The fifth edition of the UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook report, published by the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), provides an authoritative overview of the state of nature worldwide. The report notes the importance of biodiversity in addressing climate change, and long-term food security, and concludes that action to protect biodiversity is essential to prevent future…
In recognition and celebration of the importance of bees to global biodiversity, the Earth Day Network, the Wilson Center, and the U.S. Department of State released a state-of-the-art mobile application which utilizes citizen science to collect data on bees and other insects around the world. Comprehensive data collection is urgently needed to help fill in…
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement in July in support of a crime of ecocide, the Belgian Ecolo-Groen parties have been quick to seize the moment to propose establishing the crime in Belgium and internationally. In consultation with French legal expert, veteran campaigner (and Stop Ecocide associate) Valérie Cabanes, the Greens have this week introduced…
Global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have suffered an average two-thirds decline in less than half a century due in large part to the very same environmental destruction which is contributing to the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, released today. The Living Planet…
TrashDash is the Keep America Beautiful® national initiative dedicated to promoting and eradicating trash in America through plogging. TrashDash inspires communities to actively conserve and enhance communities through ACTION. Plogging is the combination of picking up litter while jogging. Plogging was adopted by Keep America Beautiful because it incorporates the primary areas we address –…
Earth Overshoot Day 2020 lands on August 22, more than three weeks later than in 2019, according to Global Footprint Network. The date reflects the 9.3% reduction of humanity’s Ecological Footprint from January 1st to Earth Overshoot Day compared to the same period last year, which is a direct consequence of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns around…
Report lays out viable pathway to ‘Break the Plastic Wave’ A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ finds that without immediate and sustained action, the annual flow of plastic into the ocean could nearly triple by 2040. But the study also identifies solutions that could cut this volume by more than 80…
• Report finds putting nature first is good for business and economic resilience • Nature-positive solutions will create $10.1 trillion in business opportunity and millions of new jobs • COVID-19’s impact is a stark reminder of our imbalance with the natural world, but the report shows opportunities for businesses and governments to build back better…
Global Witness has revealed the highest number of land and environmental defenders murdered on record in a single year, with 212 people killed in 2019 for peacefully defending their homes and standing up to the destruction of nature. The NGO’s annual report also shed a light on the urgent role land and environmental defenders play…
Alex Thornton, The World Economic Forum • Miniature urban forests planted using a method invented by a Japanese botanist in the 1970s are growing in popularity. • Dense copses bursting with biodiversity can thrive in areas the size of a tennis court. • Known as ‘Miyawaki’ forests, the trees grow more quickly and absorb more…