It's fine for 'green' groups to plant trees, or rescue baby flying foxes, write Susan & Bill Laurance. But when they campaign for the environment, right wing politicians see red, Moves are now afoot to strip advocacy groups of their charitable status, reflecting a broader clamp down on eco-activism across the Asia Pacific region in China, Cambodia, Lao and India.
Australia prepares tax penalty attack on environmental advocacy groups Susan Laurance Bill Laurance | 13th June 2014 News Australia Campaigning Politics jellyfish-cut.jpg It's fine for 'green' groups …
Coal leases on public lands operated by the US Bureau of Land Management are responsible for 40% of US coal production and 14% of total US CO2 emissions, writes Mike Gaworecki - yet their environmental impacts have not been reviewed in 35 years.
BLM sued - no environmental review of coal leasing since 1979 Mike Gaworecki | 8th December 2014 News Climate Change Law USA Coal Fossil Fuels powder-river-trains-cut.jpg Coal leases on public lands …
The winter Olympics at Sochi have trashed the National Park that contains Russia's richest biodiversity, writes Igor Chestin. Worse, the gutting of key environmental laws means that it can happen all over again, and again.
Sochi - an Olympiad of environmental destruction Igor Chestin | 17th February 2014 News Russia Forests Natural World mzympta-dumping.png The winter Olympics at Sochi have trashed the National Park …
Six environment heroes, one from each continent, are honoured for their work today - fighting threats from giant coal mines to forest destruction, fracking, high dams, illegal development and toxic waste dumps. Sophie Morlin-Yron reports.
2014 Goldman winners - fighting coal, dams, palm oil, fracking, toxic waste Sophie Morlin-Yron | 28th April 2014 News Fracking Fossil Fuels Waste Water Energy USA Indonesia Russia Peru Africa India …
Sweden's Greens are in government for the first time, wriites Dominic Hinde, with six ministerial posts in the new Social Democrat / Green coalition. After eight years of Conservative-led government, the country is determined to resume its former role as a green pioneer, but many challenges lie ahead.
… of Sweden's particular brand of mainstream environmentalism. Wired up with a radio … can put Sweden at the forefront of global environmentalism once again, the country is …
Public Health England is guilty of gross scientific misconduct, writes Paul Mobbs, for its apparently deliberate whitewashing of the public health impacts of fracking. But it's all part of a pattern of maladministration that reaches to the heart of government.
Shale gas and public health - the whitewash exposed Paul Mobbs | 6th May 2014 News Fracking Health UK Law Fossil Fuels Pollution Radiation gasmasks-cut.jpg Public Health England is guilty of gross …
A decision by parties to an obscure Convention has huge implications for Europe's ageing nuclear reactors, writes Jan Haverkamp. Licence extensions must follow EIAs which compare the potential impacts to those of alternatives - including wind, solar and other renewables.
Europe's ageing nuclear reactors will have to undergo environmental assessments Jan Haverkamp Greenpeace | 9th June 2014 News Nuclear Energy rivne-ukraine-cut.jpg A decision by parties to an obscure …
Multinational paper and palm oil companies are rushing to declare 'zero deforestation' policies. It looks like a huge victory for the rainforests and forest peoples, but Peter Gerhardt asks - what is a no-deforestation promise really worth?"
Don't be fooled by 'zero deforestation' promises Peter Gerhardt | 19th May 2014 News Forests Indigenous Peoples Corporations Campaigning cargill-palm-oil-cut.jpg Multinational paper and palm oil …
A health study in Pennsylvania, USA, shows that people living near fracking and other natural gas wells are more likely to suffer from skin conditions and upper respiratory symptoms. It calls for further study of the associations, including the role of specific air and water exposures.
Skin, respiratory symptoms increase near gas wells The Ecologist | 25th September 2014 News Gas Fossil Fuels Science Fracking USA Health pa-gas-well-cut.jpg A health study in Pennsylvania, USA, shows …
Left wing governments across the Americas are faced with a dilemma, writes Daniel Macmillen - high social spending programs financed by income from destructive mining and hydrocarbon extraction - or a slower but sustainable development path that puts ecology, equity and justice first. Their answer - a constant pushing back of the resource frontier.
… in a "contemporary and rational" form of environmentalism, based on an equilibrium … made to enshrine greater respect for nature, environmentalism remains little more than a …
With 300,000 hectares of forests, fields and steppes damaged by fire, the war in Ukraine has done huge damage to the country's environment, writes Dimiter Kenarov. But there has been an upside: a new green spirit is taking root, and young volunteers are stepping in to protect wild spaces.
Greening the revolution - Ukrainian youth joins fight for nature Dimiter Kenarov | 21st October 2014 News Ukraine Natural World Society War mrlp.jpg With 300,000 hectares of forests, fields and …
A second canal joining the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is planned for Nicaragua, writes Nathan Wood. But the gigantic project is raising growing fears due to a grossly unfair contract, glaring failures of process, close links to the Chinese government, and its enormous - but uncosted - ecological impacts.
