The hunting of sea mammals has a historic role in the economy of the Faroe Islands, but it has recently come under scrutiny for environmental reasons. Amber Case, Flickr

Faroese dolphin hunters, bitcoin emissions and fossil fuel fury

News to know in our bi-weekly digest
01 October 2021

Last week, we brought together over 5,000 participants from 115 countries to explore ways to prevent the collapse of the Amazon rainforest.

Here’s what happened at GLF Amazonia: The Tipping Point. Plus, dolphin hunting, deep-sea mining, Europe’s energy crisis, and much more in this Landscape News bi-weekly digest.

LANDSCAPE NEWS

We recently launched Landscape TV, a brand-new video series covering all you need to know about landscapes, biodiversity, climate and much more in 10 minutes.

In this first episode, learn how the Amazon, the Gulf Stream and Antarctica’s ice sheets could tip the climate crisis over the edge – and what we can do about it. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos to come.

GLF Amazonia may be over, but the struggle to protect the biome continues. Here are six grassroots campaigns to support, plus an urgent call from civil society groups to protect the Amazon and its peoples, who are key allies in the fight against the climate crisis.

Fires have already impacted over 90 percent of the Amazon’s species, while valuable knowledge on medical plants could be lost as Indigenous languages die out.

But almost no country is doing enough to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which – among other things – would require most of the world’s remaining fossil fuels to be kept in the ground.

CLIMATE

A failed crop due to drought in Mabalane, Mozambique. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Flickr
A failed crop due to drought in Mabalane, Mozambique. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Flickr

The planet is on track for 2.7 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2100These interactive maps show how that might play out across the globe.

Is there really a generational divide on the climate? Young people are worried about future climate disasters that will affect them disproportionately, but so too are their parents and grandparents.

And if the Earth continues to heat up, the North Atlantic jet stream could move further north, causing more frequent heatwaves, droughts, floods and other climate disasters in Europe and North America.

PEOPLE

The Philippines had the third most murders of environmental defenders in 2020, including nine Tumandok leaders fighting displacement by a mega-dam. John Ian Alenciaga, International Rivers
The Philippines had the third most murders of environmental defenders in 2020, including nine Tumandok leaders fighting displacement by a mega-dam. John Ian Alenciaga, International Rivers

A record 227 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2020. Around a third of the victims were Indigenous.

Air pollution is causing up to 6 million premature births each year, along with about 3 million babies born underweight.

Afghanistan has more to worry about than just the Taliban: the long-embattled country is also going through a prolonged drought that threatens the food security of millions.

In 2016, a tribunal ruled that the Canadian government had discriminated against Indigenous people in the child welfare system. Now, the children and their families will finally receive compensation.

PLANET

A zebra in Kenya. Ron Dauphin, Unsplash
A zebra in Kenya. Ron Dauphin, Unsplash

The collapse of Kenya’s tourist industry has plunged many local people into hardship – and into poaching for bushmeat.

Dolphin hunters in the Faroe Islands have sparked outrage after slaughtering over 1,400 dolphins in a single day. The Faroese government has pledged to review the traditional practice.

Conservationists have called for a ban on deep-sea mining at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, the world’s largest biodiversity summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.

BUSINESS

Oil rigs at Cromarty Firth in Scotland. joiseyshowaa, Flickr
Oil rigs at Cromarty Firth in Scotland. joiseyshowaa, Flickr

Climate action is hurting the fossil fuel industry, so much so that five energy companies are suing governments around the world for more than USD 18 billion.

As the Earth heats up, demand for air conditioning is rising, making the climate hotter still. How can we make our cooling systems less harmful? 

Bitcoin isn’t just bad for the climate; it’s also extremely wasteful. A single transaction generates the same amount of e-waste as throwing two iPhones in the trash.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has believed in the climate crisis since 2006. So, why have his outlets – including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal – been denying it for so long?

POLICY

The South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. Rob Wood, Flickr
The South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. Rob Wood, Flickr

Both Europe and China are running short on energy. As winter approaches, natural gas and coal prices are spiraling, and the repercussions could ripple across the entire world.

As COP 26 draws near, will world leaders finally commit to the Paris Agreement goals? Officials from the UN, U.K. and U.S. are skeptical.

The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu isn’t counting on great outcomes either. Instead, it’s asking the International Court of Justice to rule on the legal right to be protected from the climate crisis.

Topics

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