Logging and mining activities are devastating the Congo rainforest, leading to a critical shift in the continent’s carbon balance. African forests transitioned from being a carbon sink to a carbon source between 2010 and 2017, releasing an estimated 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This change is primarily driven by deforestation in the Congo rainforest, making it more difficult to achieve global net-zero emissions. While initiatives like the Tropical Forests Forever Facility are underway, increased support is needed to reverse this trend and protect the remaining forests.
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France continues to be the subject of multiple news stories. A French-Palestinian activist has filed a complaint regarding his 2022 expulsion from Israel. Additionally, a French minister criticized police conduct during a 2023 protest, citing actions that deviated from regulations. Finally, a car-ramming attack on a French island left five people injured, leaving residents in shock.
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A Rainforest Action Network report reveals that 6,368 acres of protected Indonesian rainforest, home to critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, have been cleared since 2015, with 1,613 acres replaced by palm oil plantations. This deforestation, quadrupling between 2021 and 2023, violates a 2020 EU law and threatens the orangutans’ survival and vital carbon-sequestering peatlands. Several major brands, including Procter & Gamble and Nestlé, are implicated in sourcing palm oil from these deforested areas, prompting investigations and suspensions. Consumers can also help by making eco-conscious purchasing choices.
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A new four-lane highway bisecting tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is under construction for the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. Intended to alleviate traffic for the 50,000+ attendees, including world leaders, the highway’s purported “sustainable” nature is disputed. Critics decry the deforestation as directly contradicting the summit’s climate goals, highlighting the Amazon’s crucial role in carbon absorption and biodiversity. This project thus sparks outrage among locals and conservationists concerned about the environmental consequences.
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John Q. Hosedrinker