Global warming?

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humans are animals,period

 

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In Scotland, the rewilding movement looks to the past to plan its future


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Under assault at home, Indigenous leaders get a violent welcome in Brasília by Fernanda Wenzel [06/24/2021]

- Three Indigenous leaders were reportedly seriously injured after Brazilian police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesters in the capital, Brasília.
- The incident comes as Indigenous groups from across Brazil gather in the capital to protest against violence and invasions that they face on their own lands; the Munduruku people had to have a police escort to travel to Brasília after being attacked by illegal miners in their reserve in Pará state.
- The Indigenous protesters are also in the capital to press Congress to halt deliberations of legislation that they call the “bill of death,” that would severely undermine Indigenous rights. On the day after the confrontation, it was approved by a congressional commission and will go to a vote in the lower house.
- Among other measures, the bill would make it harder to demarcate Indigenous reserves; override Indigenous territorial sovereignty for “public interest” projects; and dismantle the current policy of non-contact with isolated Indigenous people.


In Brazil’s most Indigenous city, prejudice and diversity go hand in hand by Ana Amelia Hamdan [06/22/2021]

- São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in northern Amazonas state, is recognized as Brazil’s most Indigenous municipality: an estimated 90% of its population is Indigenous, accounting for both its urban and rural areas; the urban area alone is 58% self-declared Indigenous.
- Spread across an area the size of Cuba, São Gabriel da Cachoeira has a history marked by the arrival of Brazilian military forces in 1760 and subsequently Catholic and Protestant missionaries, organized Indigenous social movements, as well as national and international NGOs focused on defending the environment and the Indigenous peoples.
- According to the census, there are 32 indigenous ethnic groups in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, many of them unknown in the rest of the country, such as the Koripako, Baniwa, Baré, Wanano, Piratapuya, Tukano, and Dãw people.
- The municipality is the only one in the country with four official languages, in addition to Portuguese: Baniwa, Tukano, Nheengatu and Yanomami. But despite its cultural and ethnic diversity, there are frequent reports of discrimination against Indigenous people.


In Scotland, the rewilding movement looks to the past to plan its future by Kieran Dodds [06/21/2021]

- Scotland, host of the COP26 climate summit this November, is the site of an ambitious rewilding project with a centuries-long timeline for restoring the forests that once blanketed the now-familiar landscape of barren moors.
- The effort brings together a patchwork of private landowners, government landholdings and conservation charities, all working to restore the habitat through tree planting.
- Scotland’s forests cover 19% of its land area, the highest proportion of the four nations that comprise the U.K.; but as a whole, the U.K. is one of the least forested countries in Europe, at 13% compared to the average 38% across the EU.
- Advocates of rewilding say it’s about “helping nature to manage itself”: “We kick-start this process by planting trees so in 30 to 50 years, we can walk away.”


With Indigenous rights at stake in Brasília, a territory is attacked in Paraty by Ana Ionova [06/18/2021]

- As lawmakers tussle over the future of Indigenous land rights in Brazil’s capital, Indigenous people in a municipality in Rio de Janeiro state are fending off attacks and threats by settlers who reject their ancestral land rights over the territory.
- Settlers opposed to the recognition of the Tekohá Dje’y Indigenous Reserve yanked off a new identification plaque marking the reserve, threatened Indigenous leaders and tried to run residents over with a vehicle, the community alleges.
- The Indigenous group in Paraty, a municipality a four-hour drive from Rio’s capital, blames farmers and land grabbers for the attacks and for not recognizing their rights to the land; the community says authorities are not doing enough to protect them from attacks.
- The attacks come amid ongoing violence in the Yanomami and Munduruku reserves, where illegal miners have invaded Indigenous lands in search of gold. Indigenous groups are protesting in Brasília this week against a host of anti-Indigenous bills that could weaken land rights and legalize the mining.


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NEWS

Deforestation of orangutan habitat feeds global palm oil demand, report shows by Hans Nicholas Jong [24 Jun 2021]
- Palm oil giant Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) has allegedly sourced the commodity from a plantation responsible for deforesting prime orangutan habitat in Sumatra, which would constitute a violation of the group’s no deforestation and no peatland destruction policies.
- An investigation by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) detected deforestation within the plantation operator’s concession in Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, home to some of the rarest species on Earth.
- According to the investigation, palm oil from the concession ended up in RGE’s supply chain, and subsequently the global market; RGE is a key supplier to major brands like Unilever, Kao, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Mondelēz, Nestlé and Colgate-Palmolive.
- RGE’s palm oil arm, APICAL, said it had put a monitoring system in place and carried out risk engagement and supplier engagement measures in its supply chain, but RAN said these efforts were not enough as deforestation-tainted palm oil from the Leuser Ecosystem was still ending up in its supply chain.

Private investors look to high-end tourism to fund conservation in Mozambique by Marlowe Starling [24 Jun 2021]
- Karingani Game Reserve is a 150,000-hectare (371,000-acre) private nature reserve being developed in southwestern Mozambique that intends to rehabilitate the landscape and boost wildlife populations inside its borders.
- Operators of Karingani say the reserve will finance itself by attracting high-end tourism and measures its progress through a novel set of conservation indicators.
- Attracting private capital into conservation projects has long been proposed as a way to cover shortfalls from public and philanthropic funding sources, with Karingani being a recent example of this approach.
- But local communities have complained in recent years that the land Karingani is being developed on was signed over to government officials under false pretenses, raising questions about power imbalances in the model.

Camera trap pics of rare species in Vietnam raise conservation hopes by Michael Tatarski [24 Jun 2021]
- Camera traps recently captured images of several different highly endangered species in Vietnam’s Phong Dien Nature Reserve.
- These include the Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) and Owston’s palm civet (Chrotogale owstoni), which are only found in the Annamite Range of Laos and Vietnam.
- The sightings have confirmed the high biodiversity value of Phong Dien, and the importance of strengthening protection from threats such as snare hunting and hydropower development.

