They don’t make the headlines the way charismatic animals such as rhinos and elephants do. But there are thousands of critically endangered plants in the world, and a determined group of botanists are ready to go to great lengths to save them.
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Cities
Beetle Mania: The Nasty Insect That Is Killing the Trees of Johannesburg
South Africa’s largest city proudly notes that it has one of the world’s largest urban forests. But an invasive insect has been killing Johannesburg’s trees by the tens of thousands, and baffled experts are scrambling to find ways to stop it.
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Opinion
Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be Scrapped
For decades, hurricanes have been rated on a scale of 1 to 5 based solely on a storm’s wind speeds. But as recent hurricanes show, a tropical cyclone’s winds often tell us little about its real threats — coastal storm surge and precipitation-driven flooding.
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Biodiversity
Conflicting Data: How Fast Is the World Losing its Forests?
The latest UN report on climate says reducing deforestation is crucial to slowing global warming. But researchers must first reconcile two contradictory sets of statistics on tree loss in order to determine whether promises made by nations to protect and restore forests are on target.
Food & Agriculture
In the Heart of the Corn Belt, an Uphill Battle for Clean Water
Runoff from farms and feedlots has badly polluted Iowa’s waterways, more than half of which do not meet federal quality standards. Now, an unlikely coalition is calling for stricter controls to clean up the drinking water sources for millions of the state’s residents.
E360 Digest
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Uncapped Wells Have Been Leaking Oil Into the Gulf of Mexico for 14 Years
A collection of uncapped oil wells located 12 miles off the coast of Louisiana has been leaking as many as 700 barrels of oil every day since 2004 and could soon spill more oil into the Gulf of Mexico than BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, which leaked 4.9 million barrels in 2010, The Washington Post reports. More about Uncapped Wells Have Been Leaking Oil Into the Gulf of Mexico for 14 Years →
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U.S. Air Pollution Deaths Nearly Halved Over Two Decades
The number of deaths related to air pollution in the United States shrank by 47 percent between 1990 and 2010, dropping from 135,000 per year to 71,000, according to new research published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The decline in mortality is attributable to stricter regulations and improvements in air quality, the authors of the study concluded. This is despite increases in the country’s population, energy use, and car travel. More about U.S. Air Pollution Deaths Nearly Halved Over Two Decades →
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Plastic Pollution Has Increased a Hundredfold in Remote Parts of the South Atlantic
The amount of plastic debris in the ocean waters of the British islands in the South Atlantic — some of the most remote places on the planet — has increased hundredfold in the last 30 years, according to a new study in the journal Current Biology. Today, the density of plastic near the South Atlantic islands is approaching the pollution levels along industrialized North Atlantic coasts, the study finds. More about Plastic Pollution Has Increased a Hundredfold in Remote Parts of the South Atlantic →
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Marine biologist Daniel Pauly is calling for a total ban on open-ocean fishing. In an e360 interview, he contends that such a step is essential for rebuilding badly depleted global fish stocks and preventing the demise of the fishing industry itself.
Opinion
Why We Must Save the Endangered Species Act from the Trump Administration
Urged on by the oil and gas industry, the Trump administration is moving to drastically weaken the Endangered Species Act. But the act, writes a former U.S. Interior Secretary, has saved hundreds of species that might now be extinct, while allowing for well-managed development.
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Interview
An Inside Look at How Trump Turned the EPA into an Industry Subsidiary
In an interview with Yale Environment 360, former EPA official Elizabeth Southerland discusses the hostile takeover of the EPA by the Trump administration and industry interests and explains why she is hopeful that the recent damage can be undone.
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Climate
How Wildfires Are Polluting Rivers and Threatening Water Supplies
As wildfires become more frequent and destructive in a warming world, they are increasingly leaving in their wake debris and toxic runoff that are polluting rivers and fouling water supplies. Some municipalities are having to upgrade their water treatment methods to counter the new danger.
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Wildlife
The Ongoing Disgrace of South Africa’s Captive-Bred Lion Trade
An estimated 7,000 to 14,000 lions are held in captivity and bred in South Africa. Increasingly, the animals are slaughtered for their bones and other body parts, many of which are sold in Asia for their purported — and scientifically discredited — health benefits.
2018 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest
The winners of our annual contest honoring the best short environmental films.
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER
In Sicily, A Plague of Cancer Overwhelms an Oil Refinery Town
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER - SECOND PLACE
For Iranian Villagers, A Dam Uproots a Rural Way of Life
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER - THIRD PLACE
Off the African Coast, a Struggle to Revive a Battered Fishery