In an ambitious plan to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015. Setting out 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), the agenda pledged that, “no one will be left behind.’ Meanwhile, a growing demand for food combined with […]
The seemingly relentless slaughter of orangutans and the destruction of tropical rainforests across the islands of Borneo and Sumatra are hardly breaking news, but the problems continue to intensify.. Rapid increases in the international demand for palm oil have resulted in the felling of more than half of Indonesia’s rainforest, with more than 70 percent […]
French mining company Rexma has received permission to mine for gold in an ecologically sensitive area along the Limonade River in French Guiana, three kilometers downstream from the geographically isolated town of Sa¸l. French Guiana is a French territory in the northwestern part of the South American continent, and Sa¸l is in the heart of […]
By 2050, more than 42 percent of China will be green—that is, if China’s plan to build a 400-million hectare (988-million acre) “Great Green Wall” to block expanding deserts and fight climate change takes root as planned. Launched in 1978 and officially known as the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the network of artificial forests is […]
Logging and the development of an ecotourism resort threaten Australia’s Recherche Bay, where one of the earliest known meetings between Tasmania’s Aboriginal people and European explorers took place. According to historians, archaeologists and ethnologists, Recherche Bay has significant cultural and historical value. French expeditions landed there in 1792 and again in 1793, staying several weeks […]
The snow and ice that usually top the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) have virtually disappeared in what geoscientists estimate is the first time in approximately 11,000 years. Environmental activists say the icecap’s loss is a direct result of rising temperatures in recent decades. According to Greenpeace, the damage to Mt. Kilimanjaro is a harbinger […]
Global warming trends and changes in weather patterns will have disastrous effects across Asia by 2050 unless greenhouse gases are reduced globally, say numerous climatologists and green groups. Citing current weather trends, they predict that, over the next 50 years, rising waters will force residents of many Asian islands to evacuate, water-borne disease will spread […]
Forest department officials in India’s state of Kerela are implanting sandalwood trees with tracking devices in an effort to protect dwindling forests from illegal logging. Once the devices are activated, satellites will be used to monitor forests and detect attempts to cut wood or smuggle timber from forest areas. The trade in contraband sandalwood is […]
