Land
UN summit highlights $700bn funding gap to restore nature
A pledging conference to halt the decline of biodiversity worldwide yielded only a handful of vague financial commitments from European governments
Bolsonaro shifts blame for unprecedented Brazilian wetland fires
In a message to the UN, Brazil’s president denied responsibility for the worst fires on record in the Pantanal, despite having slashed environmental protections
Encouraged by Bolsonaro, land grabbers advance on Amazon indigenous territory
Illegal settlements are springing up on indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon, driving deforestation
World misses 2020 biodiversity goals: leaked UN draft report
Global Biodiversity Outlook draft finds funding shortfalls and failure to account for the role of women held back progress on restoring ecosystems
African ministers call for investment in Great Green Wall to aid Covid-19 recovery
Plans for an 8,000km green belt across the Sahel region have stalled, with fresh funds needed to halt desertification and create sustainable livelihoods
‘Solidarity economy’: Indigenous women run WhatsApp food swap in Costa Rica
The Cabécar community is combining traditional customs and modern technology to cope with pandemic and climate change pressures on food security
UN fund pays Indonesia for forest protection as deforestation rises
Campaigners accuse the Green Climate Fund of letting governments game the UN’s Redd+ forest protection scheme, as Indonesia is awarded $103 million
Forest destruction spiked in Indonesia during coronavirus lockdown
Travel restrictions allowed illegal deforestation to flourish in Indonesia – and government plans to cut environmental protections raise fears for the future
Green shift urged to revive Brazil’s economy and shield Amazon forests
President Bolsonaro could rebuild the economy faster after Covid-19 by making low-carbon growth a pillar of recovery, international study says
Amazon land grabbers are destroying brazil nut groves for cattle pasture
Emboldened by a promised amnesty on land seizures, cattle ranchers are felling brazil nut trees, edging out families who have harvested them for generations
The Amazon home of Bolsonaro’s mineral fantasy
Indigenous inhabitants of the region with the largest deposits of niobium in the world claim the right to decide what is done with the metal
Jamaica becomes first Caribbean nation to submit tougher climate plan to UN
Jamaica adds forestry and land use to updated climate plan and toughens goals for energy. UK, due to host UN talks, hails “greater climate ambition”
EU must not sacrifice the Amazon rainforest on the altar of trade with Brazil
As Brazil’s second-biggest trade partner, the EU should condemn President Bolsonaro’s assault on environmental protections and indigenous rights
It will take more than a few cycle lanes to make green, pandemic-proof cities
The coronavirus lockdown gave a glimpse of what cleaner cities can look like, but as people turn to private cars for safety from infection, pollution could soar
Now is the time to climate-and-pandemic-proof our food systems
Social safety nets and shorter supply chains are essential to protect smallholder farmers facing spiralling debt and bankruptcy
EU plans to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 for biodiversity
The European Commission set out a strategy to overhaul farming and strictly protect carbon-rich forests and wetlands, to benefit wildlife
Shorter supply chains needed to end hunger after pandemic: UN envoy
The coronavirus crisis has heightened inequities of food availability and nutrition. A 2021 Food System Summit aims to boost resilience and sustainability
Amazon faces ‘perfect storm’ of forest clearance, coronavirus and wildfire
President Jair Bolsonaro’s opening up of the Brazilian rainforest to logging and mining makes its people vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic, experts warn
No silver lining to coronavirus, but a golden opportunity
Rebuilding after the pandemic should be a moment to reset international governance, deepen global cooperation and restructure societies away from fossil fuels
Next UN climate science report to consider lessons from coronavirus
UN climate science reports due in 2021 will examine the links between pandemics and human pressures on the natural world to guide policymakers