Tag: nature
Earth Month: Helping nature help the climate
Editor’s note: April is Earth Month, when we honor humanity’s shared responsibility for nature and the climate. At Conservation International, this responsibility drives us — and in honor of Earth Month, Conservation News is highlighting stories of our impact. We hope that this inspires you to carry the spirit of Earth Month throughout the year.…
Ahead of pandemic talks, this doctor has nature on his mind
Dr. Neil Vora has spent much of his career chasing and treating infectious disease outbreaks, from the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to COVID-19 in New York City. His prescription for stopping the next one: Protect nature. two-thirds of emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that originate in animals that have jumped into people…
Expert: To prevent pandemics like COVID-19, ‘take care of nature’
This post was updated on May 13, 2020. Likely sourced to a live animal and fish market in China, COVID-19 has spread around the world at lightning speed, infecting more than 4.2 million people and killing nearly 300,000 people to date. Many countries are taking severe measures to stem the virus’s spread, from locking down…
‘Future of nature restoration’: Conservation International wins Microsoft challenge
Data — the key to understanding and tackling some of the world’s toughest problems — suffers from at least one major challenge. It’s often scattered and disorganized. Whether stored in a university database, a government server or a scientist’s hard drive, data is not useful if no one knows where it is or has access to…
Protect nature or risk future pandemics, expert warns
Humanity’s continued assault on the environment could unleash another pandemic — and soon. Though every new infectious disease is unique, research shows many share a key feature: They are driven by the destruction of nature. In a recent interview with Conservation News, Vora discussed how his experience as a physician has helped him explore the…
New map pinpoints where people depend on nature the most
More than two-thirds of the population of the tropics — about 2.7 billion people — directly depend on nature for at least one of their most basic needs, according to new research. The study, published today in the journal Global Environmental Change, is the first to quantify people’s dependence on nature, and underscores the extent…
What does COVID-19 have to do with nature? These 5 articles explain
This post was updated May 19, 2020. Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread around the world at lightning speed, infecting more than 4.8 million people and killing more than 319,000 people to date. Protecting nature will be critical to preventing future pandemics, some scientists say. With that in mind, here are five articles that…
Study: Nature has saved us from worst climate impacts — for now
Nature itself has already saved humanity from a climate cataclysm, new research finds. Published today, the study found that without Earth’s complex web of terrestrial and marine ecosystems — known as the biosphere — we would already be seeing far more severe climate impacts than we are now. Using a state-of-the-art computer model of Earth,…
New report: Without nature, there is no path to a climate-safe future
A clean energy transition is underway to curb planet-heating emissions, with investments in renewables, electric vehicles and energy efficiency expected to top $1.4 trillion this year. The shift — though unevenly distributed across countries — signals real progress. But there is another solution that receives far less attention, not to mention funding: Nature. We cannot…
Expert: Rollbacks of environmental protections imperil nature — and human health
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, countries around the world have been shrinking or eliminating areas set aside to protect nature — some to drill for fossil fuels, others for urban development. Yet the environmental rollbacks that some governments claim could help humanity recover economically from the coronavirus could put humanity more at risk of future…
World’s ugliest lawn winner says she leaves watering to Mother Nature
New Zealand garden takes first prize in global competition designed to promote water conservation A sun-scorched patch of lawn near Christchurch, in New Zealand, has been crowned the ugliest lawn in the world. Now in its second year, the World’s Ugliest Lawn competition rewards lawn owners for not watering their parched yellow grass and patchy…
Farmers are abandoning their land. Is that good for nature?
By Dan Charles A century ago, a thousand people lived in this village. Today, there are only about 200. People left for jobs in Bulgaria’s cities, or abroad. Their heirs may still own land around the village where crops once grew, or sheep grazed, but much of that land now sits unused. Shrubs and small…
‘Protecting nature, building peace’: Indigenous activist wins prestigious award
From the deserts of Chad to the halls of the United Nations, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim has been a tireless advocate for indigenous peoples in the fight to solve the climate crisis. In recognition of her unrelenting efforts, Ibrahim, Conservation International’s Senior Indigenous Fellow, was recently awarded the 2019 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award presented by…
In climate fight, ‘nature vs tech’ a false debate
How much can — or should — humanity rely on nature to help solve the climate crisis? That’s the question at the center of a new study, and the study’s conclusions have some scientists scratching their heads. As the United Nations climate talks recently concluded (with disappointing results), the study calls for a focus on…
Doctors without biodiversity? New plan prescribes actions linking human health, nature
If you read only the news headlines, you’d have learned that last month’s global summit on biodiversity — known as “COP16” — was not a success: “COP16 fizzles out as rich countries block global nature fund” “The COP16 biodiversity summit was a big flop for protecting nature” “COP16 ends in disarray and indecision despite biodiversity breakthroughs”…
2024 in review: Amid hottest year on record, nature takes center stage
As 2024 comes to a close, global temperatures are at an all-time high — topping the previous hottest-year on record: 2023. As the rising temperatures fuel extreme weather around the world, communities are left to grapple with catastrophic floods, severe droughts and devastating wildfires. Yet amid this backdrop, new research consistently shows nature is a…
2024 in review: Amid crisis, victories for nature emerge
Alarm bells screamed for nature in 2024. Each week seemed to bring fresh warnings of the loss of wildlife, habitat destruction and the escalating impacts of climate change. But amid the gloom, quiet victories emerged, as ordinary people made extraordinary progress for nature. This year, Conservation News highlighted unlikely partnerships bringing wildlife back from the…