An Extinction Crisis Decades in the Making


This week's investigative reporting, analysis and environmental news.
The Revelator
Bushfire

No. 115, Jan. 16, 2020

Hello Revelator readers,

Australia's wildfires have killed an estimated 1 billion animals, but the roots of the country's biodiversity crisis stretch back a long time. We dig into the political failures that have put so many of Australia's species on the path toward extinction.

Deep in the heart of the Colombian Amazon, the embattled Koreguaje tribe faces threats from all sides, including deforestation, illegal gold mining and the loss of its culture. Essayist Daniel Henryk Rasolt discusses why the international community needs to support these guardians of the forest.

Looking for something new to read? January brings eight amazing new books to help take your climate or wildlife activism (or your kids' environmental curiosity) to the next level.

Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5

Let's go a little deeper. Here are five more stories we're watching this week.

1. Joint findings from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the past decade was the Earth's hottest ever recorded.

2. BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, announced that it will shift its $7 trillion in investments away from fossil fuels like coal and put climate change at the center of its investment decisions.

3. More environmental rollbacks are on tap as the Trump administration is expected to announce the final changes to the Waters of the U.S. rule and slash protections for many of the country's wetlands and streams.

4. A captive-breeding program for the Galápagos' Española tortoise ends after the population successively rebounded to 2,000 — thanks in large part to a tortoise named Diego who produced 800 offspring.

5. The European Union announced a plan to spend $1.1 trillion over the next 10 years in an effort to make itself carbon neutral by 2050.

In case you missed it:

Author and activist Maude Barlow recently talked with us about "Blue Communities," the growing global movement to protect public control of water resources.

What should we cover next?

Our stories rely on insight from experts and readers around the world, so we always welcome your ideas and inside scoops. Drop us a line anytime.

Coming up:

Stay tuned for more from Australia, as well as our latest story on fracking — which took some unexpected twists and turns.

Also coming soon: a new video, some surprising news about coral reef restoration, bad news for orchids and a lot more.

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

As always, thank you for reading.

John Platt

John R. Platt
Editor, The Revelator

 

  This message was sent to eamessages@biologicaldiversity.org
Photo of bushfires burning across Kangaroo Island, Australia, on Jan. 2, 2020, by robdownunder (CC BY-NC-ND2.0).

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