and happiness for you and your families — and peace for our world. Our Organization was founded on the pursuit of peace. Peace is our raison d’être. Yet as I scan the landscape of today’s […]

February 8, 2024 5

Environment

‘Healthy humans without a healthy planet is a logical fallacy’

A nomadic community preparing a meal in Ladakh, India. Image by Prabhu B Doss via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). By Sonam Lama Hyolmo via Mongabay Dr. Sakib Burza says his fondest memories are climbing the majestic pine trees in the Kashmir Valley where he spent most of his childhood with his family. On a normal day, he would go trekking up the hills into the mountains above the tree line, watching over […]

February 7, 2024 16

Environment

From exporting coral to restoring reefs, a Madagascar startup rethinks business

Koraï divers prepare to install a frame housing young hard corals in the protected waters of Antsoha Island, off northwestern Madagascar. Image courtesy of Koraï. By Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy via Mongabay With coral cover declining in Madagascar, Koraï, a Franco-Malagasy startup, has shifted its focus to coral reef restoration from its predecessor’s specialization in coral export. Jeimila Donty, its founder and CEO, is part of a young “pro-climate” generation keen to […]

February 7, 2024 16