New Future

New research has found that some tropical trees in the Peruvian Amazon can be used to monitor mercury pollution from gold mining, offering an alternative to expensive air monitors. Roughly 16 million people worldwide engage in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, much of which is illegal due to environmental and human health concerns.

This is part three of a series on the operation to evict illegal gold miners from the Munduruku Indigenous Territory. Read part one here and part two here. Part four and five are coming soon.

What’s new: Almost half of global average temperature rise and a third of sea-level rise can be attributed to the “carbon majors, ” the world’s 122 largest fossil fuel and cement producers, a recent paper shows. What the study says: Research from U. S.

Tires play an essential role in modern society, but have enormous negative environmental impacts. Mongabay recently reported on how the world’s top tire manufacturers are unable to prove that the supply chain of their rubber products is deforestation-free.

Bonobos, one of humanity’s closest relatives, appear to string together vocal calls in ways that mirror a key feature of the human language, a new study carried out in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has found.

Global reforestation and forest restoration efforts are facing a serious setback due to the recent U. S. foreign aid freeze. The sudden halt in funding has left projects around the world scrambling for alternative resources, jeopardizing years of progress.

BOGOTÁ — In June 2022, Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla member, was elected as Colombia’s first avowedly leftist president, promising to fight inequality, bring “total peace” to the country, and dismantle the fossil fuel industry.

The strongest ocean current on Earth circles Antarctica. It’s the primary way water moves between the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, and helps regulate the global climate.

The once-common beach morning glory vines (Ipomoea pes-caprae) have slowly been disappearing from Cox’s Bazar beach in southeastern Bangladesh, especially at the more popular tourist destinations like Laboni, Kolatoli and Sugandha beach points.

In November 2023, at 4 a. m. , four snow leopards made their way into Mingmar Gurung’s livestock corral in Dhakmar village, Mustang district, Nepal. Hearing the goats’ commotion so early in the morning, Mingmar ran toward the corral. The scene was heartbreaking: out of the 190 goats, snow leopards had killed 77.

Vulture populations in Southern Africa are dwindling, yet the birds could bring large economic benefits to the region, according to a recent report by the NGO BirdLife.

Europe’s smallest bird of prey, the Eurasian pygmy owl, has now been confirmed in Spain for the first time, marking a westward expansion from the bird’s usual range.

JAKARTA — Nearly half of Indonesia’s peatlands are vulnerable to flooding due to degradation caused by unchecked exploitation, with 6 million hectares (15 million acres) — an area twice the size of Belgium — classified as highly vulnerable, according to a new report.

Ancient Egypt’s feline gods, embroidered tigers on Chinese textiles, lions in Southern Africa’s San cave paintings and jaguars symbolizing military prowess in Mesoamerican cultures — all of them show how wildcats have penetrated human folklore and fascination.