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☆ Palm oil is in almost everything, and it's devastating rainforests. This Bill Gates-backed company used microbes to create an alternative
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Palm oil grows best in the regions right around the equator, so palm oil producers chop down rainforest and clear that felled vegetation by burning it, making it a prime target of conservation organizations like the Rainforest Rescue and the World Wildlife Fund. Palm oil trees grow at the Cikasungka palm oil plantation, operated by PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII, in Bogor Regency in West Java, Indonesia, on Monday, June 20, 2022. To make its palm oil alternative, C16 Biosciences uses a wild yeast microbe that makes a functional equivalent to palm oil with a kind of fermentation process. Photo courtesy: Cat Clifford, CNBCChemically, the palm oil that C16 Biosciences makes is not identical to the palm oil that is grown in industrial agriculture farms. However, "it contains the same fatty acids, which are the molecular fingerprints of fats and oils, that palm oil does," Heller told CNBC.

☆ New Mexico House race wrangles oil and gas, climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Polls show issues like climate change and abortion are important but the economy may be the driving factor in a state that is one of the poorest in the country and also a top global oil producer. First-term Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell is known as a defender of the Permian Basin oil and gas sector, a region she represents. RIO GRANDE RUNS DRYSome voters in West Side and South Valley Albuquerque areas believe fossil-fuel-driven climate change is harming their quality of life and the livelihoods of farmers. Vasquez has been hit with attack ads saying his policies will cost the state tens of thousands of oil and gas jobs. Herrell, a target of the League of Conservation Voters and other green groups, said New Mexico's emission controls meant the state's oil and gas industry was far cleaner than foreign competitors and did not contribute to climate change.

☆ Photos show what Tower Rock, a limestone formation in the middle of the Mississippi River, looks like before and after severe drought dropped water levels
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tower Rock, a limestone formation in the middle of the Mississippi River, is newly accessible by foot. The Mississippi River is experiencing historic low levels, likely due to climate change. Tower Rock was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1970. The region, including the Ohio River and the Upper Mississippi River valleys, has not received enough rain to sustain usual water levels, Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnsen and Paola Rosa-Aquino reported. These variable river conditions are consistent with scientists' predictions of climate change creating more unpredictable weather events.

Some progress has been made, but it's not enough," Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer at consumer goods company Unilever (ULVR.L), said. While regulators have pushed for more rigorous reporting on the companies' environmental impact and efforts to battle climate change, broader impact on nature and biodiversity has not yet been subject to similar scrutiny. The COP15 talks in Montreal will see countries try to agree a new Global Biodiversity Framework to combat the crisis that threatens over one million plant and animal species with extinction. "Assessment and disclosure are an essential first step to generate action, but it will only have an impact if it is made mandatory," the 330 businesses said in their statement. "Without this information, we are flying blind into extinction," Eva Zabey, executive director at global coalition Business for Nature, said.

☆ Before-and-after photos show how the Mississippi River has dropped dramatically, choking a crucial shipping corridor
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Mississippi River is at a historic low, exposing new land that used to be covered by water. Satellite images, and other pictures from before and after this drop in water levels, show how dramatic the difference is. Satellite images from October 2021, left, and October 2022, right, show how low the Mississippi River is this year, with more bare earth exposed. Tower Rock, in the Mississippi River, when the water levels are normal. That's because 92% of US agricultural exports are produced in the Mississippi River basin, to be exported through the Gulf of Mexico.

[1/4] An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File PhotoSAO PAULO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Brazil's presidential election on Sunday may determine the fate of the Amazon jungle, the world's largest rainforest, after deforestation soared in the past four years under President Jair Bolsonaro. Destruction in the Amazon rainforest last year hit the highest level since 2006, according to the government's space research agency INPE. Lula took office in 2003 with levels of Amazon deforestation near all-time highs. By 2010, his last year in office, deforestation had fallen by 72% to near record lows.

☆ Conservationists are using artificial intelligence to map out the best ways for saving threatened wildlife and resources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AI tools can help with efforts like identifying tracks to better understand animal populations. Using AI can help conservationists more wisely deploy scarce resources. So Jewell, a cofounder of the US nonprofit WildTrack, turned to artificial intelligence to help identify animal tracks using photos. Yet the AI system Jewell and her collaborators developed can so far identify dozens of animal species with more than 90% accuracy. "The things that limit AI can be augmented with that human input," Jewell said, "the AI can definitely learn from the skills of the trackers."

☆ Can sustainable soya farming come fast enough to save the Cerrado?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Mark Hillsdon | Mark Hillsdon Is A Manchester-Based Freelance Writer Who Writes On Business | Sustainability For The Ethical Corporation | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

“Crop finance is a key part of soy farmers' business models and there is a huge appetite and market for green finance,” he explains. It’s a message consistent with the UK Soy Manifesto, which now covers 60% of the soy coming into the UK. Unlocking green investment means this can now happen, he adds, by supporting sustainable agriculture and protecting forests in a financially sustainable way that rewards farmers. And ultimately it is the involvement of these traders in screening out “bad soy” on which any sustainable soy scheme succeeds or fails. The Retail Soy Group’s roadmap commits members to deforestation-free soy with a cut-off-date of August 2020, but soy traders aren’t following these guidelines, says Wijeratna.

