Nations around the world are pledging to plant billions of trees to grow new forests. But a new study shows that the potential for natural forest regrowth to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and fight climate change is far greater than has previously been estimated.
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Analysis
The Age of Megafires: The World Hits a Climate Tipping Point
From Siberia to Australia to the western U.S., massive fires have consumed millions of acres this year and spawned fire-generated tornados and other phenomena rarely seen before. Scientists say the world has entered a perilous new era that will demand better ways of fighting wildfires.
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Biodiversity
Will Putting Honey Bees on Public Lands Threaten Native Bees?
As suitable sites become scarce, commercial beekeepers are increasingly moving their hives to U.S. public lands. But scientists warn that the millions of introduced honey bees pose a risk to native species, outcompeting them for pollen and altering fragile plant communities.
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Opinion
How Pressuring Corporations Can Save the Amazon from Destruction
As the Amazon undergoes another wave of deforestation, a blueprint for halting the runaway exploitation can be found in Southeast Asia, where pressure campaigns on companies and improved government monitoring are finally slowing the devastation caused by the palm oil industry.
Solutions
Why Bioplastics Will Not Solve the World’s Plastics Problem
Bioplastics are being touted by industry marketers as the solution to plastics pollution. But the idea that bottles and packaging made of plant-based material can simply be discarded and then break down and disappear is false – recycling and reuse are the only strategies that can work.
E360 Digest
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The World’s Largest Wind Turbines to Be Used for North Sea Project
The world’s largest offshore wind project — the 3.6-gigawatt Dogger Bank farm in the North Sea — announced it will be using the world's largest turbines to generate electricity for more than 4.5 million homes in the United Kingdom, Greentech Media reported. The 13-megawatt (MW) turbines, built by General Electric, stand more than 850 feet tall, five times the size of the Arc de Triomphe. More about The World’s Largest Wind Turbines to Be Used for North Sea Project →
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Ecuador’s Highest Court Will Allow Communities to Vote on Mining Projects
Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has ruled that communities have the right to vote on whether to allow large and medium-sized mining projects in their areas, the industry news site Mining.com reported. The legal decision will apply only to new projects, not those already licensed. More about Ecuador’s Highest Court Will Allow Communities to Vote on Mining Projects →
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Could New Fungi-Based Leather Replace the Real Thing?
Scientists have found that new faux-leather textiles made from fungi look, feel, and are as durable as leather made from cows or synthetic fabrics, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The research supports claims made by companies in Korea, Indonesia, and the United States that fungi-derived leather is a competitive, sustainable option for the clothing industry. More about Could New Fungi-Based Leather Replace the Real Thing? →
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Cities
On the Delaware, A Promising New Era in Cleanup of an Urban River
Once known for its filth, the Delaware River in Philadelphia is now enjoyed by boaters who flock to its improved waters. Now, environmentalists there and across the country are pushing to ramp up the gains made and to complete the cleanup of America’s urban rivers.
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Energy
A Flood of Polluting Air Conditioners Hampers Africa’s Climate Efforts
As air conditioning sales in Africa soar, many of the units imported there are old and inefficient, driving up electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. But some countries are taking action, banning the import of used air conditioners and adopting tough energy standards.
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Interview
To Save a Way of Life, Native Defenders Push to Protect the Arctic Refuge
Gwich’in elder Sarah James has long fought efforts to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In an e360 interview, she talks about the Trump administration’s move to open these lands to development and why the fate of the refuge and of her people are intertwined.
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Oceans
How China’s Expanding Fishing Fleet Is Depleting the World’s Oceans
After exhausting areas close to home, China’s vast fishing fleet has moved into the waters of other nations, depleting fish stocks. More than seafood is at stake, as China looks to assert itself on the seas and further its geo-political ambitions, from East Asia to Latin America.
2020 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
Backyard Battle: Helping Native Bees Thrive in a Honeybee World
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E360 Video Contest
Inside the Uphill Fight for Clean Water in California’s Central Valley
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E360 Video Contest
In the Philippines, A Community Fights to Protect Its Ancestral Lands