For decades, scientists have been warning about potential future effects of global climate change, including more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought, and sharp increases in the number, duration, and intensity of tropical storms. And since the start of 2020, we’ve seen natural disasters in record-breaking numbers, from the wildfires that ravaged California and Colorado,...
environment
Global Analysis of Forest Management Shows Local Communities Often Lose Out
Maintaining forest cover is an important natural climate solution, but new research shows that too often, communities lose out when local forest management is formalised. The new study published in Nature Sustainability, led by Dr. Johan Oldepkop at The University of Manchester and Reem Hajjar at Oregon State University, is based on 643 case studies...
Better Health – for People and the Planet – Grows on Trees
Two of humanity’s biggest problems – the climate crisis and abysmal eating habits – can partly be solved by one healthy solution: eating more food from trees, specifically tropical ones. While global trends in agriculture and diets are not easily reversed, scientists say that creating incentives to grow and eat more mangos, avocados and Brazil...
How The Gringos Stole Tequila, a Review
Judge a book by its title and its cover; you’ll infer that the author has something powerful to convey. Book titles can be sensationalistic, and certainly How The Gringos Stole Tequila has a whiff of sensationalism, controversy, and cheekiness at the least. “Gringos”? “Stole”? Even the choice of the word “How” is sure to be...
Surprised Researchers: Number of Leopards in Northern China on the Rise
Leopards are fascinating animals. In addition to being sublime hunters that will eat nearly anything and can survive in varied habitats from forests to deserts, they are able to withstand temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius during winter to plus 40 degrees in summer. Despite their resilience, the majority of leopard species are endangered....
From Sea to Shining Sea: New Survey Reveals State-Level Opinions on Climate Change
North and South, rural and urban–the United States is a complex mix of cultures, mindsets, and life experiences. And, as a new report by researchers at Stanford University, Resources for the Future, and ReconMR illustrates, those state-by-state differences affect climate attitudes and opinions. The report is the latest installment of Climate Insights 2020, a seven-part series...
The Unending Waste Management Challenge – Are We at Our Wits’ End?
The problem of waste management has become persistent. It is a challenge that is growing in bounds and depths as the world’s population surges. Are we at our wits’ end? Waste management would need a radical change. According to Beatrice Obule-Abila’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa, Finland, this change could be achieved through...
Before the U.S. General Election, Evidence of Agreement — and Division — on Climate Issues
Just one month before an election in which climate change may be a key issue, new survey results show that climate change may be less politically polarizing than many might expect. Climate Insights 2020: Partisan Divide–the fourth installment in a series of survey reports by researchers at Stanford University, Resources for the Future, and ReconMR–illustrates...
How Psychological Ownership Can Enhance Stewardship for Public Goods
How can consumers be encouraged to take better care of public goods and resources? That’s the question posed in a new research paper co-authored by Collen P. Kirk, D.P.S., associate professor of marketing at New York Institute of Technology, in the Journal of Marketing. Caring for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance Stewardship Behavior for...
Coastal Flooding Will Disproportionately Impact 31 Million People Globally
Thirty-one million people living in river deltas are at high risk of experiencing flooding and other impacts from tropical cyclones and climate change, according to a study by Indiana University (IU) researchers. “To date, no one has successfully quantified the global population on river deltas and assessed the cumulative impacts from climate change,” said Douglas Edmonds,...