In a world of higher electricity demand growth, clean electricity is stepping up to the challenge. Spearheaded by exponential solar expansion, clean power is set to grow faster than demand, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. 2024 both clarified and consolidated the shape of the global …
Landsat pre- and post-dam images show the area flooded by two Madeira River dams is 69.8 percent greater than projected by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Study: Brazilian mega-dams caused far more flooding than EIA predicted A satellite study of the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams in the Amazon found …
The 90% of the biodiversity related to the amphibian populations in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest -one of the most threatened tropical forests- is not a protected area yet, according to an article published in the journal Science Advances. The new study, which has the participation of the experts Gustavo Llorente …
A t the FrigoAmazonas slaughter house inside the world's largest rainforest, the owner doesn't mince his words - much of the cattle processed here comes from illegally deforested land. "It's impossible to buy cows from land that isn't deforested," Felipe Oliveira told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in his tatty office …
This report presents the mapping results of national and international REDD+ financial flows to Brazil from 2009 through 2016, and contains detailed analyses regarding new sources of finance flows that may impact REDD+ goals, including financial commitments to promote low-carbon agriculture and subnational case studies of the states of Amazonas …
A new report released by the NGOs Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Forest Trends (FT) consists of case studies on how companies are working with the governments of Brazil and Indonesia, which together accounted for nearly 40 percent of total tropical deforestation in 2014, to achieve their shared goals around …
The owner of Burger King has pledged to eliminate deforestation from its supply chains by 2030 but scientists say the company is not moving fast enough to stop its hamburgers from destroying rainforests and the communities who depend on them. Restaurant Brands International, one of the world’s largest fast-food restaurant …
Paris - Building the 428 hydroelectric dams proposed for Brazil's Amazon basin - three times the existing number - would devastate the environment and could even disrupt regional weather, an international team of researchers warned on Wednesday. Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists unveiled a Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index …
Brazilian cities in coastal areas are more vulnerable to climate change, especially to the sea level rise, but also to such events as heavy rain, storms, floods, and coastal erosion, all of which cause destruction and adversely affect infrastructure in these municipalities. These were the findings of a special report …
The deforestation of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil's second most important forest, grew 57.7% in a year, from 2015 to 2016, when the biome lost 29,075 hectares, or 29 thousand football fields. Figures were released Monday (May 29) by the SOS Mata Atlamp;acirc;ntica Foundation and the National Institute for Space Research …
Global energy system creating more jobs in renewables than in fossil-fuel technologies, says a new IRENA report. More than 9.8 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2016, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review …
French oil and gas company Total and other energy majors should abandon plans to drill close to the mouth of Brazil's Amazon because of potential risks to the ecosystem of the area, environmental campaigner Greenpeace said on Wednesday. Greenpeace said an analysis of Total's environmental assessment of its planned drilling, …
The watchdog NGO Mighty Earth followed up its February investigation into deforestation for soybean production and found that companies are sourcing from farms in Brazil and Bolivia where clearance is still occurring. New soy-driven forest destruction exposed in South America Mighty Earth looked at updated satellite imagery from 28 sites …
This paper reviews the political science, regulatory, and economics literature to illuminate the international competitiveness impacts of motor vehicle emission standards. The primary question the authors consider is whether motor vehicle emission standards adopted in one market will create a future competitive advantage for domestic manufacturers when policy diffusion leads …
From new parsnips and herbs to begonias and roses, the world’s plant hunters discovered more than 1,700 new species last year, offering the prospect of better crops and new colours and scents in the garden. The State of the World’s Plants report, led by scientists at the Royal Botanical Garden …
The global human health impact of the diesel emissions scandal has been revealed by new research showing a minimum of 38,000 people a year die early due to the failure of diesel vehicles to meet official limits in real driving conditions. Researchers have created the first global inventory of the …
Exposure to ambient air pollution increases morbidity and mortality, and is a leading contributor to global disease burden. We explored spatial and temporal trends in mortality and burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution from 1990 to 2015 at global, regional, and country levels.
Nations around the world have adopted more than 1,200 laws to curb climate change, up from about 60 two decades ago, which is a sign of widening efforts to limit rising temperatures shows this study by the London School of Economics This report summarises key trends in climate change legislation …
Considering the currently confirmed cases of microcephaly and related deaths associated with Zika virus in Brazil, the estimated case fatality rate is 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 7.2–9.6). However, a third of the reported cases remain under investigation. If the confirmation rates of cases and deaths are the same in the …
This article discusses the peculiar conditions that favoured the unexpected introduction of Zika virus into the poorest northeastern region of Brazil in 2015, its speed of transmission to other Brazilian states, other Latin American countries and other regions, and the severity of related neurological disorders in newborns and adults. Contrasting …
This time last year, scientists announced the discovery of a reef system at the mouth of the Amazon River — and right from the beginning, they began issuing warnings about companies’ plans to drill for oil in the region. Plans to drill for oil near newly discovered Amazon Reef alarm …
