"It has long been our planet’s greatest and oldest murder mystery. Roughly 445 million years ago, around 85 percent of all marine species disappeared in a geologic flash known as the Late Ordovician mass extinction. But scientists have long debated this whodunit, in contrast to clearer explanations for Earth’s other mass extinctions."
"The world stands on the brink of a food crisis worse than any seen for at least 50 years, the UN has warned as it urged governments to act swiftly to avoid disaster."
The Society of Environmental Journalists stands with journalists of color who are shedding light on systemic racism, inequities, and discrimination inside and outside of the newsroom. We condemn violence against people who are peacefully protesting police killings of Black people, and violence against journalists reporting on them. We condemn the silencing of Black voices in any newsroom, as well as voices from other underrepresented communities.
"More than a third of the fish stocks around the world are being overfished and the problem is particularly acute in developing countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report on Monday."
"BP has announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs following a global slump in demand for oil because of the coronavirus crisis."
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, there’s another respiratory disease to worry about. Legionnaires’, which attacks the lungs, is already the deadliest waterborne illness in the United States. And the dangerous bacteria may now be breeding in the plumbing systems of buildings shut down during the outbreak. Contributor Brett Walton asks: Is the nation prepared for a safe reopening?
Commuters seeking social distancing want them. City dwellers drawn to nearly car-free streets want them too. But the boom in bikes long pre-dates the COVID-19 outbreak, and their eco-friendly reputation offers environment reporters numerous smart local story angles, per the latest TipSheet. Get context, plus numerous story ideas and resources.
"Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached their annual peak last month, and once again were the highest in human history. Despite the economic collapse resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to sharp declines in carbon dioxide emissions, the amount of the greenhouse gas has continued to climb."
"A key measure of carbon dioxide emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere hit a record in May even as a global pandemic brought the world’s economies to a virtual standstill this year, according to U.S. government data published on Thursday."
"Destruction of tropical forests worldwide increased last year, led again by Brazil, which was responsible for more than a third of the total, and where deforestation of the Amazon through clear-cutting appears to be on the rise under the pro-development policies of the country’s president."
