In the last decade, scientists have helped reestablish a migrating population of northern bald irises in Europe.

Biodiversity

After a 400-Year Absence, A Rare Ibis Returns to European Skies

The northern bald ibis is critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 existing in the wild. But a German group is reintroducing these birds in Europe, where they once thrived, and is using ultralight aircraft to lead them on migrations south toward the Mediterranean.

By Christian Schwägerl

Climate

Why This U.S. Climate Scientist Is Leaving Trump’s America for France

With the Trump administration spurning efforts to combat global warming, the French government has invited U.S. scientists to bring their climate research to France. In an interview with Yale e360, scientist Ben Sanderson talks about why he is taking France up on its offer.

By Diane Toomey
Opinion

Is the Global Era of Massive Infrastructure Projects Coming to an End?

The world’s wild places have been badly carved up by decades of roadbuilding, dam construction, energy exploitation, and other megaprojects. Now, as the financial community, environmental groups, and local citizens increasingly oppose big infrastructure development, the tide of environmental destruction may be turning.

By William Laurance
Solutions

How Eating Seaweed Can Help Cows to Belch Less Methane

Emissions from the world's nearly 1.5 billion cattle are a major source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Now, researchers in California and elsewhere are experimenting with seaweed as a dietary additive for cows that can dramatically cut their methane production.

By Judith Lewis Mernit

The International Maritime Organization has set a 2020 deadline to drastically cut sulfur content in ship fuels.

Policy

At Last, the Shipping Industry Begins Cleaning Up Its Dirty Fuels

By 2020, the global shipping fleet will be required to slash the noxious emissions from thick, sulfur-laden “bunker” fuel, a move that is expected to sharply reduce air pollution and prevent millions of cases of childhood asthma and other respiratory ailments.

By Maria Gallucci

E360 Digest

Digest Archive →

Just 84 Amur Leopards Remain in the Wild Globally

A new study estimates that the number of Amur leopards surviving in the wild is somewhat larger than previously believed, with 84 leopards scattered along the border of China, Russia, and North Korea. The species has been listed as critically endangered since 1996, but cross-border conservation efforts in recent years have worked to slow the loss of the species by establishing several leopard- and tiger-specific national reserves and increasing monitoring. More about Just 84 Amur Leopards Remain in the Wild Globally →
Renewables Have Been Germany’s Top Source of Electricity For the Last Six Months

Renewable energy met more of Germany’s electricity needs than coal during the first six months of 2018 — the longest period that renewables have been the country’s largest source of energy to date. According to new data from the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), 36.3 percent of Germany’s electricity was generated by solar, wind, hydropower, and biogas between January and June of this year, while coal provided only 35.1 percent. More about Renewables Have Been Germany’s Top Source of Electricity For the Last Six Months →
Can A Tiny Fern Help Fight Climate Change and Cut Fertilizer Use?

Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of the tiny fern species Azolla filiculoides, a wunder-plant that played a pivotal role in cooling our planet 50 million years ago. Among its many properties, the Azolla can capture CO2 and nitrogen from the air and has genes that provide insect resistance. More about Can A Tiny Fern Help Fight Climate Change and Cut Fertilizer Use? →

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interview

“If environmental organizations continue to ignore 35 to 40 percent of the population, they’re going to be in a world of hurt…”

How Green Groups Became So White and What to Do About It

If environmental organizations want to become racially diverse, says sociologist Dorceta Taylor, they need to change the way they perceive people of color. In an e360 interview, she talks about how the conservation movement must transform itself to become more inclusive and effective.

By Diane Toomey

Fish tanks in the basement of a home in Erie, Colorado containing dozens of threatened species, including some that are extinct in the wild.

Biodiversity

Basement Preservationists: Can Hobbyists Save Rare Fish from Extinction?

Freshwater fish are the most endangered group of vertebrates on earth. Now, networks of home-based aquarists are trying to save some of the most threatened species, keeping them alive in basement aquariums in the hope they might someday be reintroduced into the wild.

By Adam Welz

Oceans

As North Sea Oil Wanes, Removing Abandoned Rigs Stirs Controversy

With thousands of North Sea oil wells soon to be shut down, ecologists are warning that removing the gargantuan platforms could be more environmentally harmful than leaving them in place. The rigs, it turns out, have nurtured cold-water corals and other marine life.

By Fred Pearce
Forests

Does a Fire-Ravaged Forest Need Human Help to Recover?

Rising temperatures and more frequent forest fires have reignited a longstanding debate among foresters, ecologists, and conservationists: Is logging and other human intervention needed to regenerate severely burned woodlands, or should these charred lands be left to revive on their own?

By Ed Struzik
Energy

As Subsidies Wane, Market Forces Drive the Growth of Renewables

Competitive bidding on new power installations is becoming increasingly common worldwide, with solar and wind energy now reaching parity with fossil fuels in many countries. But the rise of renewables auctions carries risks, including the elimination of smaller green energy producers.

By Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar