A study published by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that the link between deforestation and disease—in this case, malaria—may not be as tenuous as some have suggested.
Based on satellite data showing the extent of logging in the Amazon and research from 54 Brazilian health districts, the report concludes that even minimal change to the natural landscape can increase the spread of malaria by up to 50 percent.
Tags: · Amazon rainforest, Brazil, Climate Change, deforestation, malaria, University of Wisconsin study
Lemurs, a threatened species (Photo: Orsoman/Dreamstime)
They are slipping through our fingers. Our tenuous hold on the Earth’s threatened animals, plants and fish, rivers and oceans, forests and ice caps is not strong enough. It’s not for lack of trying — environmental and eco-conscious groups are in a constant scramble to slow the lengthening list of losses.
Every year, more than 2 million acres of Amazon rainforest – called “the lungs of our planet” for its massive daily recycling of carbon dioxide into oxygen – is lost to logging, agriculture, roads and more.
At last count, out of 44,837 known species of living creatures on Earth, nearly 40 percent are threatened and 804 are extinct.
Tags: · Amazon rainforest, Arbor day, attracting bees, attracting butterflies, backyard wildlife habitat, biodiversity, Climate Change, conservation, Earth Day, eco-tourism, ecosystem, endangered species, extinct species, Fair Trade goods, invasive species, Madagascar, sustainable seafood
From Green Right Now Reports
The soybean is a versatile crop. It helps add nitrogen back to the soil. It’s a cheap source of animal feed. In various forms, it eventually becomes suitable for human consumption, albeit it mostly indirectly, in the form of chicken (or eggs) we consume or beef on the table.
So what’s wrong with a hard-working legume gaining a little popularity? As is often the case, too much of a good thing is, indeed, too much.
Tags: · Amazon rainforest, Brazil, Earth Policy Institute, soybean
By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now
When we put our shoes on, we don’t really think about where they’ve been before they got to us.
Most likely, they were manufactured somewhere overseas, China or Vietnam perhaps, then shipped to the United States. But where did the material used to manufacture them come from? Are your shoes made of leather? If so, there’s a chance they’re contributing to climate change — and the illegal destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Greenpeace International says rainforests are being needlessly lost not just to the meat trade but to the leather industry, as cattle ranches expand illegally in Brazilian Amazon region.
Tags: · Adidas/Reebok, Amazon rainforest, Brazil, cattle trade, Clarks, deforestation, Geox, Greenhouse Gases, leather, Nike, Prada, shoes, Timberland
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift