Newly elected Jair Bolsonaro, an authoritarian nationalist sometimes called the “tropical Trump,” has staked out an environmental agenda that would open the Amazon to widespread development, putting at risk a region that plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate.
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Climate
Is Warming Bringing a Wave of New Diseases to Arctic Wildlife?
Rapid warming and vanishing sea ice in the Arctic has enabled new species, from humpback whales to white-tailed deer, to spread northward. Scientists are increasingly concerned that some of these new arrivals may be bringing dangerous pathogens that could disrupt the region’s fragile ecosystems.
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Analysis
Can Citizen Lawsuits Force Governments to Act on Climate Change?
Citizen court actions on global warming have taken very different turns in Europe and the U.S. A Dutch court has ruled the government must keep its promises to cut emissions, but prospects for the U.S. “climate kids” suit are dimming given the increasingly conservative Supreme Court.
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Interview
Understanding How Elephants Think Is Key to Protecting Them
Conflicts between elephants and humans are on the rise. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, animal cognition expert Joshua Plotnik talks about his research into the thinking of Asian elephants and how what he is learning could help save the world’s largest land animal.
Policy
How to Shift Public Attitudes and Win the Global Climate Battle
The world is making progress in decarbonizing economies, but not nearly fast enough, says the former U.S. chief climate negotiator. Here he spells out what forces must come together to marshal the public and political will needed to tackle climate change.
E360 Digest
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Scientists Create Energy-Producing “Bionic Mushroom”
A team of researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey have created a “bionic mushroom” that can produce electricity without using fossil fuels. The mushroom is covered in cyanobacteria, tiny organisms found across the globe that turn sunlight into electrical current. More about Scientists Create Energy-Producing “Bionic Mushroom” →
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Neonicotinoids Impact Bees’ Nursing and Social Behaviors, Study Finds
Exposure to neonicotinoid compounds, the world’s most commonly used insecticides, directly impacts the social behavior of bumblebees, causing them to be less active and less likely to care for or feed larvae, according to a new study published in the journal Science. More about Neonicotinoids Impact Bees’ Nursing and Social Behaviors, Study Finds →
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Scientists Find Three-Species Hybrid Bird in Pennsylvania
Scientists have discovered a rare three-species hybrid bird living in Pennsylvania. The bird is the offspring of a hybrid warbler species and a warbler from an entirely different genus — a combination that has never been recorded before, according to a new study in the journal Biology Letters. More about Scientists Find Three-Species Hybrid Bird in Pennsylvania →
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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.
Biodiversity
Extreme Botany: The Precarious Science of Endangered Rare Plants
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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Climate
Redrawing the Map: How the World’s Climate Zones Are Shifting
Rising global temperatures are altering climatic zones around the planet, with consequences for food and water security, local economies, and public health. Here’s a stark look at some of the distinct features that are already on the move.
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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.
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