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The United Nations is staring at a financial black hole: as of this week, just 41 of its 193 member states have paid their dues for the year.

Could this spell the end of international cooperation? Not quite – but more on that in this month’s ThinkLandscape round-up.

This month on ThinkLandscape

You probably know that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. But what caused the four biggest mass extinctions before that?

For the first time ever, we have a global treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters. Here’s why the High Seas Treaty is a big deal.

This year is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists – but what do those terms actually mean? Let us explain.

Countries can break the ‘resource curse’: here’s what happened after Chile nationalized its copper mines in the 1970s.

In the Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous and Quilombola communities are defending their lands with an unconventional weapon: radio.

Argentina is well known for Patagonia, the Andes and the Pampas, but here’s a region you might not have heard of: the Espinal.

That brings us to a special three-part series co-authored by 32 of our community members, envisioning a thriving future for the landscapes of Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Tired of reading? Follow these 44 climate influencers, and start scrolling.

What we’re reading

People

It’s 85 seconds to midnight – meaning we’re four seconds closer to annihilating ourselves through nuclear war, the climate crisis, AI, biotechnology or who knows what else.

We’re living in a new era of ‘water bankruptcy,’ says a new UN report, but we can still buy ourselves some time.

Turns out you can eat cheaply, healthily and sustainably: a new study finds that we could reduce our food emissions by a third by switching to a low-cost healthy diet.

In a landmark case, a court has ordered the Dutch government to climate-proof a small Caribbean island.

The impacts of development aid cuts are already being felt in flood-hit Mozambique and drought-hit Afghanistan – the latter compounded by mass deportations.

Planet

No wonder we’re in a biodiversity crisis: for every $1 we spend protecting nature, we spend $30 destroying it.

Now, our collapsing ecosystems are a growing threat to security and prosperity, according to a new U.K. government report.

As their Arctic habitat melts, most polar bears are getting skinnier – except in one Norwegian archipelago, where they’re getting fatter.

Africa has an elephant problem, or two: in some countries, these majestic mammals are dying out, while in others, they’re doing so well that they keep running into people.

Whales seem to have fewer forever chemicals in their bodies than they used to, but that might not be a good thing.

Climate

The ocean absorbed record amounts of heat last year. The past three years have been the three hottest on record, and there’s almost certainly worse to come.

So, how many lives has the climate crisis claimed so far? It’s hard to say, and the numbers don’t add up.

This new map reveals what lies beneath Antarctica’s ice, while scientists are preparing to drill under the continent’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ to better predict its impending collapse.

Another team of scientists is taking a close-up look at the ‘rivers in the sky’ driving devastating storms in Europe, while those working in Greenland are stopping work over Donald Trump’s threats.

Business

Fossil fuel companies could soon face a global tax for the climate damage they’ve caused. Rightly so, as just 32 of them caused half of the world’s carbon emissions in 2024.

At least 17 of those companies are state-owned and controlled by countries that opposed phasing out fossil fuels at COP30, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, India, Iran and the UAE.

Who funds deep sea mining? Investors have poured at least USD 684 million into the industry, and they include some of the world’s largest banks.

Here’s a sneak peek inside the world’s largest renewable energy site, covering an area the size of Singapore.

We should avoid flying whenever possible, but could we halve emissions from aviation without actually flying less?

Policy

The United Nations is facing “imminent financial collapse” unless countries start paying their dues, Secretary-General António Guterres has warned in a letter to member states.

One country yet to pay is the United States, which plans to withdraw from 31 UN entities, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Even though U.S. President Donald Trump denies the climate crisis (and, seemingly, air pollution), melting Arctic sea ice could explain his interest in obtaining Greenland.

Two of the world’s largest trade blocs – the EU and South America’s Mercosur – have signed a ‘cows-for-cars’ trade deal that critics say could worsen deforestation in the Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco.

Remember this futuristic megacity being built in the Saudi desert? Neom and its “carbon-free” component, The Line, are being massively scaled down after running over budget.