Not all rescued animals should be released back to the wild (commentary) by Gregg Tully [24 Jun 2021]
- Articles about animals released from captivity (or rehabilitation after injury) get clicks, likes and lots of shares, and it would be easy to assume that doing this is the top job for all wildlife sanctuaries.
- As appealing as this image is, sanctuaries must first determine what is in the best interest of the animal, like whether it can survive where it’s being released.
- How do they determine which animals should be returned to the wild, and which should remain at the sanctuary? It’s complicated, but sometimes the best move is to keep an animal in captivity.
- This article is a commentary, and the views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Demand for soy puts pressure on Pantanal, Brazil’s largest wild wetland by Fernanda Wenzel, Naira Hofmeister, Pedro Papini [23 Jun 2021]
- Global demand for soybean has seen annual production of the crop in Brazil soar from 30 million tons in 2000 to 125 million tons today. Most of the agrochemicals consumed in Brazil are used on this crop.
- Soybean farming also accounts for most of the agrochemicals used in Brazil, and the farming activity concentrated in the state of Mato Grosso is now seeing those chemicals washing downstream to the Pantanal wetlands.
- The planet’s largest floodplain, the Pantanal is relatively untouched by agriculture, with only 0.01% of its area occupied by soy farms.
- Scientists have shown that waterways feeding the Pantanal are contaminated and silted up, and that fish are growing scarce in certain locations.

Rights groups demand end to Cambodia’s persecution of green activists by Carolyn Cowan [23 Jun 2021]
- A court in Cambodia has charged three activists from the environmental NGO Mother Nature Cambodia after they documented waste dumping in a river near the Royal Palace.
- It’s the latest instance of authorities cracking down on environmental activists in the country, after three other Mother Nature Cambodia staff were convicted in May for planning a peaceful protest against the backfilling of a lake.
- Local and international rights groups have condemned the spate of arrests and called on the international and donor community to bring pressure to bear on the government.
- There’s already been some pushback, with the U.S. government ending its funding of a forest conservation program, and the U.S. ambassador calling on Cambodian authorities to “be responsive to its citizens, not to silence them.”

Earth tipping points could destabilize each other in domino effect: Study by Elizabeth Claire Alberts [23 Jun 2021]
- A new risk analysis has found that the tipping points of five of Earth’s subsystems — the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Amazon rainforest — could interact with each other in a destabilizing manner.
- It suggests that these changes could occur even before temperatures reach 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels, which is the upper limit of the Paris Agreement.
- The interactions between the different tipping elements could also lower critical temperature thresholds, essentially allowing tipping cascades to occur earlier than expected, according to the research.
- Experts not involved in the study say the findings are a significant contribution to the field, but do not adequately address the timescales over which these changes could occur.

Amazon dams: No clean water, fish dying, then the pandemic came by Tiffany Higgins [23 Jun 2021]
- Villagers living near the Teles Pires and São Manoel dams in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state — including the Apiaká, Kayabí and Munduruku peoples — attest to poor water quality, lack of potable water, increased malaria and rashes since the dams were built on their river. They also say there has been little response from the dam companies.
- Indigenous peoples say the Brazilian hydroelectric projects have altered river ecology along with thousands of years of cultural practice, especially their fishing livelihood. Migratory fish and other game fish have been greatly diminished, so residents must now resort to fishing at night.
- Once the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the region, lack of clean water for bathing became even more urgent, while disappearing fish in daily diets made it harder to get food or isolate in riverside villages. Only under judicial order did dam companies recently improve water supply infrastructure.
- Experts trace these adverse impacts back to the dams’ planning stages: with the construction companies skipping legally mandated steps, not consulting Indigenous peoples as required, and failing to calculate cumulative impacts of multiple dam projects. Villagers are now monitoring impacts — and some are studying the law.

Lear’s macaws threatened by planned wind farm in Brazil, experts warn by Suzana Camargo [23 Jun 2021]
- French renewable energy developer Voltalia plans to install 81 wind turbines in Brazil’s Bahia state, in an area that’s also the main refuge of the endangered Lear’s macaw (Anodorhynchus leari).
- Conservationists warn that the birds may collide with the turbines, especially because they fly at dawn and dusk, when visibility is poor.
- Fewer than 1,500 Lear’s macaws remain in the area; the species also suffers as a result of trafficking for the illegal pet trade.
- Voltalia says it is taking measures to reduce any impacts on the bird, and has also committed to its conservation; but critics say more complete impact assessments are needed before construction should be allowed to begin.

 

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Do we love elephants enough to let them live free? (commentary) by Merrill Sapp [22 Jun 2021]
- A prime attraction for zoos and circuses, elephants make an impression with their playfulness, intelligence, and docile nature despite extraordinary strength.
- But a reluctance to retire elephants to sanctuaries, plus captive breeding efforts and importation of wild animals to places like the U.S. all reveal an industry devoted to keeping elephants captive permanently.
- At a time when the world has watched a herd of wild elephants wander across China looking for a new home, the question of whether we love elephants enough to let them live free gains added meaning.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Farmers in the Amazon could earn 9 times more and prevent ecosystem collapse by Jonah Wittkamper; Alexander Borges Rose; and Denis Minev [22 Jun 2021]
- In this opinion piece, Jonah Wittkamper, Alexander Borges Rose, and Denis Minev argue that agroforestry in the Amazon “can replace cattle, generate new wealth, create jobs and develop new economic zones that insulate pristine forest from deforestation risk.”
- “The opportunity is huge and the needs are urgent,” they write. “If landowners switched from producing soy to a polyculture of fruit and horticultural products, their income would more than triple.”
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

New survey nearly doubles Grauer’s gorilla population, but threats remain by Ed Holt [22 Jun 2021]
- A recent survey led by the Wildlife Conservation Society has revised the population estimate for Grauer’s gorillas to 6,800, up from a 2016 estimate of 3,800.
- The survey includes data from the Oku community forests in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which could not be surveyed in 2016 due to security issues.
- Endemic to the eastern DRC, Grauer’s gorillas are still classed as critically endangered, and face threats due to mining and bushmeat hunting.
- The large numbers of gorillas observed in the community forests surrounding Kahuzi-Biéga National Park underscore the importance of engaging local communities in conservation.

$10 million XPRIZE Rainforest contest announces 33 qualifying teams by Sheryl Lee Tian Tong [22 Jun 2021]
- Thirty-three teams spanning 16 countries from Brazil to India have qualified for the next stage of the XPRIZE Rainforest competition, the organizers announced on World Rainforest Day.
- The $10 million contest, which launched in 2019 and concludes in 2024, aims to develop scalable and affordable technologies for rainforest preservation.
- Over the next three years, competing teams will leverage existing and emerging technologies including robotics, remote sensing, data analysis and artificial intelligence to develop new biodiversity survey tools and produce real-time insights on rainforest health and value.

