Tag: ecology

Flooding has devastated Pakistan – and Britain’s imperial legacy has made it worse

Shozab Raza Devastating flooding in Pakistan has killed more than 1,100 people this summer, injuring and displacing thousands more. Among Pakistan’s political elite, some have claimed that the floods are simply a natural disaster, while others blame climate breakdown. But both groups have failed to address another crucial factor: empire. Pakistan gained its independence from the British empire… Read More Flooding has devastated Pakistan – and Britain’s imperial legacy has made it worse

Dilip

Germany’s €9 train tickets scheme ‘saved 1.8m tons of CO2 emissions’

Kate Connolly  Germany’s three-month experiment with €9 tickets for a month’s unlimited travel on regional train networks, trams and buses saved about 1.8m tons of CO2 emissions, it has been claimed. Since its introduction on 1 June to cut fuel consumption and relieve a cost of living crisis, about 52m tickets have been sold, a fifth… Read More Germany’s €9 train tickets scheme ‘saved 1.8m tons of CO2 emissions’

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‘Fonio just grows naturally’: could ancient indigenous crops ensure food security for Africa?

Only breaking at midday to refuel on peanuts and palm wine, the village works methodically as a unit to grow fonio – a precious grain crucial to their diets that only takes days to germinate and can be harvested in as little as six weeks. Though laborious, growing fonio, one of Africa’s oldest cultivated grains,… Read More ‘Fonio just grows naturally’: could ancient indigenous crops ensure food security for Africa?

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George Monbiot on Democracy vs plutocracy: Endgame for our planet / Tom Engelhardt: Life in This Literal Hell

When I began work as an environmental journalist in 1985, I knew I would struggle against people with a financial interest in destructive practices. But I never imagined that we would one day confront what appears to be an ideological commitment to destroying life on Earth. The UK government and the US supreme court look… Read More George Monbiot on Democracy vs plutocracy: Endgame for our planet / Tom Engelhardt: Life in This Literal Hell

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Young people go to European court to stop treaty that aids fossil fuel investors

Young victims of the climate crisis will on Tuesday launch legal action at Europe’s top human rights court against an energy treaty that protects fossil fuel investors. Five people, aged between 17 and 31, who have experienced devastating floods, forest fires and hurricanes are bringing a case to the European court of human rights, where they… Read More Young people go to European court to stop treaty that aids fossil fuel investors

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There is a war on nature. Dom Phillips was killed trying to warn you about it

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira have been killed in an undeclared global war against nature and the people who defend it. Their work mattered because our planet, the threats to it and the activities of those who threaten it matter. That work must be continued. The frontlines of this war are the Earth’s remaining biodiverse regions –… Read More There is a war on nature. Dom Phillips was killed trying to warn you about it

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How we can overcome the growing plastic crisis / Tobacco industry severely damages environment: WHO

Plastic has long had the planet in its grip. All too often it is found piled up on beaches and floating as “plastic islands” in the ocean. But it also clogs the stomachs of birds and other animals, and has even made it into the human bloodstream. To date, just 9% of the world’s plastic has… Read More How we can overcome the growing plastic crisis / Tobacco industry severely damages environment: WHO

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Apocalypse now? The alarming effects of the global food crisis

Apocalypse is an alarming idea, commonly taken to denote catastrophic destruction foreshadowing the end of the world. But in the original Greek, apokálypsis means a revelation or an uncovering. One vernacular definition is “to take the lid off something”.  That latter feat is exactly what Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, achieved last week,… Read More Apocalypse now? The alarming effects of the global food crisis

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Literature from the Congo Basin offers ways to address the climate crisis

The African continent is responsible for only 2–3% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industrial sources. But it’s alarmingly suffering from the effects of the climate crisis, as reports from the UN and others show. On the positive side, Africa has a huge potential for climate mitigation, especially thanks to its tropical rainforests. The Congo Basin’s rainforests in central Africa… Read More Literature from the Congo Basin offers ways to address the climate crisis

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