Latest News
Climate Change
- New ‘Changing Planet’ season highlights progress, hope amid climate crisison April 26, 2023
Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan embarks on the second year of an ambitious global journey for the PBS series “Changing Planet,” which explores how six of the world’s most iconic biomes — from Africa’s savannas to the icecaps of the Arctic — are adapting to climate change.
- 5 experts share how hope fuels their workon April 20, 2023
Yes, it’s easy to feel despondent. The planet is overheating and nature is declining at unprecedented rates. But environmental chaos is not inevitable. Conservation International experts share why they have hope for our Earth — and why you should, too.
- In 'The Last of Us,' a warning for future pandemicson April 11, 2023
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Conservation International pandemic prevention fellow Neil Vora explains how climate change is raising the risk of new health threats, including fungal pandemics, and argues that governments need to step up their preparations.
- From tiny nation, a ‘hallmark moment’ for climate justiceon April 6, 2023
A small Pacific island nation is behind a landmark U.N. resolution that could hold carbon-polluting countries to account for failing to act on climate change. Conservation News explains what the resolution means and how it could advance climate justice.
- Experts see hope in gloomy climate reporton March 20, 2023
Humanity is set to blow past 1.5°C of planetary warming by the early 2030s, according to a new report released today by the U.N. But the report also offers hope in the form of actions that could avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Oceans
- Indonesia protects 'walking sharks.' Are other sharks next?on April 19, 2023
The Indonesian government has granted six species of threatened “walking sharks” the highest level of protection — a move experts hope will lead to the conservation of other sharks, whose numbers have plummeted due largely to the shark fin trade.
- Why a new treaty to protect the high seas is a ‘game-changer’on March 10, 2023
Roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national boundaries in an area known as the “high seas” — yet only about 1 percent of that largely unexplored expanse has been protected. Now, nearly 200 countries have agreed on the first-ever United Nations treaty to protect the high seas.
- News spotlight: Ice sheet warming at highest rate in 1,000 yearson January 30, 2023
In case you missed it: One of the coldest regions of the planet is experiencing its highest temperatures in at least a millennium. While grim, the findings are in line with what’s becoming clearer and clearer — Earth’s frozen regions are steadily warming.
- News spotlight: Could seaweed be our new big climate ally?on January 9, 2023
In case you missed it: A recent study reveals that underwater forests are much more prolific than previously thought — and may play a key role in stemming the climate crisis.
- 2022 in review: To protect our seas, scientists turn to innovative new solutionson December 21, 2022
As 2022 draws to a close, Conservation News is revisiting some of our most significant stories of the year. As experts warned that the time to turn the tide on marine protections is dwindling, conservationists and governments came together to advocate for oceans.
Forests
- In Amazon, small towns are a force of natureon April 12, 2023
Years ahead of schedule, Bolivia has met an ambitious goal to protect 30 percent of its land — and that's thanks in large part to Amazonian towns and villages that are accelerating the pace and scale of conservation in the country.
- What on Earth is ‘HFLD’? (Hint: It’s about forests)on March 8, 2023
From “blue carbon” to “ecosystem services,” environmental jargon is everywhere. Conservation International looks to make sense of it in an occasional explainer series. In this installment, we explore the role “HFLDs,” play in storing climate-warming carbon.
- 3 reasons for hope for the Amazonon February 9, 2023
When U.S. President Joseph Biden meets with Brazil’s newly elected president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in Washington this week, climate change and the fate of the Amazon will be one of the many items of discussion, according to news reports.
- ‘Audacious’ reforestation effort grows in Brazilon February 7, 2023
A bold initiative to regrow 73 million trees in the Brazilian Amazon has made substantial progress despite some unexpected hurdles, according to an upcoming report.
- A Peruvian forest was vanishing. Coffee and community trust saved iton January 10, 2023
In the Alto Mayo Protected Forest in Peru, local farmers have partnered with Conservation International to produce sustainable coffee and halt deforestation. Since 2011, this partnership has helped deforestation decline by 59 percent.
Biodiversity
- After Australia's bushfires, AI cameras capture wildlife recoveryon May 11, 2023
Three years after Australia’s most devastating fire season ever, new images from motion-activated cameras placed across the country’s scorched forests are giving researchers an unequaled view into wildlife recovery.
- Gordon Moore, digital pioneer and philanthropist, dies at 94on March 28, 2023
Digital pioneer, business leader and philanthropist Gordon Moore died at his home in Hawaiʻi on March 24. While Moore was best known as a titan of the tech world, his contributions to the natural world were equally pathbreaking.
- Study: Patterns of wildlife 'range loss' could offer clues for conservationon March 14, 2023
More than one million species are at risk of extinction largely because they are being pushed out of places where they have long lived — known as “ranges.” But not all range loss looks the same.
- News spotlight: Mangrove deforestation drops, but new protections still neededon November 23, 2022
Worldwide, mangroves — once destroyed for agriculture and development — have seen a sharp decline in deforestation. A new report from the Global Mangrove Alliance offers a plan to end mangrove loss entirely.
- Meet a scientist: Using tech to advance wildlife conservationon October 21, 2022
Senior Wildlife Conservation Scientist Jorge Ahumada uses technology to track wildlife species around the world and ensure the data is available to craft smart policies for their protection. Conservation News spoke to him about his passion for mining big data to uncover hidden trends in nature.
Earth Institute columbia
- Report Finds 228 Local Restrictions Against Siting Wind, Solar, and Other Renewableson May 31, 2023
Renewable energy projects have encountered significant opposition in at least 45 states, according to a report published May 31.
- Memorial Day, Patriotism, and the Search for American Political Consensuson May 30, 2023
Political polarization is a trap that is easy to fall into, but many Americans are looking for a sense of unity and leadership that represents our common values and shared sense of community.
- Montreal Protocol Is Delaying First Ice-Free Arctic Summeron May 25, 2023
New research from Columbia climate scientists shows that the 1987 ozone treaty, designed to protect the ozone layer, has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years.
- New Method Predicts Extreme Weather Events More Accuratelyon May 25, 2023
Columbia engineers have developed a machine-learning algorithm that will aid in understanding and mitigating the impact of extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent in our warming climate.
- Columbia Climate School Leadership Announcementon May 24, 2023
On July 1, Jeffrey Shaman will become interim dean of the Climate School, continuing the work of co-deans Alex Halliday, Jason Bordoff, Ruth DeFries, and Maureen Raymo, climate leaders who built the School's strong foundation.
From BBC News
- Peas that don't taste like peas could help the planeton May 31, 2023
UK researchers are developing peas that don't taste like peas as an environmentally friendly alternative to soya.
- Using pig fat as green jet fuel will hurt planet, experts warnon May 30, 2023
Animal by-products being used for aviation fuel could increase demand for palm oil, experts fear.
- Black bear walks into bakery and eats 60 cupcakeson May 30, 2023
Workers at Taste by Spellbound in Connecticut were shocked when they spotted the uninvited customer.
- Watch rocket launch first Chinese civilian into spaceon May 30, 2023
China has sent three astronauts to its Tiangong Space Station, putting a civilian into orbit for the first time.
- See how police carefully freed a bear trapped inside a caron May 30, 2023
The careful operation required a long piece of rope to open the car door from a distance.