Cleaning up Cambodia’s kitchens could curb deforestation, climate change by Marissa Carruthers [22 Jun 2021]
- NGOs and companies across Cambodia are taking action in response to the mass use of charcoal and forest biomass in household and restaurant kitchens countrywide. The shift away from these polluting fuel sources to cleaner energy alternatives is being sparked by health and environmental concerns.
- Education is a key strategy for implementing the shift away from charcoal and wood, as their use is ingrained in the culture, with many Cambodians saying food doesn’t taste as good when cooked with other fuels.
- One innovative solution is turning the country’s coconut husks into “green charcoal,” which is already earning the nation recognition for being a global leader within the sustainable charcoal sector.
- Cambodia’s farmers are also moving away from using forest biomass for energy, and are instead utilizing biodigesters to turn household and farm waste into biogas for cooking and to make organic fertilizer.

When it comes to carbon capture, tree invasions can do more harm than good by Liz Kimbrough [21 Jun 2021]
- Trees are a logical solution to climate change, but allowing or encouraging trees to move into areas where they don’t typically grow, such as tundras and grasslands, can actually do more harm than good.
- Invasive trees may capture less carbon than the treeless ecosystem they overrun due to soil disturbance, increased risk of fires, and changes in light absorption, a recent review paper shows.
- These results have implications for policies and initiatives, particularly in places where carbon credits have been used to discourage the removal of invasive, non-native trees.
- Land managers need to consider much more than aboveground carbon, according to the paper’s authors, who say that, “Trees are not always the answer.”

China’s efforts to accommodate ‘wandering elephants’ is overshadowed by its conflict with elephants elsewhere (commentary) by William F. Laurance [21 Jun 2021]
- William F. Laurance, distinguished research professor and Australian laureate at James Cook University, provides his take on a herd of 15 Asian elephants that is making headlines as it moves northward from China’s border with Myanmar and Laos.
- “No one knows exactly where the elephants are going, or why,” Laurance writes. “But two things are clear: the elephants were probably struggling to survive in their native habitat, and Chinese efforts to save the elephants clash with the nation’s aggressive strategies of investment and global development.”
- Laurance argues that while China’s efforts to accommodate this particular herd of elephants is notable, its activities beyond its borders are jeopardizing the continued survival of the species. He cites habitat destruction at home, large-scale infrastructure projects abroad, and fueling demand for the ivory trade as examples.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

In fight against wildlife trafficking, Brazil police turn to nuclear science by Dimas Marques/Fauna News [21 Jun 2021]
- New technology can tell if an animal sold in the legal wildlife trade was bred in captivity or captured illegally from the wild.
- Through analysis of stable isotopes in claw and fur samples, police in Brazil’s Amazonas state can now identify an animal’s geographic origin, as well as trace the provenance of timber.
- The new technology helps to uncover wildlife “warming,” the practice by breeders of trying to pass off wild-caught animals as captive-bred.
- Experts say it should also be used to identify catch sites to allow for seized animals to be released in their home locations.

Researchers look to locals to fill knowledge gap on Philippine tarsier by Carolyn Cowan [21 Jun 2021]
- Philippine tarsiers (Carlito syrichta) are the poster child of the country’s burgeoning ecotourism industry, but little is known about their taxonomy, population size and conservation status.
- The findings of a new study suggest that tarsiers are being captured from the wild to supply tourism venues and the local pet trade, presenting a major threat to the species’ survival.
- Researchers say they hope educational programs that focus on changing local people’s perceptions of tarsiers and encouraging ecotourism in tarsiers’ natural habitat could help protect them.

Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam: Struggle for the Volta Grande enters a new phase (Commentary) by Philip Fearnside [21 Jun 2021]
- A June 17th judicial decision suspends the permission granted on February 8th by Brazil’s environmental agency to allow even more water to be diverted from the Xingu River.
- Even without the additional diversion of water, the 130-km “Volta Grande” stretch receives insufficient water for its unique ecosystems and for its indigenous and traditional river-dwelling inhabitants.
- The new decision is at high risk of being overturned by means of Brazil’s “security suspension” laws that allow any ruling that would “damage” the economy to be reversed.
- The new decision could also be neutralized by the Bolsonaro government after technical studies are completed in December. It could also be overridden by a new interministerial group that is about to be decreed. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Sri Lankans find a digital helping hand for baby birds fallen from nests by Malaka Rodrigo [20 Jun 2021]
- Nesting season for Sri Lanka’s birds, which runs from February to May and coincides with the start of the monsoon, often sees chicks falling out of nests, being orphaned, or attacked.
- Sri Lanka also has a long and strong tradition of goodwill toward birds, with many households setting up feeders and bird boxes in their gardens.
- This year’s nesting season has seen people locked down at home by the COVID-19 pandemic turning to online sources for help caring for fallen, injured or displaced chicks.
- Bird-watching has also increased in popularity, aided by digital platforms and apps such as eBird and Merlin that help register bird sightings and identify different species.

Slick caught on satellite image around sunken ship not fuel oil, Sri Lanka says by Malaka Rodrigo [19 Jun 2021]
- Satellite images show a silvery trail originating from a cargo ship that sank off western Sri Lanka in early June, raising fears of an oil spill.
- Authorities say the nearly 350 metric tons of fuel carried by the X-Press Pearl hasn’t leaked, but have activated contingency plans in the event of a spill.
- Experts say the consistency of the slick appears to rule out fuel oil, but say tests need to be carried out to confirm the source.
- A likely algal bloom has also sprung up around the wreck, attributed to the leak of the ship’s cargo of nitric acid, and operations are ongoing to clean up the tons of plastic beads that spilled from the ship and have washed up on shore.

It’s Juneteenth, but these American companies are still profiting from slavery (commentary) by Samuel Mawutor [18 Jun 2021]
- Samuel Mawutor, forest campaign group Mighty Earth’s Senior Advisor for Africa, argues that while June 19th marks the official end of slavery in the Confederacy, American agribusiness companies are still engaging in practices analogous to slavery in their commodity supply chains.
- Mawutor specifically calls out Cargill, which he says isn’t doing enough to address labor abuses in its cocoa supply chain.
- “The cocoa sector is notorious for its widespread use of child labor and other abuses– so much so that in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, groups from both cocoa producing and consuming countries signed an open letter on racial injustice in the cocoa sector,” Mawutor writes. “It is estimated that 1.56 million children work in the cocoa industry; many are forced to use dangerous tools and chemicals and carry enormous weights, in direct violation of international labor standards, the UN convention on child labor, and domestic laws.”
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

Deforestation spikes in Virunga National Park, DRC by Morgan Erickson-Davis [18 Jun 2021]
- Satellite data has detected several dramatic spikes in deforestation activity in Virunga National Park in 2021.
- Virunga National Park is situated in the northeastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), right over its border with Uganda.
- Virunga is home to many endangered species and subspecies, including mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei).
- The park’s major threats include logging for charcoal production and clearing for agriculture, both of which are driven by poverty.

