60 percent of primate species face impending extinction, and 75 percent have declining populations globally

By Russell A. Mittermeier and Anthony B. Rylands24 January 2017 (mongabay.com) – The Year of the Monkey has just ended, and won’t come around again for another 12 years. In the meantime, what is happening with our closest living relatives, the nonhuman primates? A recent paper in Science Advances by 31 of us indicates that […]

Environmental crime threatens peace and security – Global environmental crime valued up to $258 billion annually

WASHINGTON, D.C., 8 December 2016 (UNEP) – More than 80 per cent of countries consider environmental crime a national priority, with the majority saying new and more sophisticated criminal activities increasingly threaten peace and security. INTERPOL and UN Environment surveyed close to 70 countries for their new joint report, Environment, Peace and Security? A Convergence […]

Amid rapid change, major Arctic study highlights need to prepare for surprises

By Marion Davis25 November 2016 (SEI) – The Arctic Resilience Report [pdf], published today, is the first comprehensive assessment of ecosystems and societies in the region. It identifies 19 “tipping points” in natural systems that could radically reshape the Arctic in the coming century, and calls for urgent cooperation to build local communities’ resilience and […]

Amazon rainforest degradation increased 272 percent in September 2016 compared with 2015

[Translation by Bing Translator.] By Antônio Fonseca, Marcelo Justino, Carlos Souza Jr., and Adalberto Veríssimo20 October 2016 (Imazon) – In September 2016, Imazon’s Deforestation Alert System (SAD) detected 387 square kilometres of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. This represented an increase of 69% compared to September 2015, when deforestation totaled 229 square kilometers. In September […]

Australia approves ‘grossly irresponsible’ Carmichael coal mine

[Interestingly, the Australian Government’s Reef 2050 Plan for restoring the Great Barrier Reef doesn’t once mention the Carmichael coal mine. –Des] 15 October 2015 (BBC News) – Australia’s government has given its approval for one of the world’s biggest coal mines to be built by India’s Adani Mining in Queensland. In August, a court temporarily […]

The alarming rise of fires in the Brazilian Amazon

By Natália Girão Rodrigues de Mello8 September 2016 (mongabay.com) – From the speeding boat, the jungle was a single block of green, its shades recycled across the riverbank and reflected on the thick, black water. The steam rolling from the trees was as foamy as the tracks we were leaving. Birds cut the clouds with […]

Graph of the Day: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, July 2015-June 2016

[Translation by Bing Translator.] 6 September 2016 (Imazon) – Forest mega-degradation by burning detected in June 2016 by SAD was confirmed with more detailed analyses of satellite images. Degraded area is greater than double the average of deforestation detected by satellite from 2010 to 2015: 15,043 km² of accumulated forest degradation area detected by SAD […]

Siberia river turns ‘puce from pollution’ – Local nickel plant blamed for discharge

By Olga Gertcyk7 September 2016 (Siberian Times) – The disturbing images are from an river close to Norilsk, in Kransnoyarsk region. Locals say it is far from the first time the waters have turned bright red. The river is said to be polluted by a discharge from Nadezhdinsky factory, also known as Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant, […]

Illegal gold mining threatens tropical forest in Peruvian Amazon

[Translation by Bing Translator.] By Francesca Garcia Delgado3 September 2016 (El Comercio) – Between October 2015 and July 2016, illegal gold mining deforested 238 hectares of forest (equivalent to 326 soccer fields) in the buffer of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park (USD35) zone, located between Madre de Dios and Puno regions. This protected area is […]

China’s trans-Amazon railway stokes forest fears

By Jan Rocha29 August 2016 SÃO PAULO (Climate News Network) – China’s fast-rising population and its burgeoning economy make steep demands on natural resources, so steep that Beijing is searching constantly for supplies from overseas. And it wants to obtain them, naturally, as cheaply as it can. Now in prospect is China’s trans-Amazon railway – […]

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