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Heriberto Araujo has spent four years investigating the destruction of the Amazon forest and recently published a book on the subject, discussing the complex web of issues behind deforestation. He follows the story of land rights activist José Dutra da Costa and explains how a group of big farmers managed to seize vast tracts of virgin rainforest and why deforestation, violence and lawlessness remain pervasive in the region. The Amazon inherited a series of problems from the 1960s and 1970s. Poor governance and corruption led to land grabbing so that today 45% of the land is controlled by 1% of the population. According to the author, the justice system must be strengthened and those convicted of environmental crimes (including fraud, corruption and murder) must be sent to prison without exception...

How does our environment affect our health? Researchers supported by the EU-funded ATHLETE project have offered new insight into environmental exposures in early life and their health effects. Using data collected as part of HELIX, another EU-backed project, the team linked an extensive range of chemical, outdoor, social and lifestyle exposures in pregnancy and childhood with different molecular profiles in childhood. Our exposome – all the environmental (non-genetic) factors we are exposed to in our lifetime – is responsible for 70 to 90% of the risk we face of developing a disease. “With the rich exposome and molecular information available in our catalogue, we ...

According to a recent report by the United Nations, forests cover 31% of the world's land surface and absorb roughly 15.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. The report also highlights that more than half of this green cover is spread across the boreal forests of Russia and Canada, the Amazon in South America, and China’s forests. The report shows that Russia holds more than one-fifth of the world’s trees across 815 million hectares and China has a forest cover of almost 220 million hectares. However, the report also highlights some concerning trends such as Indonesia losing its green canopy and 74 million hectares of the country's rainforest have been logged, burned or degraded over the past 50 years. Source: Visual Capitalist

European citizens can now be confident that the tap water they are consuming is of the highest standards. The new directive includes updated safety standards, a methodology to identify and manage quality risks in the whole water supply chain, a watchlist of emerging substances, provisions to reduce water leakages, and requirements to improve the protection of human health and of the environment.

Swiss company Climeworks has successfully taken carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and put it underground, where it will eventually turn into rock. The process has been verified by an independent third-party auditor. Corporate clients have bought future carbon removal services from Climeworks and individuals can also pay to offset their personal emissions. The cost of carbon dioxide removal and storage for corporate clients is about several hundred dollars per ton. Climeworks' largest carbon dioxide removal facility is located in Iceland, where it partners with CarbFix, which stores the gas underground. In June 2022, Climeworks announced it had begun construction of its second commercial-sized plant in Iceland that will capture and store 36,000 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide. Source: Slashdot

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has certified the design for the United States' first small modular nuclear reactor, developed by NuScale Power. This means that companies seeking to build and operate a nuclear power plant can use the design for the 50-megawatt, advanced light-water small modular nuclear reactor, and apply to the NRC for a license. However, there are concerns about the costs of the project, which may limit the number of reactors built. NuScale's VOYGR power plant is expected to be a cost competitive source of reliable, affordable, and carbon-free energy.

The European Union (EU) has decided to ban the production and sale of new cars and vans with combustion engines as of 2035. This decision was made in order to reach the EU's climate neutrality goal by 2050. To achieve this, the EU is taking action to reduce emissions from cars as road transport accounts for one fifth of the EU’s CO2 emissions. The new CO2 standards will also require average emissions of new cars to come down by 55% by 2030, and new vans by 50% by 2030.

Almost 59% of the 134 shark and ray species on coral reefs are threatened with extinction. Overfishing is the main cause of the increased risk of extinction, accompanied by climate change and habitat degradation. The risk is greatest for larger-bodied species distributed across multiple national jurisdictions and in countries with greater fishing pressure and weaker governance. Population declines have been occurring for over half a century. Immediate action by protecting these species locally and smart management of large-scale fisheries and marine protected areas is needed to avoid extinction and loss of critical ecosystem functions, dooming reefs to biodiversity loss and limiting income and food security. Source: Nature Communications

In her special address at the World Economic Forum, President von der Leyen emphasized the importance of Europe's energy independence from Russia. She mentioned that a year ago, Europe was heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels, making it vulnerable to supply disruptions, price hikes, and Putin's market manipulation. However, in less than a year, Europe has managed to overcome this dangerous dependency. It has replaced about 80% of Russian pipeline gas, filled its storage, and reduced demand by more than 20% from August to November. Through collective effort, they succeeded in lowering natural gas prices faster than expected. The President also mentioned that the transition to...

Last year, electric vehicle sales reached an important global level, obtaining around 10% of the global market share for the first time, driven mainly by strong growth in China and Europe. According to recent data and estimates, global sales of fully electric vehicles totaled around 7.8 million units, an increase of as much as 68% from the previous year. China and Europe have recorded higher market shares compared to the United States, which is also on the rise. This surge in EV sales contrasts with the broader car market that suffered from economic worries, inflation and production disruptions.