Myanmar junta’s growing reliance on extractives for cash raises concerns by Carolyn Cowan [18 Jun 2021]
- Following the military coup on Feb. 1 and a forceful crackdown on protesters, activists are calling on companies that operate in Myanmar to sever links with the military junta.
- As the U.S., U.K., EU and Canada impose increasingly tough sanctions on the junta, future sanctions targeting revenues from the oil and gas sector are likely to have the greatest impact.
- Alongside the humanitarian crisis, advocates say they fear a return to direct military rule could also lead to a backslide in environmental protections.
- Further concerns include a surge in illegal rare earth mining in northern regions and the potential for the military to resume issuing permits for gemstone mining.

From common to captive, Javan pied starlings succumb to songbird trade by Anna Nordseth [18 Jun 2021]
- The Javan pied starling (Gracupica jalla) was once common across the Indonesian island of Java, but has now disappeared from the wild, thanks in large part to the songbird trade.
- A new study that chronicles the bird’s decline points to historically unsustainable rates of harvest of starlings from the wild, including fledglings.
- The study authors recommend captive breeding to reestablish genetic diversity in the species for eventual reintroduction of starlings into the wild.
- Keeping songbirds is a culturally ingrained pastime in Indonesia, with even the country’s president partaking, which activists say must be addressed with awareness building.

Rush to turn ‘black diamonds’ into cash eats up Uganda’s forests, fruits by Alex Tumuhimbise [17 Jun 2021]
- As recently as 2018, only a little over 42% of Ugandans had access to electricity — many were too poor to afford it. As of 2016-17, 90% of all households burned wood fuel for cooking, with just 15.5% using charcoal in rural areas, but 66.4% of urban households using it.
- Those using charcoal account for roughly 23% of the country’s total population, which means that some 10.7 million citizens in a nation of 46.8 million rely on charcoal to cook their meals, based on recent U.N. data.
- Charcoal producers are working hard to meet this exploding demand, degrading and depleting the nation’s forest reserves, and now buying up fruit trees on private lands to make into briquettes. Many charcoal producers lack the licenses required by the government, so are cutting trees and making charcoal illegally.
- The surging charcoal industry is destroying Uganda’s forests and biodiversity, while briquette burning is also causing respiratory and other health problems, and its carbon emissions are adding significantly to global climate change.

Bigger is badder when it comes to climate impact of farms in the Amazon by Claire Asher [17 Jun 2021]
- A 20-year analysis of satellite data shows significant temperature differences in agricultural lands in southern Amazonia, depending on farm size.
- Extensively deforested commercial farms are up to 3 °C (5.4 °F) warmer than adjacent forests, while on smaller farms this difference is 1.85 °C (3.3 °F).
- Management practices that try to balance productivity with the maintenance of essential ecosystem services, such as the water cycle, will be crucial to preserving the Amazon’s remaining forests, the study’s authors say.

Never too late to save Earth: Q&A with Leuser forest guardian Rudi Putra by Junaidi Hanafiah [17 Jun 2021]
- The Leuser Ecosystem is a protected tropical rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, boasting 10,000 species of plants and 200 species of mammals, dozens of them found nowhere else on Earth.
- For 20 years, Rudi Putra has been working on saving this ecosystem which covers nearly 23,000 square kilometers (8,880 square miles) and is home to the Sumatran rhino, tiger, elephant and orangutan.
- Rudi’s efforts to save Leuser includes reforestation of illegal oil palm plantations, for which he was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2014.


PREVIOUS FEATURES

Tanzania’s “Ivory Queen” denied release after appeal by Lucy Taylor [06/17/2021]
It’s an ‘incredibly exciting’ time for the field of bioacoustics by Mike Gaworecki [06/16/2021]
Illegal logging in Philippines’ Palawan stokes fears of a mining resurgence by Keith Anthony Fabro [06/15/2021]
Paid in Blood: Standing up to private interests often turns deadly in Brazil by Yessenia Funes [06/14/2021]
Conservation solutions in paradise: Jamaica’s Oracabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary by Gladstone Taylor [06/10/2021]


MONGABAY ORG

• Mongabay India is hiring for three new positions [06/24/2021]
• Hiring for an Indigenous News Reporter [06/01/2021]

 

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Climate Weekly is supported by:

By Isabelle Gerretsen

The UK government received its climate grades this week and didn’t pass with flying colours.

The climate change committee (CCC) gave the government nine out of 10 for its commitments, but “somewhere below four” for delivery in its annual progress report to parliament.

Without a comprehensive net zero strategy in place before November, it will be difficult for the UK to deliver a successful Cop26, the committee warned. “Everyone is looking for action and delivery not just for promises,” said committee chair Lord Deben.

The UK has set the world’s most ambitious climate target for 2030, pledging to slash emissions by 57%, compared to 1990 levels. But CCC CEO Chris Stark said the government is not on track to meet this goal or its carbon budgets.

“Targets are not going to be achieved by magic. Surprisingly little has been done so far to deliver on them,” he said.

Across the pond, Joe Biden declared that he has reached a deal on his flagship infrastructure bill.

Biden resorted to splitting the $2 trillion bill in two to get Republicans and conservative Democrats, like West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, on board. He agreed to significantly watering down climate spending in a $1.2 trillion bipartisan package, scaling back support for clean energy and electric vehicles.

Biden said he would only sign this package if a spending bill is enacted at the same time that advances Democratic priorities like climate action.

Researchers told Climate Home that the bipartisan package does not match the ambition of US climate goals, a 50-52% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

“This year is the last best chance for America to pass major climate legislation,” said Joel Jaeger from the World Resources Institute.

It remains to be seen whether Biden will get a more ambitious deal through the Senate.


What you missed in this week's Climate Daily newsletter...

Climate Daily is your essential daily dose of international climate news, delivered straight to your inbox Monday to Friday. Here's what you missed this week:

• India's oil city set for clean industry boom
• Brazil's environment minister quits amid corruption probe
• Australia gets net zero sceptic deputy PM
• Unesco riles Aussies on Great Barrier Reef
• Biden's infrastructure bill loses its green sheen

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This week's news...

