Category: Ecology
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How schools and families can take climate action by learning about food systems
Gabrielle Edwards, University of British Columbia News about the climate crisis alerts us to the urgent need for drastic global changes. Given this, it’s not surprising that one study surveying thousands of young people found most respondents were worried about climate change, and over 45 per cent said worries about climate change affected them daily.…
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Gold mining is one of the most destructive and unnecessary industries – here’s how to end it
By Stephen Lezak, University of Oxford, originally published at theconversation.com The 16th-century King Ferdinand of Spain sent his subjects abroad with the command: “Get gold, humanely if possible, but at all hazards, get gold.” His statement rings true today. Gold remains one of the world’s most expensive substances, but mining it is one of the…
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Lithium mining puts worldviews into conflict in Bolivia
Mario Orospe Hernández, Arizona State University Located in the heart of South America, Bolivia contains the largest lithium deposits in the world – an enviable position, in many countries’ eyes, as the market for electric vehicles takes off. Though EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases than fuel-powered vehicles, their batteries require more minerals – especially lithium,…
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Eco-anxiety: climate change affects our mental health – here’s how to cope
By Matthew Adams, University of Brighton, originally published on theconversation.com As a psychologist, I have been researching, writing and talking about psychological and social responses to climate change for over ten years. An increasingly common response appears to be extreme worry. The University of Bath recently published the results of its 2023 Climate Action Survey.…
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How Planting Trees Can Be Good or Bad
By Karen D. Holl, University of California, Santa Cruz and Pedro Brancalion, Universidade de São Paulo originally published on theconversation.com For 151 years, Americans have marked Arbor Day on the last Friday in April by planting trees. Now business leaders, politicians, YouTubers and celebrities are calling for the planting of millions, billions or even trillions…
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Open Soil Science: technology helping us rejoin nature
Soil provides society with essential food, feed, fibre and raw materials, as well as being home to a quarter of the earth’s biodiversity. Soils are also the largest organic carbon reservoir on Earth and although highly dynamic, are very fragile. Chop a forest down and it might grow back in 50 years, but lose 10…
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Methane leaks from oil and gas extraction must end, but industry is slow to act
Jim Krane, Rice University What’s the cheapest, quickest way to reduce climate change without roiling the economy? In the United States, it may be by reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Methane is the main component of natural gas, and it can leak anywhere along the supply chain, from the wellhead and…
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Fishing vessels turn off their locators to commit further ecocide – this map shows where
Heather Welch, University of California, Santa Cruz In January 2019, the Korean-flagged fishing vessel Oyang 77 sailed south toward international waters off Argentina. The vessel had a known history of nefarious activities, including underreporting its catch and illegally dumping low-value fish to make room in its hold for more lucrative catch. At 2 a.m. on…