Biodiversity
One Million Plant and Animal Species ‘Now at Threat of Extinction’
One million plant and animal species are now at threat of extinction. That’s the troubling conclusion reached in a new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which suggests many of these organisms could die…
Deforestation in Tropical Countries Linked to European Diets in New Study
One-sixth of the carbon footprint of the average diet in the European Union can be directly linked to deforestation in tropical countries, according to a new study from researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. The study, due to be…
UN Predicts Dire Future for Planet Unless People Change Their Ways Now
Mother Earth got a bad health report from the United Nations this week, and the scientific team that conducted the exam didn’t shirk from delivering the bad news. The word “dire” comes to mind. The assessment is contained in the…
Finland Approves 2029 Coal Ban For Energy Use
Finland has brought forward its coal phase-out date by one year, according to reports, with the new deadline set for May 1, 2029, after which coal will be banned from use as an energy source except in an emergency. Reuters…
‘Extinction Crisis’ Threatening Global Food Supply, UN Report Warns
A drop in global biodiversity is putting our ability to produce food at risk, a new United Nations report warns. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, biodiversity in food and agriculture “is indispensable to food security and sustainable…
We Are Eating Large Wild Animals into Extinction
Much of the planet’s megafauna is being driven extinct because of the usual causes: habitat loss and rampant poaching for body parts like horns, bones and tusks. But there is another reason large vertebrates are going extinct: people keep on…
Costa Rica Is One of the World’s Happiest Countries – Here’s What It Does Differently
Costa Rica is getting something right. The Central American country of stunning beaches, rainforests, and biodiversity, is also known for its stable democracy and educated population. Its president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, said at Davos 2019: “Seventy years ago, Costa Rica…