• Months after probes launched, Brazilian environment minister quits
• Infrared images show under-regulated 'methane crisis' across Europe
• UK has done 'surprisingly little' to deliver on climate targets, say official advisers
• Biden scales down climate spending in search of bipartisan deal
• An outbreak of 'sea snot' is killing Turkey's fishing industry

... and comment

• What makes a good net zero target? - Silke Mooldijk, Frederic Hans and Claire Fyson
• By greenwashing Shell, the Science Museum is failing young people - Izzy Warren

Insights from the We Mean Business Coalition

The SME Climate Hub and the UK Prime Minister and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have launched the Together for our Planet Business Climate Leaders’ campaign to encourage the region’s small businesses to halve their emissions by 2030 and become net zero by 2050 or sooner. Learn about the campaign and how small businesses can join the Race to Zero.

 

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German citizens' assembly calls for concrete climate action ahead of election
A representative group of citizens has agreed on recommendations to help the German government cut emissions and fairly achieve its climat
never boing to forget the million refugees you took in
redeemed yourselves fully,unlike japan
my reckoning

 

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shift your perception of these inadvertent urbanites. We’ll be following up the Birdopolis series with a webinar focused on gulls, our noisiest avian neighbor, and the fascinating ways they’re adapting to city life. Register here to join us on June 29 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time.

Crash is home now—it turns out he had slipped out the crack of a window and flown about two kilometers before he arrived on our back deck. He shares his space with two budgies, and I like to indulge my anthropomorphizing tendencies to imagine that maybe he’s busy regaling them with his own version of this story.

Shanna Baker
Managing editor



This Week’s Stories

The City, the Sparrow, and the Tempestuous Sea

The saltmarsh sparrow survives the rattle and roar of one of North America’s most populated areas, but its greatest challenge comes from the sea.

by Joseph Quaderer • 3,800 words / 19 mins

The Gull Next Door

Your obnoxious neighbor or just a misunderstood, displaced seabird?

by Sarah Keartes • 3,300 words / 17 mins

Honolulu: A Seabird’s Surprising Five-Star Destination

The white tern—Manu-o-Kū—has excited ornithologists, its population growing within the busiest of Hawai‘i’s urban landscapes.

by Joe Spring • 3,200 words / 16 mins

The Sound Aquatic Episode 5: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The anthropause has shown us that we’re too noisy for the ocean’s animals.

by Elin Kelsey, Katrina Pyne, and Amorina Kingdon • 26 mins • Listen here or with your podcast app

A Mining Code for the Deep Sea

The clock is ticking on the International Seabed Authority to finish its new exploitation regulations for deep-sea mining.

by Elham Shabahat • 1,300 words / 6 mins

 

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Behind the Story

Joseph Quarderer, author of “The City, the Sparrow, and the Tempestuous Sea,” gives some background on his story and the one thing that certain ornithologists say makes a field trip to saltmarsh sparrow habitat legit.

My first idea for this story was to show how climate change was affecting the breeding, winter, and migration ranges of birds in the United States. I wanted to show how rising temperatures were forcing the ranges north. I planned to view this hypothesis through the prism of the New York City birder community. As I was fleshing out my idea, I interviewed Gabriel Willow—an environmental educator, ecologist, and urban naturalist from New York City. After Gabriel heard my idea, he said, and I paraphrase, “Yeah, well, we know climate change is happening. We don’t really need birds to tell us that.”

I felt foolish for focusing on a story with such an obvious conclusion, but as we chatted, Gabriel told me that there was a bird, the saltmarsh sparrow, that would likely go extinct in the next few decades directly because of human climate change and habitat destruction.

Although I had never heard of the songbird, I was excited to discover that some of them breed in the salt marshes surrounding New York City. A few weeks later, I was traipsing through salt marshes from Jamaica Bay to Hammonasset Beach State Park with researchers and ornithologists. From there the story wrote itself.

Although biologist Alex Cook told me there were “hidden mudholes and waterholes that can engulf you up to your waist,” nothing prepares you for the moment you fall thigh deep into a smelly, muddy hole of indeterminate depth. I did manage to fall in a mudhole, as this GIF attests, but, according to the researchers that muddy act, and the soggy day that ensued, meant that my trip was “official.”

American dippers aren’t your typical songbird. Sure, they sing like a songbird. But the slate gray, stumpy-tailed dippers have a special talent that sets them apart—they can swim. Dippers live around gravelly, fast-flowing streams in western North America from Alaska to Panama. Their adaptations to aquatic life include waterproof feathers, an extra eyelid to help them see underwater, a nasal flap to close their nostrils while diving, and strong claws for walking along the stream bottom in search of insect larvae to eat.

This photo of an American dipper feeding its impatient offspring in Goldstream Provincial Park near Victoria, British Columbia, is one of thousands of photos captured by a crew of field technicians who are using iNaturalist—a global community science database—to document species throughout British Columbia’s provincial parks and protected areas in an effort known as the BC Parks iNaturalist Project.

Photo by Thomas Barbin





What We’re Reading

A car in Russia, an apartment in Hong Kong, even a gun if you’re in West Virginia—you might find some of these vaccine incentives fishy, but none more so than what’s being offered in the Netherlands. People signed up to get their vaccine will be able to get a side of pickled herring alongside their jab. Hollandse nieuwe is a traditional delicacy made of young, fatty herring that’s gutted, soused, and consumed raw. Barrels of this season’s Dutch herring will be distributed among vaccination clinics this month. (The Guardian)

Herring aren’t just on the menu in the Netherlands. In San Francisco Bay, California, 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes of the little fish show up to spawn, usually at some point between November and April. The mass forms a sort of underwater column of frenetic fish. “If you are a pelican, a gull, a cormorant, a salmon, or a sea lion … it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mardi Gras at once. If you are a herring, it is your world’s biggest orgy, your life’s purpose, and quite possibly the end of your days.” (Sierra)

For fans of seafood, Nova Scotia is launching its own seafood quality certification program. The program says it will require standards for traceability, handling, processing, and food safety for 17 seafood species. One Nova Scotia company, Fortune Oysters, is already touting its new certification. (CBC)

The US Congress is poised to make a decision regarding a US $26-billion megaproject designed to protect Houston, Texas, and surrounding areas from rising sea levels. Balancing societal needs, environmental impact, cost, and engineering capability gives the behemoth project mounting tiers of complexity, and no one is sure what the final project will look like. (Undark)

And finally, baby squid are off to space! On a SpaceX resupply mission earlier this month, 128 adorable little bobtail squid were sent to space. The baby mollusks have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that help them regulate their bioluminescence, and researchers are interested in knowing how the relationship might be impacted in a low-gravity environment. (CNN)

 

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dwes,always a favorite

ENVIRONMENT

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The Brazilian city pioneering green transport
Belo Horizonte is creating more space for cyclists and the community in the hopes of improving air quality and lowering CO2 emissions.

