https://news.mongabay.com/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/#respond 17 Nov 2023 02:33:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275551 - Glencore, the largest coal producer in Australia, faces criticism from shareholders for its lack of transparency on how it plans to meet its climate targets, especially in light of proposed thermal coal mine expansions in the country.
- Listing the homestead, which is a culturally significant site for the Indigenous Wonnarua people, is now being reconsidered by heritage officials after a process that sources say has dragged on.
- The Glendell mine is one of several that could increase their emissions under a loophole in the government’s revised “safeguard mechanism” that’s intended to bind the mining sector to a reduction in emissions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/circular-economy-poised-to-go-beyond-outdated-oil-gas-and-coal-experts-say/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/circular-economy-poised-to-go-beyond-outdated-oil-gas-and-coal-experts-say/#respond 16 Nov 2023 21:26:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275521 - To step back from dangerous environmental thresholds, humanity needs to cut its use of fossil fuels, petroleum-based synthetic fertilizers and petrochemicals (especially plastics), with many analysts unequivocal about the unlikelihood of utilizing oil, gas and coal resources to implement a global circular economy.
- To achieve a circular economy, fossil fuels need to be phased out and alternative energy sources put in place. Bio-fertilizers need to be adopted and scaled up, and nitrogen fertilizers must be managed better to prevent overuse. Plastic production needs to be curbed, with a ban of single-use plastics as a start.
- Unfortunately, the world isn’t on target to achieve any of these goals soon, with surging oil and natural gas production by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia expected to push the planet past the maximum 2° C (3.6° F) temperature increase agreed to in the 2015 Paris Accord — putting Earth at risk of climate catastrophe.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/circular-economy-poised-to-go-beyond-outdated-oil-gas-and-coal-experts-say/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/french-banks-accused-of-money-laundering-linked-to-amazon-deforestation/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/french-banks-accused-of-money-laundering-linked-to-amazon-deforestation/#respond 16 Nov 2023 19:04:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275545 - Between 2013 and 2021, the four French banks involved invested a total of nearly $70 million in bonds issued by leading meat companies in Brazil generating about $11.7 million in profits.
- This is the first time that French banks have received a criminal complaint for money laundering, receiving stolen goods related to funding deforestation and profiteering from it.
- An analysis of JBS and Marfrig slaughterhouses in Pará and Mato Grosso found that more than 50% and 40% of suppliers, respectively, showed evidence of irregularities, including deforestation and intrusion into Indigenous lands and protected forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/french-banks-accused-of-money-laundering-linked-to-amazon-deforestation/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-platform-offers-toolkit-for-companies-to-prove-their-eco-claims/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-platform-offers-toolkit-for-companies-to-prove-their-eco-claims/#respond 16 Nov 2023 17:35:20 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275535 - The tool analyzes various databases and scientific papers to find relevant local biodiversity targets and automatically pulls in data from remote tools, such as camera traps, to track them.
- NatureHelm also provides consulting to help companies choose the best tools to track biodiversity targets, and produces annual reports that allow companies to show how different metrics change over time and in response to conservation actions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-platform-offers-toolkit-for-companies-to-prove-their-eco-claims/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/#respond 16 Nov 2023 16:56:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275468 - Recent figures published by the state of New South Wales reveal that almost all the animals caught in the nets during the 2022/23 summer season were “nontarget” species, including turtles, dolphins and endangered shark species, the majority of which died due to entanglement in the nets.
- In contrast, the west-coast state of Western Australia has abandoned a shark culling regime in favor of nonlethal alternatives, such as drone monitoring and “eco barriers,” swimming enclosures that keep marine life out but do not risk entanglement.
- Despite calls from environmental groups to exclusively adopt nonlethal technologies, shark control programs are continuing in both New South Wales and its northern neighbor, Queensland, during the 2023/24 Australian summer.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/#respond 16 Nov 2023 15:49:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275492 - However, the farmers face many challenges, including low profits, lack of access to markets, and nearby mining operations, and say they wouldn’t want their children to follow in their footsteps.
- Experts say the government should provide more incentives to these farmers who support conservation in a protected area in the form of direct subsidies, transportation and performance-based rewards for providing the ecosystem services that society depends on.
- Mantalingahan, also a candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing, is home to 11 out of the 12 forest formations found in the Philippines and hosts 33 watersheds.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/indigenous-farmers-hard-work-protects-a-philippine-hotspot-but-goes-overlooked/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/remediation-overdue-south-american-countries-fail-to-enforce-oil-cleanup-laws/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/remediation-overdue-south-american-countries-fail-to-enforce-oil-cleanup-laws/#respond 16 Nov 2023 11:43:50 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275494 - Bolivia is pressing ahead with its plans to expand activity of its hydrocarbon sector, while in Ecuador, there is an ongoing debate in international courts over an emblematic pollution case.
