For billions of years, the oceans have been absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Now, to boost that drawdown, startup companies and researchers are experimenting with ‘marine carbon dioxide removal’ by altering the chemistry of the ocean and sinking biomass to the seafloor.
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Oceans
Dire Straits: Can a Fishing Ban Save the Elusive European Eel?
The European eel, whose life cycle remains shrouded in mystery, is a staple of the continent’s cultures and cuisines. But after decades of decline in its populations, scientists are calling for a total ban on catching the iconic fish, which is facing a multitude of threats.
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INTERVIEW
Marina Silva on Brazil’s Fight to Turn the Tide on Deforestation
Reprising her role as Brazil's environment minister, Marina Silva is determined to reverse the rampant destruction of the Amazon. In an e360 interview, she talks about her efforts to crack down on illegal mining and logging and to bolster protections for the nation’s forests.
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Solutions
Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
In a South Pacific nation ravaged by logging, several tribes joined together to sell “high integrity” carbon credits on international markets. The project not only preserves their highly biodiverse rainforest, but it funnels life-changing income to Indigenous landowners.
RIVERS
Jared Kushner Has Big Plans for Delta of Europe’s Last Wild River
Albania’s Vjosë River is known as Europe’s last wild river, and its pristine delta is a haven for migratory birds. As plans for luxury developments there — spearheaded by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — move ahead, conservationists are sounding the alarm.
E360 Digest
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UK Closing In on Clean Power Goal
Wind and solar are continuing to push fossil fuels off the U.K. power grid. So far this year wind is the nation's leading source of electricity, and for brief periods, the island of Great Britain has scarcely needed coal or natural gas. More about UK Closing In on Clean Power Goal →
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Can Aging U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Withstand More Extreme Weather?
To reach its climate goals, the Biden administration aims to extend the lives of U.S. nuclear reactors. But a new report finds regulators have not studied whether increasingly extreme weather could threaten the safety or viability of power plants largely built in the 1970s and 1980s. More about Can Aging U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Withstand More Extreme Weather? →
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Report Alleges UN Complicit in Violent Evictions from World Heritage Sites
A new report alleges the U.N. has been complicit in the violent eviction of Indigenous people from six World Heritage Sites in Africa and Asia. More about Report Alleges UN Complicit in Violent Evictions from World Heritage Sites →
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Energy
A Nuclear Power Revival Is Sparking a Surge in Uranium Mining
A push for nuclear power is fueling demand for uranium, spurring the opening of new mines. The industry says new technologies will eliminate pollution from uranium mining, but its toxic legacy, particularly in the U.S. Southwest, leaves many wary of an incipient mining boom.
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OPINION
Despite Official Vote, the Evidence of the Anthropocene Is Clear
When a governing body of the International Union of Geological Sciences voted down a proposal to name a new epoch in Earth’s history, it ignored conclusive evidence that for the first time, a single species — humans — has fundamentally altered the planet.
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INTERVIEW
At 11,500 Feet, a ‘Climate Fast’ to Save the Melting Himalaya
Sonam Wangchuk has long worked to help people in India’s Ladakh region adapt to climate change. In an e360 interview, he explains why he fasted for 21 days to pressure the government to grant legal protections to the region’s fragile ecosystem and its life-giving glaciers.
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Oceans
Octopuses Are Highly Intelligent. Should They Be Farmed for Food?
A Spanish company is aiming to factory farm octopuses for their meat, contending that it would help conserve the creatures in the wild. But critics argue that caging these highly sensitive mollusks, whose intelligence science is still revealing, would be cruel and inhumane.
