The Brazilian political party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL) will today (June 5th) submit a new Ecocide Bill to the Brazilian Congress. The proposed ecocide law seeks to criminalise “performing illegal or wanton acts with the knowledge that they generate a substantial probability of serious and widespread or long-term damage to the environment.” The wording of the … [Read more...]
Inside the fight against illegal mining in the Amazon
Deforestation and degraded forests. Polluted and poisoned rivers. Invasion of Indigenous Lands. Violence against Indigenous Peoples. Exposure to illness. Lost lives and endangered traditional ways of life. These are just some of the perils that illegal mining brings to the interior of the Amazon rainforest. Despite being prohibited by Brazil’s Federal Constitution of 1988, … [Read more...]
Downward slide in global food prices continue
Global food prices dropped for the tenth consecutive month in January, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Friday. Price indexes for vegetable oils, dairy and sugar drove the January decline, the UN food agency said, issuing two new reports on food production expectations. The FAO food price index fell 17.9 per cent below its all-time … [Read more...]
Leaders in Montreal call for indigenous-led nature protection
On Tuesday, Indigenous leaders from around the world, including Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Indonesia, gathered in Montreal (Tiohtià:ke) to voice their expectations for decade-defining negotiations on nature protection. The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which started yesterday, is the long-awaited moment that will define how nature … [Read more...]
EU Deforestation law leaves much to be desired
Ministers in the Environment Council voted today to weaken the EU Deforestation law, despite citizens, scientists and companies asking for nature destruction-free products on the EU market. “The Council negotiating position has as many holes as a swiss cheese but unfortunately it does not taste that good. An effective law must not offer loopholes for companies to circumvent … [Read more...]
Answering nature’s call for help
The international premier of season two of the hit, short format documentary series, Free Range Humans, took place in Cape Town yesterday, attended by five of the six international eco-activist cast members who have heeded the call to help save the planet, its diverse ecosystems and marine life. Also in the cast is South Africa’s Loyiso Dunga who is fighting to help save the … [Read more...]
Protection needed for precious Tapajós River
We cannot talk about the Amazon without recognizing the importance of the Tapajós basin. With continental dimensions, this freshwater ecosystem is rich in scenic beauty, socio-environmental attributes and biodiversity. This territory has been inhabited for thousands of years by traditional communities that protect it. Today the basin and its most famous river, the Tapajós, are … [Read more...]
Short film aims to ban animal testing in SA
Hollywood filmmakers and movie stars have joined forces with Humane Society International to produce a powerful stop-motion animated short film, #SaveRalph, to end cosmetic testing on animals around the world, including South Africa. Although banned in 40 countries, the practice is still legal in most of the world, and is even making a comeback in some regions, subjecting … [Read more...]
World “far short” of Paris climate deal goals, says UN
This Friday the UN’s climate body (UNFCCC) will release an assessment of the 48 national emission reduction plans submitted by the end of 2020. The plans account for 75 parties to the UN, as the EU27 is counted as one bloc, and cover an estimated 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While most countries have incrementally increased ambition, the combined impact puts them … [Read more...]
Monoculture tree plantations are a false climate solution
Yesterday was the 16th International Day of Struggle against Monoculture Tree Plantations. In 2004, rural communities in Brazil declared the day to commemorate the resistance against the expansion of monoculture tree plantations in Brazil. Through solidarity statements and actions around the world the day has evolved to become an International Day of Struggle. This year, a … [Read more...]
Meet the Brazilian tribe fighting to save the Amazon
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research has reported over 80,000 fires in the country as of Sunday night, with more than half of these in the Amazon region. This coupled with an 85% increase in deforestation this year compared to last, and a rate of deforestation at one and a half football pitches a minute, is threatening the future of the world’s largest tropical … [Read more...]
Japanese government stops testing pesticides on dogs
The Japanese government has announced that it will no longer conduct year-long poisoning tests for pesticides on dogs. The one-year program was developed in order to test the toxicity of agrochemicals. According to Humane Society International (HSI), the tests subjugate groups of beagles to daily doses of pesticides in order to gauge the toxicity to humans. Dogs involved are … [Read more...]
HFC’s in your fridge is a dangerous greenhouse gas
Brazil, China and India have the dubious honor of becoming the first nations to directly contradict the pledges made at the Rio+20 summit last month. All 193 member states of the UN signed the declaration in Rio which included: “We recognize that the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances is resulting in a rapid increase in the use and release of high global-warming … [Read more...]