☆ Endangered species protections kick in too late, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The study suggests that the Endangered Species Act, a bedrock tool of conservation, has become bogged down by delays and inaction that are hampering its mission. Decisions on whether species should be listed are supposed to take two years, according to Noah Greenwald, the endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Species are slipping through the cracks.”The new study builds upon research that began decades ago in a study that analyzed species listed from 1985 through 1992. Although few species have fully recovered and been delisted, it’s important to remember that the Endangered Species Act has been instrumental in preventing extinction, Greenwald said. “99% of species protected under the Endangered Species Act still survive, which is highly significant,” he said.

☆ Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, which used 2018 data from ZSL on the status of 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species, found that population sizes had declined by 69% on average. One population of pink river dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon plummeted by 65% between 1994 and 2016, the report said. Its findings were broadly similar to those in WWF's last assessment in 2020, with wildlife population sizes continuing to decline at a rate of about 2.5% per year, Terry said. "Nature was in dire straits and it is still in dire straits," said Mark Wright, director of science at WWF-UK. Still, the wide-ranging declines have prompted desperate pleas for increased support for nature.

☆ Inconsistent Fall Foliage Leaves Travelers Guessing on Finding Peak Colors
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Booking a trip to New England to catch the vibrant reds and golds of peak fall foliage could be tough this season. This year, drought conditions across much of the country, followed by recent rains in the Northeast, have complicated timing for trips, scientists and veteran leaf peepers say. Invasive species drawn to trees made vulnerable by drought are also damaging leaves in some areas. In Maine, some trees are turning earlier than usual, while prior drought conditions in New York are pointing to a shorter foliage season, according to state departments of conservation.

☆ World leaders pledge more support for nature ahead of UN summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoLONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - World leaders on Tuesday stepped up financial support and conservation commitments to combat the global biodiversity crisis that threatens more than one million plant and animal species with extinction. Nations will soon gather in Montreal, Canada, for a critical U.N. biodiversity summit (COP15) to finalise and adopt a framework to protect and conserve nature. "We will continue to mobilize global support to reach this target and protect biodiversity around the planet." Currently, about 17% of the world's land area is under protection, according to a 2021 report by the World Economic Forum. But just 7% of the global ocean is under some sort of conservation scheme, with less than 3% highly protected.

☆ Fall Colors Become More of a Guessing Game for Foliage Lovers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Giant invasive pythons run rampant in Florida and wreak havoc on native species — but python hunters are here to help
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-03 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Invasive Burmese pythons have decimated native species in Florida. The invasive pythons are feasting on native speciesSiewe is one of 100 licensed hunters contracted by Florida to catch and kill the invasive reptiles, which have wreaked havoc on the ecosystem and decimated native species. One of the largest of all snakes, pythons can grow up to 20 feet long and feast on animals as large as white-tailed deer. Paid to hunt — in the name of conservationWildlife officials are working on projects to estimate the python population, but the most successful effort to address the problem has been the python hunters, Kirkland said. "I know it sounds crazy, but it is the easiest way to catch these pythons," Siewe said, adding she's been bit many times.

☆ Meet Chris Fallows, the South African wildlife photographer behind 'Air Jaws' and more
▼ + stars: | 2021-09-09 | by ( Daryl Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Chris Fallows, world-renowned South African wildlife photographer, knows just how exhilarating this kind of experience can be. Fans of “Shark Week” have likely seen Fallows’ work; he was the first to capture a great white shark breaching the waters near Seal Island, off the coast of Cape Town, in 1996. I was very fortunate to be able to discover some pretty unique behavior at Seal Island and False Bay, and that was of the flying great white shark. Photographer Chris Fallows has been capturing images of iconic wildlife for nearly 30 years. Fallows: Wildlife photography is an incredibly glamorous, gratifying occupation.

Persons: Chris Fallows, He’s, don’t, Fallows, he’s, ”, Monique, we’ve, it’s Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Chris Fallows CNN, tuskers Locations: Seal, Cape Town, Africa, Southern Africa

☆ Congressional stock report: Diet Coke-loving Debbie Dingell buys the competition, environmentalist Lois Frankel eyes oil, and Dan Crenshaw gets his move on
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-29 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Members of Congress regularly make stock trades and are required to disclose them. Here's Insider's compilation of the most recent stock trades lawmakers disclosed. Her stock sales include the American Express Company, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, consumer credit reporting agency Equifax Inc., and oil company Hess Corporation. Dingell this month also sold up to $50,000 worth of stock in the parent company of department store Macy's. These disclosures, which include a range of information about members' income, assets, debt, and financial trades, were originally due May 17.

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