- In Peru, not a single environmental liability has yet been fully dealt with, while in Colombia a law has just been passed that will seek to catalog the damage caused by the oil industry.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/remediation-overdue-south-american-countries-fail-to-enforce-oil-cleanup-laws/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/#respond 16 Nov 2023 03:15:02 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275487 - They are now calling on the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies millions of hectares of Paper Excellence-managed forests as well as 42 of the company’s mills, to cut ties with it.
- APP was in 2007 “disassociated” from the FSC and remains barred from membership due to “destructive forestry practices”; its control of Paper Excellence should lead to the same outcome for the Canadian company, activists say.
- Both companies have denied allegations of controlling ties — despite the fact that Paper Excellence’s sole shareholder is the son of the APP chair and previously directed APP’s China business, among other revelations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/calls-for-fsc-to-drop-canadas-paper-excellence-over-ties-to-deforester/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/#respond 15 Nov 2023 22:38:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275483 - Last year for example, Bolivia lost more primary forest than any previous year on record, almost double the amount during the Morales presidency.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/why-has-deforestation-reached-record-levels-in-bolivia-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/#respond 15 Nov 2023 21:12:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275446 - While minor compared to the deforestation caused by clearing for pasture, coca cultivation still affects local communities through contamination of soil and water, violence and crime — yet remains a vital source of livelihood for more than 230,000 families.
- Over the past year, the rural economy in Tibú and other coca-producing regions of Colombia has collapsed due to an overproduction of the crop; coca paste, often used as a substitute for cash here, has seen its value drop by 40%, leaving locals struggling to make ends meet.
- Amid the crisis, there are calls for seizing the opportunity to transition farmers away from coca and toward more sustainable economies — though the reality is that many farmers are also turning to far more destructive activities, like illegal gold mining.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-colombias-coca-economy-crashes-new-opportunities-and-threats-arise/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-fossil-fuels-rapidly-eroding-earths-safe-operating-space/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-fossil-fuels-rapidly-eroding-earths-safe-operating-space/#respond 15 Nov 2023 15:27:37 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275435 - The first story in the series examined some of the direct detrimental impacts of fossil fuels, petroleum-based agrochemicals and petrochemicals (such as plastics) on climate change, biodiversity loss, nitrogen pollution of the world’s oceans and other forms of pollution.
- This story looks at the direct and indirect impacts that hydrocarbon production is having as it destabilizes Earth’s freshwater systems; influences rapid land use change; pollutes air, land and water; potentially contributes to ozone layer decay; and ultimately impacts life on Earth.
- Scientists say humanity’s actions — inclusive of burning fossil fuels and producing petrochemical and agrochemical products — has already pushed Earth into the danger zone, overshooting six of nine critical planetary boundaries. Unless we pull back from these violated thresholds, life as we know it is at risk.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-fossil-fuels-rapidly-eroding-earths-safe-operating-space/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-study-pushes-for-protection-of-one-of-africas-least-understood-treasures/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-study-pushes-for-protection-of-one-of-africas-least-understood-treasures/#respond 15 Nov 2023 07:30:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275312 - The Angolan Highlands Water Tower contains peatlands and freshwater lakes that supply major rivers in the region, and the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta in Botswana.
- Despite this vital hydrological role, the water tower currently has no formal protection.
- The team behind the study hopes it will help to strengthen the case for recognition of a vast portion of the water tower as a Ramsar Site of International Importance.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/new-study-pushes-for-protection-of-one-of-africas-least-understood-treasures/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-insurers-stop-covering-prescribed-burns-states-and-communities-step-up/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-insurers-stop-covering-prescribed-burns-states-and-communities-step-up/#respond 15 Nov 2023 01:17:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275428 - U.S. insurance companies are thus charging increasingly unaffordable premiums for coverage of this activity or are dropping the service altogether in the wake of some particularly large recent accidents.
- As a result, many small conservation groups and private businesses are getting out of the habit of using fire to improve grassland health, boost wildlife habitat, and decrease likelihood of catastrophic wildfires.
- California is bridging this gap with a new state program that insures the activity, while prescribed fire associations, where residents and firefighters cooperate to carry out burns on private land, are increasingly popping up in communities.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/as-insurers-stop-covering-prescribed-burns-states-and-communities-step-up/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/is-ocean-iron-fertilization-back-from-the-dead-as-a-co%e2%82%82-removal-tool/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/is-ocean-iron-fertilization-back-from-the-dead-as-a-co%e2%82%82-removal-tool/#respond 14 Nov 2023 18:44:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275410 - The idea behind ocean iron fertilization is that dumping iron into parts of the ocean where it’s scarce could spark massive blooms of phytoplankton, which, when they die, can sink to the bottom of the sea, carrying the CO₂ absorbed during photosynthesis to be sequestered in the seabed for decades to millennia.
