No. 154, Oct. 15, 2020

Hello Revelator readers,

When a whale finds itself in the path of a multi-ton shipping vessel, it's always the whale that loses. Hundreds of whales die this way every year. A new high-tech system called "Whale Safe" could help save their lives.

The smalltail shark used to be one of the most plentiful fish off the coast of Brazil. Not anymore. New research finds that this species has become critically endangered, and overfishing is to blame. Will the conservation community take notice?

There's a slow-motion catastrophe happening at a wildlife refuge on the California-Oregon border, and 40,000 birds are dead. Find out why.

Dig deeper:

Did you see this week's viral video of a man being warned off by a mountain lion after he got too close to its cubs? It's the latest in a sad trend of people getting too close to wildlife — and putting themselves and the animals at risk. We looked at similar risks this behavior poses to mountain gorillas.

Get inside my brain:

What will life be like in 2050? That's just one of the questions a new environmental site called The Skylark asked me last week. Read the full interview.

Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5

Here are five more stories we're watching this week.  

1. "The Arctic Is in a Death Spiral. How Much Longer Will It Exist?" (The Guardian)

2. "Solar Is Now 'Cheapest Electricity in History,' Confirms IEA" (Carbon Brief)

3. "Researchers Find Elevated Radiation Near U.S. Fracking Sites" (Reuters)

4. "Environmentalists and Dam Operators, at War for Years, Start Making Peace" (New York Times)

5. "Nearly 10,000 Minks Die After COVID-19 Outbreak at Utah Fur Farms" (NBC)

What should we cover next?

Our stories rely on insight from experts, frontline activists and readers around the world — especially these days, when so much damage is being done behind the scenes, out of the public eye. We want to hear from you, so please drop us a line anytime.

Coming up:

We've got a lot in the works, with new articles and essays addressing hydropower, Extinction Rebellion, migrating birds and more.

Look for our latest links in next Thursday's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for headlines as they go live.

As always, thank you for reading — and stay safe.