When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ecuador in March 2020, one Indigenous Kichwa family retreated into the Amazon to self-isolate.
Here’s what they can teach us about reconnecting with nature. Plus, insect diets, a sweltering summer, Big Oil’s dirty secrets and more in this Landscape News bi-weekly digest.
LANDSCAPE NEWS
Indigenous communities are the guardians of some of the world’s most important ecosystems – yet they receive less than 1 percent of aid money for climate mitigation.
How can organic foods help us reinvent our food systems? We tackle all of the key questions in this brand-new guide.
And in this short essay, young conservationist Fabiana Benítez explains how yerba mate tea is reviving Paraguay’s rainforests.
CLIMATE
Scientists have warned of climate change since the 1960s – so why has it taken so long for humanity to act?
Meanwhile, it’s hot. From Canada to India, from Siberia to Iraq, much of the Northern Hemisphere is facing unprecedented heat that not even the worst-case climate models could have predicted.
Two-thirds of Mexico is struggling with drought, threatening crop harvests and fueling water conflicts with the U.S., while Brazil is running short on hydropower.
These and other climate effects will become obvious within the next 30 years, and rising sea levels could affect up to 410 million people by 2100.
PEOPLE
Many Canadian cities have canceled Canada Day following the discovery of unmarked mass graves at former residential schools for Indigenous children.
South of the border, Sioux activists are calling for the return of their native lands in the Black Hills, while Indigenous Brazilian leaders want President Jair Bolsonaro put on trial for ecocide.
Meet the ‘Black Mermaid’ – the free diver inspiring other Black South Africans to embrace the open ocean.
And in neighboring Zimbabwe, one woman is building climate resilience in her community by growing insects for food.
PLANET
Wildlife roamed freely around the world’s cities during lockdown. Could they find a more permanent home on our streets?
Northern Ireland has a poo problem: its 25 million pigs are producing too much waste to dispose of without polluting the country’s soil and waterways.
But cows might have a new role to play in the fight against plastic pollution. The microbes in their stomachs are strong enough to break down plastic bags, bottles and textiles.
BUSINESS
Caught in a Greenpeace sting operation, a senior ExxonMobil lobbyist has revealed the oil giant’s efforts to sow climate denialism and block U.S. climate legislation.
Meanwhile, the UN’s aviation body has come under fire for hiring a former lobbyist for the airline industry.
As Arctic sea ice gets thinner, new shipping routes are opening up, but they’re fraught with peril for both ships and the environment.
What if we could make water out of thin air – in a desert? One company is making 1.5 million liters of water in Dubai each year using just vapor and solar panels.
POLICY
Rich countries are deliberately preventing COVID-19 vaccines from reaching Africa, claims an African Union envoy. The continent has vaccinated less than 2 percent of its population to date.
The U.S. city of Baltimore is suing the oil industry for its role in causing the climate crisis, which is blasting its low-income communities with lethal summer heat.
The E.U. has made its greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding. It must slash emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, before reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
Argentina’s third-largest city has helped over 2,000 families grow their own food since 2001. The award-winning project now produces some 2,500 tons of fruits and vegetable each year.