- So far, proof that this could work as a climate-change solution has remained elusive, while questions abound over its potential ecological impacts.
- Scientists with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, U.S., recently received $2 million in funding from the U.S. government that will enable computer modeling research that could pave the way for eventual in-ocean testing, effectively reviving research into ocean iron fertilization.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/is-ocean-iron-fertilization-back-from-the-dead-as-a-co%e2%82%82-removal-tool/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/#respond 14 Nov 2023 18:25:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275321 - They reported in a new paper that poaching success by hunters from Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand — the main group of poachers in the country — declined by up to 40% during the study period.
- The conservationists used the EMMIE crime prevention framework (short for effect, mechanisms, moderators, implementation and economic costs) to identify what worked and areas to improve.
- There are fewer than 200 critically endangered Malayan tigers believed to survive in Malaysia, with snaring by poachers among the leading causes of their decline.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/crime-analysis-sheds-light-on-tiger-poaching-in-malaysia/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dominica-set-to-open-worlds-first-reserve-centered-around-sperm-whales/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dominica-set-to-open-worlds-first-reserve-centered-around-sperm-whales/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:50:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275401 - Most of the sperm whales that live off the coast of Dominica are part of the Eastern Caribbean Clan, which currently has a population of fewer than 300 individuals.
- Sperm whales in this region are threatened by fishing gear entanglement, pollution, boat strikes, and even tourism.
- The new reserve aims to protect whales by restricting activities such as fishing, vessel traffic and tourism, while not entirely banning them.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/dominica-set-to-open-worlds-first-reserve-centered-around-sperm-whales/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:31:25 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275415 - Nearly two-thirds of this potential lies in conserving and letting existing forests mature.
- The authors say that restoring deforested areas through community-driven approaches such as agroforestry and payments for ecosystem services is essential.
- Planting trees can’t replace cutting fossil fuel emissions, as climate change threatens forests’ carbon uptake.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/forests-hold-massive-carbon-storage-potential-if-we-cut-emissions/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-oil-gas-and-coal-are-destabilizing-all-9-planetary-boundaries/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-oil-gas-and-coal-are-destabilizing-all-9-planetary-boundaries/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:06:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275378 - Scientists warned this year that, of the nine identified planetary boundaries, humanity has now overshot safe levels for six — climate change, biosphere integrity, land system change, novel entities (pollution), biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and freshwater change.
- Fossil fuels, petroleum-based agrochemicals and petrochemicals (including plastics) are now significantly contributing to the destabilization of all nine planetary boundaries, based on the review of numerous scientific studies and on the views expressed by dozens of researchers interviewed by Mongabay for this article.
- According to multiple experts, if humanity doesn’t find alternative energy sources and phase out fossil fuels, agrochemicals and petrochemicals, then their production will continue driving the climate crisis; polluting the atmosphere, water and land; creating deoxygenated kill zones in the world’s oceans; and poisoning wildlife and people.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/beyond-climate-oil-gas-and-coal-are-destabilizing-all-9-planetary-boundaries/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/disturbing-graves-is-latest-violation-attributed-to-east-african-oil-pipeline/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/disturbing-graves-is-latest-violation-attributed-to-east-african-oil-pipeline/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:04:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275392 - Surveys in affected communities found numerous cases where residents said TotalEnergies, the French oil giant leading the project, had disturbed and disrespected the graves of their families and ancestors, despite their best efforts to alert the company to their presence.
- TotalEnergies says the process of identifying and relocating burial sites, and paying compensation to affected people, has been carried out in line with international standards.
- Since its inception in 2017, the EACOP project has been dogged by criticism over its environmental, social and climate change impacts.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/disturbing-graves-is-latest-violation-attributed-to-east-african-oil-pipeline/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/can-blockchain-clean-up-the-gold-industry-in-brazil-and-across-the-globe/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/can-blockchain-clean-up-the-gold-industry-in-brazil-and-across-the-globe/#respond 14 Nov 2023 17:03:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275333 Gold, whose value has spiked by more than 55% since the 2008 financial crisis, is notoriously difficult to trace. Once mined, it can follow a maze-like path to market, passing through intermediaries that mix and melt it with other sources, often erasing signatures of its origin in the process. The result? Illicit gold routinely slips […]]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/can-blockchain-clean-up-the-gold-industry-in-brazil-and-across-the-globe/feed/ 0