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US farming: Lessons in sustainability from the Meskwaki Nation
Among the vast monocrop fields in central Iowa, the Indigenous community practices regenerative agriculture. Could it provide inspiration for farmers battling climate change?

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Mozambique: Swapping gold for organic farming
With unemployment rising in the southeastern African country due to COVID-19, some locals have turned to digging for gold in the rivers of Chimanimani National Park. Organic farming offers an alternative.

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Could bacteria help save historic buildings from environmental damage?
Limestone, the raw material for many iconic monuments and cultural treasures, is facing damage through climate change and air pollution.

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A greener way to cook and farm in Peru
While the South American country is famous for its diverse cuisine, food waste is a problem. Could the principles of the circular economy help turn this around?

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Carbon capture: Climate solution or prolonging humanity's fossil fuel dependency?
Capturing and burying CO2 is heralded as the technological fix to mitigate climate change. But many oil and gas majors are using the technology to produce more fossil fuels.

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The tiny startup bringing recycling to Cape Town
Plastic, paper, metal and household waste — some 90% of trash ends up in landfills in South Africa. One recycling startup wants change that by rewarding those who separate their refuse.

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Can tiny forests breathe fresh air into our cities?
After gaining popularity across Asia, small, dense ecosystems are taking root in Europe's urban areas. Advocates say they improve biodiversity, air quality and even our well-being. But do they live up to the hype?

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Join our Global Ideas community
Get involved and keep up to date with the latest Global Ideas stories on our social media platforms.
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Tanintharyi, Myanmar’s portion of the spit of land that splits the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea, is still swathed in old growth rainforest home to a unique medley of animals and plants – some of which are endangered and found nowhere else on the planet. But this forest is disappearing, and satellite data […]
Read on »

Sri Lanka zoo lion contracts COVID-19 as reports of animal infections rise

COLOMBO — Thor is an 11-year-old, well-built male lion at Sri Lanka’s National Zoological Gardens in the Colombo suburb of Dehiwala. He’s something of an icon at the zoo, famed for his regal appearance. Thor should have been enjoying a hassle-free period with his partner, Sheena, and their two cubs in their special den as […]
Read on »

Brazil continues to lose an entire generation of Indigenous leaders to COVID-19

Oral tradition is one of the main means of transmitting knowledge between generations in Indigenous society. The elders know the specific songs for each of life’s milestones, like death, marriage, and the first harvest. They also remember and share myths about forest animals, and battles fought between their ancestors and enemy warriors. In a certain […]
Read on »

 

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Message From the Editor
Nearly two dozen major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects around the world are struggling to move forward, a new report reveals, as investors grow skittish from poor economics and increasing scrutiny on the industry’s large carbon footprint. “LNG was sold to policymakers and to investors as a safe, clean, secure bet,” said Lydia Plante, lead author of the report. “Now all those attributes have turned into liabilities.” Nick Cunningham reports.

Meanwhile, the tide is turning against Louisiana’s proposed $2 billion Mississippi River sediment diversion project that supporters say is needed to save the coast from rapid land loss. A growing number of the project’s opponents see it as a risky, expensive experiment that, rather than creating the meaningful coastal restoration, will degrade the country’s most productive estuary, harming dolphin populations and the region’s fishing industry. Julie Dermansky takes a look.

Finally, new analysis reveals that leaking methane from oil and gas infrastructure is widespread across the European continent. More than 60 percent of the sites analyzed by researchers using state-of-the-art technology were releasing large volumes of methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. This is the first large investigation of methane leakage from oil and gas sites in Europe. Read more here.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you make it possible for DeSmog to hold accountable powerful people in industry and government. Even a $10 or $20 donation helps support DeSmog’s investigative journalism.

Global LNG Industry Reeling as its Image as a Climate Solution Shifts to ‘Climate Problem’
— By Nick Cunningham (6 min. read) —
As recently as 2019, the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) looked bright. Analysts saw demand for LNG in Asia rising in both a steady and unrelenting fashion, expanding for years or even decades into the future. The industry gave the greenlight to 71 billion tonnes per annum (mtpa) of new LNG capacity in 2019, an all-time record.

But a lot has changed in the past two years, with “business conditions drastically diminished,” and even “the basic rationale of an industry built around a relatively small number of massive but highly vulnerable facilities” now called into question, according to a new report from Global Energy Monitor.


READ MORE

Can The Fate Of Dolphins and Louisiana’s Fishing Industry Stop A Massive Mississippi River Diversion Plan?
— By Julie Dermansky (13 min. read) —
The tide is turning against Louisiana’s proposed $2 billion Mississippi River sediment diversion project, that supporters say is needed to save the coast from rapid land loss due to subsidence, damage done by the oil and gas industry, extreme weather events, and sea level rise quickened by climate change.

The proposed Mid-Barataria sediment diversion project, is a key part of the state’s $50 billion master plan to restore the rapidly eroding coast. If constructed, the diversion is designed to let the river’s natural land building process restore Louisiana’s disappearing marshland.


READ MORE

‘Massive’ Methane Leaks Found Coming From Oil and Gas Sites in Europe
— By Nick Cunningham (5 min. read) —
Leaking methane from oil and gas infrastructure is widespread across the European continent, reveals an investigation of more than 150 sites in seven countries. More than 60 percent of the sites analyzed by researchers using state-of-the-art technology were releasing large volumes of methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere.

This is the first large investigation of methane leakage from oil and gas sites in Europe.

 

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‘Historic Moment’: ‘Ecocide’ Definition Unveiled By International Lawyers
— By Theodore Whyte (3 min. read) —
A team of international lawyers has unveiled a definition of “ecocide” that, if adopted, would treat environmental destruction on a par with crimes against humanity.

After six months of deliberation, a panel of experts yesterday published the core text of a legal document that would criminalise “ecocide” if taken on by the International Criminal Court (ICC).


