In The News

Financial Times: Business Leaders Warn of Lack of Progress on Emissions

Ed Crooks September 5, 2018
The world population has grown by about 80 million people annually since the year 2000, but countries make little progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, a group of corporate executives and political leaders, warns the world is missing an opportunity. The commission describes the next decade as a “‘use it or lose it...

Esquire: The Water Crises Are Here

Alec Wilkinson August 29, 2018
Earth has a limited supply of water, and an increasing amount could become unusable due to every imaginable contamination, explains Alec Wilkinson in an article for Esquire. “Water cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be damaged,” he writes. “Having evaporated from lakes and rivers and oceans and returned as snow and rain, the water we consume has been through innumerable uses. Dinosaurs...

South China Morning Post: Pollution Can Damage Brain

Alice Shen August 28, 2018
Air pollution has long been listed as a health hazard, causing respiratory problems and reducing life expectancy. New research also points to harm for the brain and cognition skills, especially among the elderly. The Chinese research study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “The researchers came to the conclusions by comparing the results of 32,000 Chinese men...

BBC News: Why Only 1% of the World’s Vanilla Is Real

Nancy Kacungira August 20, 2018
The island of Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla beans. Farmers protect their crops with patrols and mark individual pods while on the vine. The vanilla orchid, a native plant of Mexico, can grow 300 feet tall, but there are challenges: The orchid requires high humidity, shade and moderate temperatures and new plants produce pods after three years. Each flower must be...

Phys.org: Earth Risks Tipping Into “Hothouse” State

Kerry Sheridan August 8, 2018
Consequences of humans’ over-reliance on fossil fuels are rapidly unfolding, and failure to transition to a green economy could put Earth into a permanent “hothouse state” with many uninhabitable areas, warns a study published by the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers reviewed the fossil record for previous conditions and cascading effects and urge immediate lifestyle change. “Fossil...

BBC News: Global Boom in Hydropower Dams

August 6, 2018
Businesses depend on energy, but energy-related construction can disrupt businesses and communities, too. More than 3,500 hydropower dams – the world’s largest source of renewable energy – are being planned and constructed throughout the developing world. “Critics point to the inherent dangers of building too many dams, too fast and without sufficient consideration for the consequences,” reports...

ENS: Indigenous Peoples Own/Manage ¼ of Earth’s Land

Environment News Service August 3, 2018
Indigenous people own or have management rights over at least 25 percent of Earth’s land, which in turn overlaps with 40 percent of all protected lands, according to Stephen Garnett of Charles Darwin University who leads an international mapping research team. The team emphasizes that understanding land ownership is essential for developing and monitoring international conservation and climate...