Conservation

A new solar power project that will break ground in the Mojave Desert, near two Kern County towns in California, will require thousands of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) to be removed. The project is also expected to destroy a habitat for desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), California’s state reptile and a threatened species. The Aratina Solar […]

There are currently more than 200 coal-fired power plants in operation in the United States, but the country has been scaling back since reaching its coal generation peak in 2011. By the end of 2026, the U.S. is projected to have retired half of its coal capacity. Coal plants emit toxic pollutants into the air, […]

Following multiple scientific studies that have revealed that carbon offsets are not as reliable as once thought, the market value of carbon offsets has dropped by around 61% when compared to its near-peak value in 2022, a new report has found. In early 2023, a major investigative report by The Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial […]

With all eight native freshwater turtle species of Ontario considered at-risk, researchers have created protective nests to help boost offspring survival. Researchers at the University of Waterloo and McMaster University designed a nest with materials like moss and lichen to mimic the turtles’ natural rocky nesting sites. As the research team pointed out in their […]

A new study by researchers at University of Michigan (UMichigan) has concluded that almost half of food waste globally — roughly 620 million metric tons — could be saved by food supply chains being fully refrigerated. Each year, approximately a third of worldwide food production goes to waste, a press release from UMichigan said. Meanwhile, […]

Xylem, a water technology company, has developed a Bavarian-style beer made in Germany. This isn’t an ordinary brew — this eco-friendly beer is brewed using wastewater. The “Reuse Brew” is designed to showcase the latest in water recycling tech, according to the company, and is a collaboration among Xylem, the chair of Brewery and Beverage […]

A new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has found that about half of all mangrove ecosystems in the world are at risk of collapsing, meaning they are considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the organization’s Red List of Ecosystem standards. Further, about 19.6% of mangroves, nearly one in five, […]

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has found that as much as half of the natural pasture land on Earth has been degraded by the impacts of climate change and overexploitation, putting a sixth of the planet’s food supplies at risk. The new UNCCD report — Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands […]