A boom in avocado production in Mexico has led to illegal deforestation and an influx of drug cartels dominating the lucrative trade. But Indigenous communities have fought back against the gangs and turned to traditional practices to grow avocados and save their forests.
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Food & Agriculture
How Herbicide Drift from Farms Is Harming Trees in Midwest
Researchers are starting to pay closer attention to the widespread damage wrought by agricultural herbicides. Drifting sprays may not kill trees, shrubs, and other nontarget plants outright, but experts believe they are making them vulnerable to insects, fungi, and disease.
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Policy
U.S. Aid Cuts Are Hitting Global Conservation Projects Hard
The Trump Administration’s dismantling of USAID has done more than cut off life-saving humanitarian assistance. It has also eliminated funding for environmental protection and conservation work in dozens of countries, with many programs now being forced to shut down.
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INTERVIEW
How a Former Herder Protected Mongolia’s Vast Grasslands
Batmunkh Luvsandash has fought to protect more than a million acres of steppe lands in his native Mongolia. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how, by drawing on the knowledge of local herders, he was able to take on the powerful mining industry and win.
Solutions
A.I. Is Quietly Powering a Revolution in Weather Prediction
Weather forecasts powered by artificial intelligence are usually more accurate — and require less computational energy and fewer human hours — than conventional predictions. But questions remain about A.I. systems’ reliability and their ability to forecast extreme weather events.
E360 Digest
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Warming Doubled the Odds of Record Fires in South Korea
Warming fueled the hot, dry, windy weather that gave rise to a spate of record-breaking fires in South Korea in March, an analysis finds. More about Warming Doubled the Odds of Record Fires in South Korea →
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Facing High Tariffs in U.S., Chinese Solar Flows to Poorer Countries
Facing high tariffs in the U.S. and Europe, Chinese solar and battery companies have been selling a growing share of their products to poorer countries, a new analysis finds. More about Facing High Tariffs in U.S., Chinese Solar Flows to Poorer Countries →
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Brazilian Judge Orders Seizure of Illegally Cleared Lands
A justice on the Brazilian Supreme Court has directed the government to seize private lands where forests have been illegally razed. More about Brazilian Judge Orders Seizure of Illegally Cleared Lands →
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Biodiversity
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
One of the most endangered animals in the world, freshwater mussels are threatened by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. But in the epicenter of their diversity — the Southeastern U.S. — the root cause of a catastrophic die-off remains a mystery.
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RIVERS
On a Dammed River, Amazon Villagers Fight to Restore the Flow
Indigenous communities that rely on the natural flow of the Xingu River have long fought the Belo Monte dam in Brazil. With the dam now up for relicensing, they are urging the government to allow more water to flow, which would help revive the river and their way of life.
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ANALYSIS
Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?
As interest in nuclear power rises, startups are pursuing plans to recycle spent fuel and reuse its untapped energy to power reactors. Advocates tout new recycling methods as a breakthrough, but many experts warn it will extract plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons.
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CONFLICT
In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
As civil war rages in Sudan, a surge in gold production is helping finance and arm the warring factions. Most of the mining is done on a small scale by villagers who process the gold using mercury and cyanide, posing serious threats to their health and to the environment.
