New NASA maps will help Liberia chart course for a sustainable future
Within Liberia’s borders lies one of the last strongholds of intact forests in West Africa. But as Liberia’s economy recovers following years of civil war, experts fear that these forests — and other ecosystems across the country — could become victims of unsustainable oil palm development, urbanization and logging. To prevent this, the Liberian government must…
Markets in Asia and Europe fall following U.S. announcement of global tariffs
By The Associated Press BANGKOK — Shares tumbled in Europe and Asia and U.S. futures tumbled Thursday following U.S. President Donald Trump ‘s announcement of big increases in tariffs on imports of goods from around the world. The double-digit tariff hikes sent shivers across world markets, as economists warned it raises the risk of recession.…
Today is Trump’s ‘Liberation Day.’ What does that mean for tariffs?
Danielle Kurtzleben On Wednesday, President Trump is set to unveil what he has been calling “reciprocal tariffs” — taxes on imported goods from a broad range of countries aimed at penalizing them for their trade barriers. It’s a push he is branding as “Liberation Day,” promising it will bring in foreign tariff revenues to be…
What on Earth is ‘natural capital’?
In this installment, we break down “natural capital,” a concept that could revolutionize the way nature is protected. What is “natural capital”? It’s the stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources (e.g., plants, animals, air, water, soils, minerals) that combine to provide benefits to people. What kind of benefits are we talking about? The air…
German lawmakers approve huge defense and infrastructure spending
By The Associated Press BERLIN — Germany’s would-be next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, won lawmakers’ approval Tuesday for ambitious plans to loosen the nation’s strict debt rules for higher defense spending as doubts mount about the strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance, and to set up an enormous fund for investment in its creaking infrastructure. Merz passed…
For one former logging company, nature’s green is gold
Editor’s note: In the fight against climate change and wildlife extinction, businesses have to a key role to play. But how? Conservation International’s investment fund, CI Ventures, is helping startup companies fund new business models founded on the protection of nature. Here is one of them. The Amazon rainforest faced another difficult year in 2024,…
Mothers demand justice as London case over Brazil dam collapse concludes
Nineteen people died in the Mariana disaster, prompting a claim of up to £36bn claim against the mining firm BHP With tears in their eyes, mothers of children who died in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster – the 2015 Mariana dam collapse – demanded justice for their loved ones as submissions in their London lawsuit came…
Trump buys a Tesla with Elon Musk in tow, at the White House
Deepa Shivaram President Trump stepped into a car outside the White House on Tuesday afternoon — but not the usual high-security presidential limousine known as “The Beast.” Instead of the presidential motorcade of large, black SUVs lined up on the driveway of the South Lawn, there were five Teslas for Trump to peruse. Trump announced…
Trump announces double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum
Danielle Kurtzleben The day before steel and aluminum tariffs are set to go into effect, President Trump announced he would specifically set tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum at double the rate of the rest of the world. “I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all…