The Nicaragua Canal - a disaster in waiting? Nathan Wood | 15th August 2014 News Nicaragua China Transport Water Forests Economics lake-nicaragua-cut.jpg A second canal joining the Pacific and …
A wholesale corruption of science underlies the UK Government's insistence that gas from fracking offers a 'low carbon', low cost route to energy abundance, writes Paul Mobbs. On the contrary: it's expensive, over-hyped - and just as bad for climate change as coal.
Fracking 'as bad for climate as coal' - UK's dodgy dossier exposed Paul Mobbs | 30th May 2014 News Energy Fossil Fuels Fracking UK Climate Change Science fracking-bakken-ndakota-cut.jpg A wholesale …
As Peru prepares to host UN climate talks, Global Witness exposes the murder of Peruvian eco-defenders - 57 killed since 2002, including indigenous leaders protecting their forests from illegal logging ignored by police and Government.
Peru: indigenous leaders murdered for protecting their forests The Ecologist | 18th November 2014 News Peru Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Forests Unfccc denounced-no-action-small.jpg Indigenous …
An anti-environment plot by Junckers' Commission would abandon agreed 'green' laws for clean air, waste reduction and recycling. But the leak of key documents to EurActiv has stimulated fierce opposition by Green MEPs and environment groups, while eleven EU countries have called on Junckers to hold to the green laws and speed up their implementation.
Leaked: EU Commission plot to ditch waste and air pollution laws EurActiv | 12th December 2014 News EU Politics Corporations Waste Pollution Health de-gelsenkirchen-cut.jpg An anti-environment plot …
The US fossil fuel industry has been caught red-handed spying on green activists. But Adam Federman finds it has received poor value for money - and is no closer to tackling the 'existential crisis' it faces.
Spying on environmentalists - the American Petroleum Institute Adam Federman | 15th February 2014 News Fossil Fuels Fracking Politics Corporations dont-frack-ny-2.png The US fossil fuel industry has …
The Keystone XL pipeline was dealt a blow in a Nebraska court this week when a key enabling law was ruled 'unconstitutional' - bringing the controversial project to a standstill in the state.
Nebraska court decision halts Keystone XL pipeline Sophie Morlin Yron | 21st February 2014 News Oil Fossil Fuels Law USA nebraska-kxl.png The Keystone XL pipeline was dealt a blow in a Nebraska court …
As Cameron 'cuts the green crap' Paul Mobbs remembers how the decisions of a Conservative government 20 years ago to go easy on the owners of contaminated land and old waste dumps have led to present day blight, ill-health and death. Now brow-beaten regulators and politicians in hock to party funders are doing it all over again.
Death by landfill - cutting 'green tape' costs lives Paul Mobbs | 22nd December 2014 News Waste Toxics Politics Regulation UK chemical-site-w-yorks-cut.jpg As Cameron 'cuts the green crap' Paul …
If the state does not defend citizens against the violence and destruction of mining, people and communities must defend themselves, writes Raul Zibechi. And in Peru and Colombia that's exactly what they are doing, re-asserting indigenous control of the land and its resources.
Community self-defense against mining mega-projects Raul Zibechi | 8th August 2014 News Indigenous Peoples Mining Community Colombia Peru maqui-maqui-cut.jpg If the state does not defend citizens …
The systemic failure of the Nigerian government and oil giant Shell to clean up the horrendous oil pollution in the Niger Delta has been branded 'shameful' by a group of Nigerian and international NGOs.
Niger Delta oil - Shell ignores horrendous pollution Oliver Tickell | 4th August 2014 News Nigeria Corporations Oil Pollution Water Indigenous Peoples Un ogoniland-shell-wellhead-cut.jpg The systemic …
The United Nations has voted to legislate against human rights abuses carried out by transnational corporations, reports Lucia Ortiz. But the resolution, proposed by Ecuador and South Africa, was opposed by the US and the member states of the EU.
UN to outlaw corporations' human rights abuses Lucia Ortiz | 1st July 2014 News Human Rights Corporations Un Law corporate-violence-cut.jpg The United Nations has voted to legislate against human …
The increase in meat and dairy consumption is set to cause huge increases in greenhouse gases, reports Tim Radford. A shift to less animal-based diets would cut greenhouse gases, conserve forests and grasslands - and make us all healthier, with reduced obesity, diabetes and associated conditions.
Thanks to meat, farming emissions set for 80% rise Tim Radford | 1st December 2014 News Food Farming Climate Change Health meat-happy-pig-cut.jpg The increase in meat and dairy consumption is set to …
The World Bank is considering 'reforms' to its policies to protect indigenous peoples from the impacts of projects it finances that would devolve key decisions to national governments - such as whether an ethnic group is 'indigenous' at all. If passed by the Bank's Board, the changes would strip away a raft of essential human rights protections..
World Bank to roll back safeguards for indigenous people Irin News | 16th September 2014 News Finance Indigenous Peoples Human Rights dayaks-1910-cut.jpg A group of Dayaks photographed on Borneo in …
The UK's main environment research funding agency has signed a partnership agreement with Shell to ensure the research it funds 'can be fully used' by the oil giant.
UK's environment research funding to help ... Shell Damian Kahya Greenpeace | 7th February 2014 News Fossil Fuels Science UK The UK's main environment research funding agency has signed a partnership …