READ MORE

North Sea Donors Gave Tories £420k as Government Considered Oil Industry’s Fate
— By Rich Collett-White (6 min. read) —
Companies and individuals involved in North Sea oil and gas donated a total of £419,900 to the Conservatives ahead of and during the government’s recent review into the future of the sector, a DeSmog analysis shows.

Most of the donations, dating from July 2020 onwards, were made this year in the run-up to the publication of the government’s North Sea Transition Deal, launched at the end of March. The policy has been billed as a “transformative” partnership designed to put the industry on a net zero pathway, including a 50 percent cut in operational emissions by 2030, but has been criticised by campaigners for leaving the door open to further fossil fuel exploration.


READ MORE



From the Climate Disinformation Database: Western Energy Alliance

Western Energy Alliance (WEA) represents over 300 member companies “engaged in all aspects of environmentally responsible exploration and production (E&P) of oil and natural gas in the West,” according to its website. It is located in Denver, Colorado. WEA was founded in 1974 as the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS). It changed its name to Western Energy Alliance in 2010. WEA runs Western Wire, a joint initiative with FTI Consulting—a communications firm known for its pro-fracking Energy In Depth (EID) campaign on behalf of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA).

 

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Birdopolis: Coastal Birds at Home in the City, a Webinar

Webinar
Birdopolis: Coastal Birds at Home in the City

Gulls often have a reputation as being noisy, greedy, messy nuisances. In many urban centers, they seem to be everywhere—squabbling around garbage cans, screeching from lampposts, side-eyeing picnics, splattering vehicles with the precision of an elite aerial paintball team—so often get treated as pests. We put up spikes and spinners and unconvincing fake predators to make rooftops and landing spots inhospitable. “Move along,” is the message.

But there’s a lot that may surprise you about the lives of urban gulls and the ways these savvy new neighbors have mastered the art of city scavenging. On June 29, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, join managing editor Adrienne Mason and experts Louise Blight and Edward Kroc for a discussion about the impressive ways gulls and other marine or coastal birds are managing to live among us. Newfound respect, guaranteed.

Register here to participate on Zoom. Or tune in live, or at your convenience, on YouTube.

This online event follows a week of coastal urban bird stories, building off “The Gull Next Door” by writer Sarah Keartes in particular.

Reply to this email to send us questions, comments, or tips.
If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.

 

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Fact check: Is global warming merely a natural cycle?Scientists have been exploring the cause of the planet's rising temperature since the 20th century. Climate change skeptics say that human-caused CO2 emissions don't have an effect. DW takes a look at the facts.

yers,i think so
made worse currently,by our generation

 

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Laurie Goering <foundation@thomsonreuters.com> Unsubscribe
05:02 (8 hours ago)


to
Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here
Laurie Goering
Climate editor

The U.S. Pacific Northwest has blasted through heat records this week, with normally mild cities like Portland and Seattle facing sweltering highs of 116 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit (46C and 42C) Monday - a deadly threat in a region where such extreme heat is unprecedented and few have adequate cooling.

But heatwaves - in regions that don't expect them - aren't the only surging risk climate change is bringing.

Around the world, low-lying communities - particularly on coastlines - need to begin planning now for "managed retreat" from homes, cities and farmland that will be impossible to defend with an expected metre - or far more - of sea level rise this century, scientists say.

The good news? Whether families opt for floating homes or new ones inland, coming moves present opportunities to address historical inequities and ensure that protecting communities - rather than just cutting economic losses - is a top priority, they say.

"Too often adaptation is trying to keep the world the way it is when we should be trying to make it better," argued A.R. Siders, a University of Delaware specialist in managed retreat.

People sleep at a cooling shelter set up during an unprecedented heatwave in Portland, Oregon, U.S. June 27, 2021. REUTERS/Maranie Staab

Farming is also coming under growing pressure from climate impacts, from droughts and floods to heatwaves.

A hotter planet is weakening age-old and long-sustainable indigenous food systems, experts warn, as well as traditional water-powered grain mills in Kashmir, as drought forces a switch in the grains grown.

A lack of preparation for changing conditions also threatens the world's $12-billion cotton industry, which could lead to shortages, higher prices and financial woes for both growers and the millions of workers who make cotton products for a living.

Coping with the new risks will require not just minor adjustments in farming but "transformative adaptation" in some places - things like shifting to entirely new crops or types of livestock, or farming with far less water and using protective structures to ward off new pests and other threats, say World Resources Institute researchers.

Thoraya, an 80-year-old farmer harvests cotton for $5 a day in a field in the province of Al-Sharkia northeast of Cairo, Egypt, October 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

But the real transformation needed is a plunge in the use of fossil fuels, which still make up 80% of the world's energy supply despite years of efforts to reduce dependence on them.

What could achieve that? Lawsuits against fossil fuel companies that are dragging their feet on change are picking up, but activists are also trying a new tactic: filing deceptive advertising complaints against those who spend heavily on ads touting their green credentials.

Another way to drive change may be passing the regulations needed to make sure countries and companies that have pledged to meet net-zero goals are held to account on their promises to slash emissions.

"We are now in the fight - the power fight - for whether net-zero can be something that is a driver of change or if it is going to be captured by the fossil fuel industry and others to keep on doing what they want to do," notes Jennifer Morgan, head of Greenpeace International.

Need a bit of good news? Bangladesh this week cancelled 10 planned coal-fired power stations, saying pressure by climate activists and rising prices for coal made it no longer a good investment.

Also, don't miss our new video explainer on "fugitive methane emissions" - and why stopping them might buy a bit of time in the battle to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

See you next week!

Laurie

Great Barrier Reef row piles pressure on Australia for climate action
Australia hits back at U.N. move to downgrade the reef’s World Heritage status, but climate scientists say Canberra should do more to curb threat from global warming

Rising heat: Seven ways sweltering cities can stay cool
As communities in the U.S. Northwest break heat records, cities long accustomed to dangerous heat have ideas on coping

As seas rise, coastal communities face hard choices over 'managed retreat'
Climate-change-driven sea level rise means more communities will need to move - but planning ahead could preserve what is most important and give families choices

Greenwash or lifeline? Tough rules needed for credible net-zero plans
Net-zero commitments are proliferating but will prove little more than a 'fig leaf' for big polluters unless rules are put in place requiring them to be met, analysts say

Fossil fuel firms face new challenge over 'greenwashing' ads
Rather than going through the courts, green groups have filed a false advertising complaint against Chevron with the U.S. agency which enforces rules against deceptive ads

Bangladesh scraps plans to build 10 coal-fired power plants
Pressure from climate activists and rising costs for coal are driving a reduction in plans for new plants that use the dirtiest fossil fuel, the government says

