Death By A Thousand Cuts: documentary charts the dangers of deforestation
Film explores how the contrasting fate of forests in Haiti and the Dominican Republic has exacerbated conflict, xenophobia, poverty and even murder In January 2012, park ranger Eligio Eloy Varga was hacked to death by a machete near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This incident, still unsolved, kicks off the new documentary […]
Global trade deal threatens Paris climate goals, leaked documents show
Controversial Trade in Services Agreement (Tisa) could make it harder for governments to favour clean energy over fossil fuels as part of efforts to keep temperature rises to 1.5C A far-reaching global trade deal being negotiated in secret could threaten the goals of the Paris climate deal by making it harder for governments to favour […]
Spiders' shining threads turn lifeless gardens silver
Blackwater, Norfolk Garden cross spiders must be among September’s most beautiful stars At present it’s almost impossible to walk the rides around my patch and not snap spiders’ silk. It is everywhere. I notice, as I drive over, that there are even webs on both wing mirrors but, with the sun at the right angle, […]
Chromium-6: 'Erin Brockovich' chemical threatens two-thirds of Americans
‘We simply can’t continue to survive with toxic drinking water,’ says Erin Brockovich, as a new report finds 200 million people exposed to chromium-6 In the 2000 biographical film about a legal clerk who brings a major utility company to its knees for poisoning residents of Hinkley, California, Erin Brockovich ended on a Hollywood high […]
Leonardo DiCaprio given rival invitations to visit Great Barrier Reef
Exclusive: Offers follow actor’s plea to address climate change and coral bleaching at Our Ocean conference in US Scientists and tour operators on the Great Barrier Reef have extended a “non-political” offer to show Leonardo DiCaprio the impacts of coral bleaching, after the Queensland government responded to the actor’s comments on bleaching by inviting him […]
Leonardo DiCaprio describes devastation of global coral reef bleaching – video
Addressing the US State Department’s Our Oceans conference in Washington DC, DiCaprio says Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has suffered what is thought to be the largest bleaching event ever recorded, and urges stronger action to protect it and other reefs around the world. DiCaprio says seeing the effects on the reefs off the Bahamas took […]
New French law legislates that all plastic cups, plates and cutlery must be biodegradable
All plastic cups, cutlery and plates will need to be designed to be compostable in France according to a new law, which comes into effect in 2020. The recently passed legislation has already ignited some debate in terms of what it means within the EU context. At the very least it represents a significant piece […]
Waste not want not: Sweden to give tax breaks for repairs
Government to tackle ‘throwaway culture’ by cutting VAT on fixing everything from bicycles to washing machines The Swedish government is introducing tax breaks on repairs to everything from bicycles to washing machines so it will no longer make sense to throw out old or broken items and buy new ones. Sweden’s ruling Social Democrat and […]
Justin Trudeau’s lofty rhetoric on First Nations a cheap simulation of justice | Martin Lukacs
An era of so-called reconciliation has disguised the continuation of Harper-era land and resource grabs By now, we all know the greatest priority of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is its relationship with Indigenous peoples. How could we miss the weekly reminders? Trudeau graciously wrapping himself in ceremonial blankets. Hauling jugs of drinking water door-to-door on […]
Tackling corruption will deal a lethal blow to the illegal wildlife trade
Talk of prohibiting, preventing and countering corruption must take centre stage when signatories to the Cites treaty on regulating the international trade in wildlife meet in Johannesburg this weekend The world is witnessing an unprecedented surge in wildlife trafficking that is stealing the irreplaceable natural wealth of countries, greatly hindering development, paralysing efforts to eradicate […]