For people who came of age in the 1970s, it is especially painful to witness the Trump administration’s relentless rollback of hard-won environmental progress. But as the assaults on clean air and water, endangered species, and more mount, a noted ecologist finds reasons for hope.
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INTERVIEW
Why Protecting Flowering Plants Is Crucial to Our Future
In his latest book, biologist David George Haskell describes flowering plants as “world creators.” In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how they spurred the evolution of new ecosystems and what flowering plants can teach us about survival on a warming planet.
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ANALYSIS
As It Boosts Renewables, China Still Can’t Break Its Coal Addiction
Despite being a renewables superpower, China continues to permit and build new coal-fired power plants at a rapid pace. Analysts say the nation’s new five-year plan will ensure further coal plant expansion and jeopardize China’s ability to deliver on its climate promises.
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MINING
As Zambia Pushes New Mining, a Legacy of Pollution Looms
Zambia is expanding development of its rich deposits of critical minerals, which are needed for the global shift to renewables. But poisoning from past mining and a huge toxic spill at a mine site are raising fears that new wealth will come at a high cost for people and the environment.
Biodiversity
Long Overlooked as Crucial to Life, Fungi Start to Get Their Due
Fungi create soil, sequester vast amounts of carbon, and contribute $55 trillion to the global economy, but knowledge about them is scarce. Now, mycologists are pushing to get the international scientific community to recognize fungi on the same level as plants and animals.
E360 Digest
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U.S. Biofuels Target Could Fuel Destruction of Tropical Rainforest
The U.S. doesn’t produce enough vegetable oil to meet a new biofuels mandate, so suppliers will have to ramp up imports of vegetable oil, putting pressure on tropical forests overseas. More about U.S. Biofuels Target Could Fuel Destruction of Tropical Rainforest →
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Dozens of New Species Discovered In Deep Waters Off Australia
Scientists have identified more than 110 new species discovered deep underwater beyond the edges of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. More about Dozens of New Species Discovered In Deep Waters Off Australia →
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Indonesian Mega-Farm Drives Surge in Deforestation
Indonesia saw the loss of forest hit its highest level in eight years last year, a jump driven in part by a sprawling effort to turn rainforest into rice and sugarcane plantations. More about Indonesian Mega-Farm Drives Surge in Deforestation →
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Gray wolves made an uneasy comeback in the Northern Rockies and are struggling to return to the Southwest. But legislation now working its way through Congress is being spurred by misinformation and myth, rather than science, and threatens to end wolf recovery in the U.S.
OPINION
Beyond ‘Endangerment’: Finding a Way Forward for U.S. on Climate
Environmentalists are challenging the EPA’s repeal of the “endangerment finding,” which empowered it to regulate greenhouse gases. Whether or not the action holds up in court, now is the time to develop climate strategies that can be pursued when the political balance shifts.
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ANALYSIS
Species Slowdown: Is Nature’s Ability to Self-Repair Stalling?
When scientists recently analyzed hundreds of studies of ecosystems, they were surprised to see a marked slowing in the rate of species turnover. If new species don’t replace old ones, they say, ecosystems may have less flexibility to respond to habitat loss and climate change.
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Solutions
The E.U.’s Burgeoning Repair Movement Is Set to Get a Boost
Europe’s new Right to Repair Directive will make it easier — and cheaper — for consumers to get their household goods fixed, rather than buy something new. Part of the E.U.’s Green Deal, the plan is expected to slash waste, promote recycling, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
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Biodiversity
Baboon Raiders: In Cape Town, Can Big Primates and People Coexist?
For years, baboons have roamed Cape Town suburbs, entering yards and houses in search of food. Now officials have a conservation plan aimed at reducing conflicts between the large primates and people — but like most things baboon-related here, it is sparking heated controversy.