Watermills grind to a halt as erratic weather hits Kashmir grains
Dwindling harvests of wheat and corn mean less demand for flour, forcing thousands of traditional watermills to close as their owners look for other work

As some farmers hit climate limits, bolder steps needed to survive
Failure to adapt agriculture to climate shifts could cause catastrophic food shortages, World Resources Institute warns

Climate change threatens age-old indigenous food systems, says UN
Traditional communities have some of the world's most sustainable food systems - but those are coming under increasing pressure

In India's storm-battered Sundarbans, villagers have no place to call home
People are sleeping on cloths spread on the ground, struggling to get clean drinking water and constantly worried about the crowded conditions in emergency shelters

READ ALL OF OUR COVERAGE HERE

 

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extreme heat and deaths
proving the climate deniers were/are correct to the max huh

so many of us believers proven o be wrug

ffs

mygs all,humanity

 

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Fact check: Is China the main climate change culprit?
China currently releases more carbon emissions than any other country — leading many to believe it bears the greatest responsibility for climate change. However, the situation is more complex than it seems.

 

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Headlines

Climate crimes / Big oil and gas kept a dirty secret for decades. Now they may pay the price
With an unprecedented wave of lawsuits, America’s petroleum giants face a reckoning for the environmental devastation caused by fossil fuels

 

[WilliamG]

I only there was a simple way to explain how climate change affects the weather. I don't know what would be a good example but... Maybe show that it's 121 FUCKING DEGREES IN CANADA??? I'm not sure it that would convince a denier but...

 

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Subscribe Now

FEATURED

The conservation gains we’ve made are still fragile, says Aileen Lee of the Moore Foundation by Rhett A. Butler [07/01/2021]

- When Aileen Lee took on the mantle of chief program officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, she brought substantial experience as a management consultant to a nonprofit that’s the largest private donor of Amazon conservation efforts.
- Like management consultants, she says, grant makers “will never be as close to the realities of the problems” as the groups they help, but can still help them “access resources, knowledge, and networks that might not otherwise be available to them.”
- Lee hails groundbreaking efforts in conservation and philanthropy, including the adoption of technology and greater engagement with a wider range of stakeholders, including Indigenous-led conservation groups.
- In an interview with Mongabay founder Rhett A. Butler, Lee discusses the Moore Foundation’s achievements in the Amazon, the impacts of recent setbacks to that work, and the role of young people in forging the future they want.


‘I am Indigenous, not pardo’: Push for self-declaration in Brazil’s census by Karla Mendes [06/30/2021]

- Brazil’s 2010 census was the first to map out the presence of Indigenous people throughout the whole country, but still maintained the term pardo, for a mixed-race individual, that Indigenous activists say has long been used to render Indigenous identities “invisible.”
- The next census is due in 2022, and activists and leaders are mounting a campaign to get all Indigenous Brazilians to self-declare as Indigenous.
- Getting a more accurate picture of the number and distribution of Indigenous people, especially in urban areas, is key to informing public policies geared toward their specific needs, experts say.
- “Everything is Indigenous,” says Júlio César Pereira de Freitas Güató, one of the Indigenous leaders promoting the campaign. “All the rest is invasion.”


Podcast: Connecting kids and ourselves to nature by Mike Gaworecki [06/30/2021]

- On today’s episode of the Mongabay Newscast, we discuss the latest research showing how important it is to connect kids to nature and educate them about the environment.
- We’re joined by author and journalist Richard Louv, who created the ‘nature deficit disorder’ concept in 2005 to facilitate discussion of the impacts our disconnectedness from nature has on human health and wellbeing. His latest book is Our Wild Calling: How Connecting With Animals Can Transform Our Lives — and Save Theirs.
- We’re also joined by Megan Strauss, an editor with Mongabay Kids, who tells us about how the site delivers the news and inspiration from nature’s frontline for young readers and discusses the importance of environmental education.


In Rio de Janeiro, Indigenous people fight to undo centuries of erasure by Karla Mendes [06/30/2021]

- Rio de Janeiro holds a special place in Brazil’s history, but many of its residents are unaware of the city’s Indigenous heritage — from the names of iconic places like Ipanema and Maracanã, to the Indigenous slave labor that built some of its most recognizable structures.
- Nearly 7,000 Indigenous people live in Rio, the fourth-biggest population among Brazilian cities; a unique interactive map by Mongabay shows how they’re spread across the city, as well as their living conditions and ethnic groups.
- Despite their presence, and Rio’s famed diversity and laidback culture, Indigenous people in the city continue to face prejudice and a “silencing” of their traditions and culture that they attribute to centuries of efforts to erase them and make them invisible.
- But Indigenous people are pushing back, agitating to get their rights on the political agenda, and working through academia to unearth the Indigenous history of the city that has long been hidden.


In Boa Vista, Indigenous Brazilians retake their identity through education by Nayra Wladimila [06/29/2021]

- The city of Boa Vista near Brazil’s borders with Venezuela and Guyana is home to Indigenous groups whose ancestral range don’t recognize national boundaries, and who still continue to flow into Brazil from crisis-stricken Venezuela.
- The colonization of Boa Vista by Europeans forced the Indigenous inhabitants off their lands on the banks of the Rio Branco, and resentments simmer today over the return of some of those lands to the original owners.
- The land conflicts also killed off the use of the many ethnic languages spoken in the region, but community-led movements are seeking to bring them back, including in learning materials published by the local university.
- Higher education is seen as a life-changing opportunity for Indigenous students, not just for their personal growth but also for the avenues it opens up to advocate for and empower the wider Indigenous community.


Reckoning with elitism and racism in conservation: Q&A with Colleen Begg by Rhett A. Butler [06/28/2021]

- Long-running concerns about discrimination, colonial legacy, privilege, and power dynamics in conservation have come to the forefront with the recent resurgence of the social justice movement. But will this movement lead to lasting change in the sector?
- South African conservationist Colleen Begg says that meaningful transformation will require dedicated and sustained efforts to drive real change in conservation.
- Begg, who co-founded both the Niassa Carnivore Project in Mozambique and Women for the Environment, Africa, says that conservationists in positions of power need to open themselves to criticism and change, while creating pathways for new leaders and ideas to come forward.
- Begg spoke about these issues and more in a recent conversation with Mongabay founder Rhett A. Butler.


FEATURED VIDEO

How 3-D printing prosthetics can help save endangered species.