Not So Funny: The Arctic is Leaking Laughing Gas

EcoWatch

Nitrous oxide, the main ingredient in laughing gas, is 300 times more potent as a greenhouse gas, than carbon dioxide. And scientists believe it could be leaking from ancient reservoirs beneathArctic permafrost. Details here.

Melting permafrost in Canada's Arctic. Photo: Charles Tarnocai/Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Biodiversity moves beyond counting species

nature

Ecologists are increasingly looking at how richness of traits — rather than number of species — helps set the health of ecosystems. Details here.

How scientists reacted to the US leaving the Paris climate agreement

nature

What the United States' departure from the historic pact means for efforts to fight global warming. Details here.

Health Leaders Must Focus on the Threats From Factory Farms (Opinion)

The New York Times.

This week, the World Health Organization — which works globally to improve human health — will meet in Geneva to select a new director general. We have a mission for that leader: take on factory farms, a major threat to health and the environment. Story here.

Stand up for Greenpeace, our great forests and free speech

SumOfUs

Greenpeace and Stand.Earth (formerly Forest Ethics) are getting sued for $300 million by Canada’s largest logging company to make them shut up. Details here.

Coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef worse than expected, surveys show

The Guardian

Surveys taken throughout 2016 show escalating impact from north to south, with 70% of shallow water corals dead north of Port Douglas. Story here.

Blue Starfish in the Great Barrier Reef 2004. Photo by Richard Ling

As world faces unprecedented famine threat, G7 should pay up and push for peace

OXFAM

Deadly famine is already affecting 100,000 people in parts of South Sudan and threatens to extend to Yemen, Somalia and northeast Nigeria. Widespread famine across all four countries is not yet inevitable, but G7 leaders need to act now with a massive injection of aid, backed with a forceful diplomatic push to bring an end to the long-standing conflicts that are driving this hunger crisis. Details here.

Africa is no stranger to famine. Except now, the crisis is even worse and more widespread than it was in 2011. 

That's when this image, depicting famine refugees in the Horn of Africa, was taken. Andy Hall/Oxfam