Stranded

DRC communities turn up heat on EU lenders funding palm oil giant PHC

On May 24, 2024, clashes broke out between members of a local community and security guards at an oil palm plantation in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the latest such incident in a long-running dispute over some 58,000 hect…

India's palm oil plans wreak havoc on the ground - 360

The push for large-scale monoculture plantations of oil palm is taking a toll on the environment and on people’s economic and social security.

Pantanal waterway project would destroy a ‘paradise on Earth’, scientists warn

The South American wetland, which falls within Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, would be vulnerable to biome loss and increased wildfires

A new way of thinking about the economy could help protect the Amazon, and help its people thrive

To protect the Amazon and support the wellbeing of its people, its economy needs to shift from environmentally harmful production to a model built around the diversity of indigenous and rural communities, and standing forests.

The New Merchants of Doubt: How Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action • Changing Markets

Palm oil company fined for cheating; Sulawesi farmers to reap their due rupiah

JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has ordered a palm oil company to pay 1 billion rupiah ($61,000) in fines for shortchanging villagers by not sufficiently paying them according to a profit-sharing agreement.

Common ancestor of all birds was probably iridescent

A genetic study of nearly all living bird species has found that the first one to evolve likely had shiny, colourful, iridescent feathers.

The use of vocal coordination in male African elephant group departures: evidence of active leadership and consensus

Group-living animals engage in coordinated vocalizations to depart from a location as a group, and often, to come to a consensus about the direction of movement.

Malaysian Indigenous group takes governments, palm oil firm to court for breaching land rights, endangering biodiversity -watchdog « Carbon Pulse

Hundreds of giant tortoises return to Galápagos Islands decades after near-extinction of species

Conservationists have successfully released 560 giant tortoises to the Galápagos Islands as part of a scheme to boost the numbers of the animal, which once came close to extinction.

Allegations widen against Indonesian palm oil giant Astra Agro Lestari

JAKARTA — Allegations of illegal activity and land-grabbing against Indonesia’s second-largest palm oil company continue to mount as a new report reveals the firm’s violations appear to be more extensive than initially documented.

How Clarence Thomas Cleared Trump’s Path in Classified Docs Case

Judge Aileen Cannon followed the playbook from Justice Clarence Thomas’s solo opinion in the Trump immunity case.

Garifuna land rights abuses persist in Honduras, despite court ruling

Since the early 17th century, the Garifuna Afro-Indigenous peoples of Honduras have lived on the country’s northern Caribbean coast, where they collectively own large tracts of rich coastal land and sustain their livelihoods on subsistence agricultur…

Analysis of food system drivers of deforestation highlights foreign direct investments and urbanization as threats to tropical forests - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Analysis of food system drivers of deforestation highlights foreign direct investments and urbanization as threats to tropical forests

Ecuador faces challenge in ending oil extraction in national park

Ecuador's struggle to honor a referendum demanding an end to oil drilling in Yasuní national park highlights deep economic divisions.Kimberley Brown reports for The Guardian.

Monsanto Roundup trial win overturned by Oregon court

The case at the heart of the new ruling is one of more than 100,000 brought in US courts.

Deforestation-free economy key to Labour's nature ambitions | Global Witness

Deforestation-free economy key to Labour's nature ambitions

Let's reduce poverty & deforestation via greater EUDR traceability requirements (commentary)

The EU’s regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) was hailed as a watershed in the fight to protect the world’s forests when it came into force in 2023.

How much progress has really been made on sustainable palm oil production?

As Ferrero is applauded for its efforts in sourcing sustainable palm oil, Greenpeace says the rest of the industry has a long way to go

Ammo vending machines installed in Oklahoma and Alabama grocery stores

Automated ammunition vending machines have recently been installed inside several grocery stores across Oklahoma and Alabama.

Oldest human depiction of a “scene” found in Indonesian rock art from more than 50,000 years ago

A new method used to accurately date rock art found in Indonesia which is now thought to be the oldest evidence of humans depicting interactions.

Devastation as world’s biggest wetland burns: ‘those that cannot run don’t stand a chance’

Blackened trees, dead animals and scorched earth – early wildfires have already devastated Brazil’s Pantanal and local people worry they may lose the battle to save them

A new pesticide law in Brazil endangers Amazon's biodiversity

New pesticide regulations, which relaxes restrictions on the sale and use of a wide range of agrochemicals, raise concerns over Amazon biodiversity and human health.André Schröder reports for Mongabay.

Apes Enjoy Joking and Teasing Each Other

New research finds that it is not only human babies who love to playfully tease each other. Researchers reasoned that since language is not required for this behaviour, similar kinds of playful tea…

Indonesian court acquits former official in grisly palm oil slavery case

JAKARTA: An Indonesian court has acquitted a former government official accused of human trafficking after people were found in cages near his palm oil plantation, a ruling the country’s rights body said on Tuesday signalled impunity for state actors…

Kansas Supreme Court Affirms Abortion Rights, Strikes Down Restrictions

"This is an immense victory for the health, safety, and dignity of people in Kansas and the entire Midwestern region, where millions have been cut off from abortion access," said one advocate.

Japan's government finally says goodbye to floppy disks

The use of the floppy disk, which was still used in some government agencies in Japan, has now been scrapped.

Why are rainforests crucial for the planet?

The world's tropical forests are vital to human life and are a critical bulwark against climate change but they are under threat.

Life and death in a banana civilization

Are abuse, corruption and violence still inherent in multinational capitalism?

Amazon rainforest inhabitants share plan to save their home

Inhabitants of the Amazon have created a comprehensive plan to prevent climate and ecological collapse, focusing on ending fossil fuel subsidies and securing Indigenous land rights.Katie Surma reports for Inside Climate News.

ASEAN Environmental Rights Declaration Needs Transparency

An Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) working group should show it is genuinely interested in engaging with civil society if it wants to produce an effective environmental rights declaration, as it resumes drafting today in Kuala Lumpur, …

Selling the World’s Forests

For retailers, selling the world’s forests is risky business.

Investigation confirms more abuses on Cameroon, Sierra Leone Socfin plantations

In 2023, Socfin hired a consultancy to investigate longstanding allegations of human rights violations and environmental damage raised by communities living around the Belgian transnational company’s oil palm and rubber plantations in Africa and Sout…

Focus - Indonesia's biodiesel industry contributing to deforestation

Indonesia is aiming to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, with 30 percent of the country's energy slated to come from biodiesel by 2030. But the plan has caused alarm among environmental groups.

Kwara communities suffer deforestation, land degradation after departure of White Zimbabwe farmers

In 2004, some displaced white farmers from Zimbabwe arrived in the agrarian communities in the Shonga district of Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.