Food & Agriculture
Indigenous Maize: Who Owns the Rights to Mexico’s ‘Wonder’ Plant?
A nitrogen-fixing maize grown in an indigenous region of Mexico has the ability to fertilize itself, recent research shows. Now, as a global company and U.S. scientists work to replicate this trait in other corn varieties, will the villages where the maize originated share fairly in the profits?
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Food & Agriculture
As Climate Changes, Colombia’s Small Coffee Farmers Pay the Price
Hundreds of Colombia’s small coffee growers have stopped cultivating the bean in the face of low prices and reduced harvests linked to a shifting climate. As farmers struggle, the nation’s scientists are seeking to develop new varieties that will flourish in a changing environment.
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Policy
In an Era of Extreme Weather, Concerns Grow Over Dam Safety
Many of the United States’ 91,000 dams are aging and sorely in need of repairs that could collectively cost tens of billions of dollars. Experts are increasingly worried that as extreme precipitation events increase, dams are at greater risk of failure, threatening lives and posing environmental risks.
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Policy
China Wrestles with the Toxic Aftermath of Rare Earth Mining
China has been a major source of rare earth metals used in high-tech products, from smartphones to wind turbines. As cleanup of these mining sites begins, experts argue that global companies that have benefited from access to these metals should help foot the bill.
Climate
In Greenland’s Melting Ice, A Warning on Hard Climate Choices
Greenland is melting at an unprecedented rate, causing vast quantities of ice to disappear and global sea levels to rise. The fate of the ice sheet is not sealed, but unless CO2 emissions are sharply cut, the long-term existence of Greenland’s ice is in doubt.
E360 Digest
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Taps Run Dry for Half of Zimbabwe’s Capital City, Affecting Millions
More than 2 million people in and around Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, are currently without access to municipal drinking water, the result of a years-long drought and high water pollution levels, Climate Home News reported. With their taps running dry, residents are instead relying on merchants, open wells, streams, and boreholes for water. More about Taps Run Dry for Half of Zimbabwe’s Capital City, Affecting Millions →
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EVs Make Up Half of New Car Sales in Norway So Far This Year
Nearly half of the new cars sold in Norway in 2019 have been electric vehicles, up from just 25 percent during the same period last year, Reuters reported. The sales, which exclude hybrids, keep Norway in the top spot globally for EV adoption and mark a major milestone in the country’s effort to end the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2025. More about EVs Make Up Half of New Car Sales in Norway So Far This Year →
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As Ocean Temperatures Rise, Corals Are Steadily Moving Poleward
Rising ocean temperatures are increasingly causing coral reefs to shift away from the equator into more temperate waters. Over the past 40 years, the number of young corals has declined by 85 percent on tropical reefs, while at the same time doubling in cooler regions, according to a recent study published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. More about As Ocean Temperatures Rise, Corals Are Steadily Moving Poleward →
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Biodiversity
Forgotten Landscapes: Bringing Back the Rich Grasslands of the Southeast
Native prairie and savanna once covered vast areas of the U.S. Southeast from Maryland to Texas, but agriculture and sprawl have left only small patches remaining. Now, a new initiative, driven by scientists and local communities, is pushing to restore these imperiled grassland habitats.
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Climate
Scientists Zero in on Trees as a Surprisingly Large Source of Methane
Recent research is showing that trees, especially in tropical wetlands, are a major source of the second most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, methane. The knowledge that certain woodlands are high methane emitters should help guide reforestation projects in many parts of the world.
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Interview
To Stop Destruction of Liberia’s Rainforest, He Put His Life on the Line
Alfred Brownell had to flee Liberia after challenging the powerful palm oil and other extractive industries that were clearing its forests. But he remains committed to seeing that the West African nation’s biodiverse lands be developed sustainably and the rights of its indigenous peoples respected.
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Opinion
Despite Industry Pleas, White House Halts Progress on Fuel Economy
In its anti-regulatory zeal, the Trump administration is moving to weaken vehicle fuel efficiency standards so much that even U.S. carmakers are balking. The administration’s hard-line stance appears likely to stall efforts to make major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Solving the Climate Crisis
Geoengineering and other technologies are increasingly being seen as necessary for tackling climate change.