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Discovery of ‘cryptic species’ shows Earth is even more biologically diverse
Dec 29, 2020 16:12The discovery of new species of aloe, African leaf-nosed bats and chameleons that appear similar to the human eye but are in fact many and separate have thrilled and worried conservationists. Scientists say our planet might be more biologically diverse than previously thought, and estimates for the total number of species could be far higher than the current best guess of 8.7 million.
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Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency? Asks UN Chief at climate summit
Dec 18, 2020 16:33World leaders aren't doing enough to address the human-caused climate crisis. That seemed to be the main message of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' speech at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, hosted by the U.N., the United Kingdom, and France in partnership with Chile and Italy to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris agreement.
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Shameful and outrageous: New satellite data reveals Brazilian Amazon deforestation at 12-year high
Dec 15, 2020 18:22Instead of acting to prevent the increase in deforestation, the Bolsonaro government has been denying the reality of the situation, dismantling environmental agencies, and attacking NGOs.
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Without climate action, number of low-income homes affected by flooding projected to triple by 2050, study shows
Dec 13, 2020 16:36The New Jersey-based climate research organization Climate Central released a study showing that 7,668 houses, town homes, and apartments that are either in low-income areas or are subsidized affordable housing units are currently exposed to at least one "coastal flood risk event" per year, and that number is expected to triple by 2050 if fossil fuel emissions are not dramatically reduced in the coming years.
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Few things matter more to humans: UN report says we must protect and restore biodiversity of world's soil
Dec 13, 2020 16:27Despite the critical role played by healthy soil in improving food production, dominant patterns of agricultural intensification—including the overuse and misuse of pesticides and fertilizers—are major drivers of biodiversity loss, thus undermining soil's potential contributions.
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Trump administration accused of trying to bully banks into financing Arctic fossil fuel extraction
Dec 11, 2020 16:38The Wall Street Journal reports the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday, November 20th proposed a new rule that would bar financial institutions from refusing to lend to entire categories of lawful businesses.
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UK’s 2030 carbon target set to disappoint green campaigners
Dec 11, 2020 16:26The UK is to host vital UN climate talks — called Cop26 – in Glasgow next November, postponed by a year by the pandemic, at which all nations will be expected to come forward with national plans on emissions. Known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), these plans for carbon curbs by 2030 are the bedrock of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
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Amazon deforestation surges to 12-year high under Bolsonaro
Dec 03, 2020 16:32A vast expanse of Amazon rainforest seven times larger than Greater London has been destroyed over the last year as deforestation surges to a 12-year high under Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
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No time to lose for climate action: Atmospheric CO2 continued to rise in 2020 despite COVID-19 lockdowns
Nov 30, 2020 02:11Climate-heating gases have reached record levels in the atmosphere despite the global lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization has said.
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Microplastic pollution found near summit of Mount Everest
Nov 27, 2020 16:59Microplastic pollution has been discovered in snow close to the peak of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. With plastic debris revealed in 2018 at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, it is now clear that humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet.