Palm oil production has higher carbon cost than previously thought
Palm oil is commonly used in our society but it has a major impact on the environment. According to a new study, the carbon cost when one hectare of forest is cleared to make...
Tagged: deforestation
Rainforest regeneration spurs species comeback
Rainforest devastation is leading to the extinction of numerous tropical species. However, the regeneration of secondary forests urges species to make a comeback, promising new research has found. The loss of rainforests is fueling...
Legalizing marijuana is hurting the environment
A number of American states have legalized marijuana in some form or another. But while marijuana farmers can celebrate, the environment is taking a hit as cannabis cultivation replaces forests and leads to habitat...
Deforestation linked to palm oil production is making Indonesia warmer
In the past decades, large areas of forest in Sumatra, Indonesia have been replaced by cash crops like oil palm and rubber plantations. New research, published in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences, shows...
A second life for recovered wood
Most waste wood today is either used for heating or chipped to produce particle boards. The aim of the EU-funded CaReWood (Cascading Recovered Wood) project is to reuse this secondary raw material several times...
Consumption is killing our planet
One-third of the planet’s land is now severely degraded due to a doubling in the consumption of natural resources over the past 30 years, warns a new UN report. Some 15 billion trees and...
Local conservation approaches show best results
Conservation initiatives led by local and indigenous groups to protecting the Amazon rainforest can be more effective than government schemes, according to new research. The ‘Keep it local’ approach to protecting the Amazon rainforest...
Cash for carbon could ease deforestation
Paying people to conserve their trees could be a highly cost-effective way to reduce deforestation and lower carbon emissions, a new study has revealed. The study compared people who own forest in 60 villages...
Amazon rainforest triggers its own rainy season
The southern Amazon rainforest triggers its own rainy season, a new study has revealed. The phenomenon is a result of water vapour from plant leaves – and it helps explain why deforestation is linked...
Peatlands could face further losses due to climate change
Tropical peat swamp forests, which once occupied large swaths of Southeast Asia and other areas, provided a significant “sink” that helped remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But such forests have been disappearing fast...
Koalas in crisis
Experts and environmentalists are warning that koalas across much of Australia are on the brink of extinction. Increasing urbanisation, tree clearing and climate change are threatening the marsupials. Scientists are even talking about a...
Mini-Cockchafers reveal threatening fragmentation of South African Forests
The remains of South Africa’s indigenous forests hold a valuable and unique wildlife, fostered by long-term climatic stability and complex patterns of local climates. Researchers of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig – Leibniz-Institute...
Norway launches $400 million fund to protect rainforests
Norway is setting up a new fund that will raise USD 400 million to stop tropical deforestation and boost forest-friendly farming. The fund is backed by major food companies such as Nestlé and Unilever....
Scientists discover 163 new species in Greater Mekong region
A rainbow-headed snake, a lizard with dragon-like horns, and a newt with red and black markings that looks like a Klingon’s head from the Star Trek franchise. These are just three of the 163...
EU bioenergy strategy destroying protected forests
A new investigation has found that Europe’s bioenergy plants are burning whole trees from protected forests to meet the EU’s ambitious bioenergy targets. Under current legislation, bioenergy producers do not have to show that...
UN calls to reforest Kilimanjaro
Reforesting Africa’s highest mountain could ease East Africa’s severe water shortages, according to a new report from the UN environment agency. Vital water supplies across large parts of East Africa are now under threat...
World Bank accused of secretly funding coal boom in Asia
A rights advocacy group has accused the World Bank of secretly funding high-risk energy, agribusiness and mining projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, in brazen disrespect of its own environmental and social requirements....
Proposed Amazon dam would wreak environmental damage
The proposed Tapajos dam in the heart of the Amazon would lead to a wave of deforestation to pave way for soy farming or cattle ranching, according to Brazilian researchers. According to a report...
Norway commits to zero deforestation
Norway’s parliament has pledged that the government’s public procurement policy will not contribute to deforestation of rainforests worldwide, making it the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation. Although a number...
World leaders to sign Paris climate agreement on Earth Day
Tomorrow, over one billion people in 192 countries will take action to protect our shared environment. All across the globe, people are demanding climate action, cleaning up their local communities, meeting with their elected...
