Replanting oil palm may be driving a second wave of biodiversity loss

PHYS ORG

A palm oil plantation in Malaysia,
poisoned to make way for new growth.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

The environmental impact of palm oil production has been well publicized. Found in everything from food to cosmetics, the deforestation, ecosystem decline and biodiversity loss associated with its use is a serious cause for concern. What many people may not know, however, is...story here.

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Science

The Amazon, near Manaus. 
Photo by Neil Palmer (CIAT).

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment. More here.

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Related: Attacks on Brazil's ecological paradises.

The World Lost an Area of Primary Rainforest Last Year, the Size of Ten Riding Mountain National Parks in Manitoba!

WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE

Manitoba's Riding Mtn. Park.

The tropics lost 12 million hectares of tree cover in 2018, the fourth-highest annual loss since record-keeping began in 2001. Of greatest concern is the disappearance of 3.6 million hectares of primary rainforest, an area the size of Belgium (ten Riding Mountain Parks). The figures come from updated data from the University of Maryland, released today on Global Forest Watch. More here.

Rivers in the Sky: How Deforestation Is Affecting Global Water Cycles

Yale Environment 360

Producing charcoal in the rainforest.
By User Kelberul on de.wikipedia 

A growing body of evidence indicates that the continuing destruction of tropical forests is disrupting the movement of water in the atmosphere, causing major shifts in precipitation that could lead to drought in key agricultural areas in China, India, and the U.S. Midwest. Story here.

Subsidies to Industries That Cause Deforestation Worth 100 Times More Than Aid to Prevent it

the guardian

Brazil and Indonesia paid over $40bn in subsidies to industries that drive rainforest destruction between 2009 and 2012 - compared to $346m in conservation aid they received to protect forests, according to new research. Story here.

Sochi Olympics Going For Gold, But Not Green

A\J Alternatives Journal

Russia has not lived up to the environmental promises made for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and is cracking down on environmentalists for pointing this out. Full story here.