ecology
Peru’s Newest National Park Safeguards 2 Million Acres of Amazon Rainforest
The Peruvian government announced it will establish a new and enormous national park in the Amazon. Yaguas National Park, located in the northern region of Loreto, consists of 2,147,166 acres of rainforest, a vast river system and is home to…
Urban Farming Key in Fight Against Hunger and Climate Change
The urban farms sprouting up and across cities around the world aren’t just feeding mouths—they are “critical to survival” and a “necessary adaptation” for developing regions and a changing climate, according to a new study. Urban farms—which include plain ol’…
Empire State Building Shines Green After NYC’s Decision to Take on Fossil Fuel Industry
New York City’s iconic Empire State Building glowed green Wednesday night following two “watershed” announcements—that the city would seek to divest its pension funds from fossil fuel investments, and that it filed suit against five oil giants for contributing to…
World’s Coral Reefs Reaching The Point Of No Return
The vast majority of the world’s coral reefs are now reaching the point of no return — the point at which it wouldn’t even theoretically be possible to save them from disappearing completely (some argue that this point has long…
Scotland Moves to Ban Plastic Cotton Buds
The Scottish government has today revealed new plans to become the first UK country to ban the manufacture and sale of plastic cotton buds, one of the most common pieces of litter washed up on beaches around the British Isles.…
New Study Showing Ozone Recovery Hailed as Model for Tackling Climate Crisis
Hailed as an example of how concerted global action can help solve a planetary crisis, a new study conducted by NASA scientists documented the first direct evidence that an international effort to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has led to the recovery…
Oceans Losing Oxygen at Breathtaking Speeds
Ocean dead zones quadrupled in size since 1950, while low oxygen sites around the world increased tenfold, threatening large swaths of marine life, scientists warned in a study released on Friday. “Major extinction events in Earth’s history have been associated…