News Feeds

Climate Resilience and Shared Learning  Earlier this month in San Antonio, leaders from across the South Central United States gathered to confront a shared reality: climate change is already...

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for wildlife — drilling in this precious place would be a mistake.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: April 29, 2026 
Contact: Tim Woody | twoody@tws.org

Conservation Leaders Urge Oil Giants to Stay Out of Arctic Refuge Lease Sale

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Leaders of 13 conservation organizations have sent a letter to 11 oil company executives, strongly urging them not to bid on tracts in the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during an upcoming oil and gas lease sale.

The federal Bureau of Land Management recently announced that the next oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge has been scheduled for June 5. Two previous lease sales in the Refuge have been massive failures. The Refuge was opened to oil and gas leasing by passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with promises from pro-drilling members of Congress that lease sales would generate billions in revenue. The reality is that those lease sales raised a tiny fraction of that amount, likely foreshadowing the fiscal outcome of future lease sales, as well.

The letter (attached), sent to ConocoPhillips, Shell, Exxon, and Chevron, among others, reminds these business executives of the professional risks of bidding on leases in the Arctic Refuge and the strong public opposition to development in this environmentally sensitive area.

“Even at a time when the daily news cycle is frenetic and crowded, activity affecting this region would not occur quietly,” the letter states. “The Arctic Refuge stands as a crown jewel in our nation’s beloved public lands system. The public overwhelmingly supports protecting it, making any action there especially visible and consequential …

“Engagement in Arctic Refuge leasing is not a routine business decision, especially now, as the stakes are even higher than before. The current policy environment, marked by unpredictability and ever-evolving approaches to process and oversight, adds further uncertainty for long-term investment. In the Arctic Refuge, these dynamics are compounded by the region’s remoteness, lack of infrastructure, environmental sensitivity, and dramatic warming, all of which increase the complexity, cost, and risk associated with development.”

This letter follows a request from the Gwich’in Steering Committee sent to oil companies on April 28, formally requesting a meeting to discuss the opposition of the Gwich’in Nation to oil and gas exploration and activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

At 19.3 million acres, the Arctic Refuge is America’s largest wildlife refuge and provides habitat for caribou, polar bear and migrating birds from across the globe, and a diverse range of wilderness lands. House Bill 3067, the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, which has more than 100 co-sponsors, would remove leasing from the 1.6-million-acre Refuge coastal plain and permanently protect it.

Read the Full Letter

###

Photo credit: Keri Oberly © 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 29, 2026

Unprecedented Alliance Highlights Need for Real Affordable Housing Solutions Without Sacrificing Public Lands – 4.29.26  Leaders of the Affordable Housing and Public Lands Community unveil “Shared Ground” affirming that protecting public lands and expanding affordable housing are complementary, not competing, priorities.

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), grant@suwa.org, 319-427-0260
Ben Finzel, RENEWPR, ben@renewpr.com, 202-277-6286
Annette Larkin, RENEWPR, annette@renewpr.com, 703-772-6427

Washington, DC – Leaders from the affordable housing and public lands communities today unveiled a joint principles framework rejecting the fallacy that selling off America’s public lands is a solution to the housing affordability crisis, while highlighting the need for real, equitable housing solutions.

Shared Ground: Aligning Affordable Housing & Public Lands Priorities is a policy framework endorsed by a broad coalition of national, regional, and local organizations. The effort underscores that protecting public lands and expanding access to affordable housing are complementary, not competing priorities. Shared Ground brings together leaders from both communities to advance real solutions, reject false tradeoffs, and promote policies that engage local communities and support strong, livable communities nationwide.

This partnership comes amid escalating pressures on both issues, including continued underinvestment in federal housing programs, increasing proposals to sell or transfer public lands without public benefit, and growing bipartisan frustration with ineffective, politically driven solutions.

The joint framework outlines key principles to guide policy decisions:

• Rejecting mass public land selloffs as a housing solution
• Prioritizing proven strategies, including increased funding, zoning reform, and community-based development
• Ensuring any use of public land for housing is limited, targeted, and includes enforceable affordability requirements
• Protecting public lands as shared resources that support recreation, local economies, and community well-being

The principles are endorsed by a diverse coalition of housing advocates, conservation groups, and community-based organizations nationwide—reflecting the shared stakes and urgency of this issue.

Learn more about Shared Ground and read the principles here. 

Quotes from participating organizations below:

“The affordable housing crisis is serious but placing the blame on public lands will not solve it. Instead of focusing on actual solutions, shortsighted politicians keep pushing public lands sell off under the guise of affordable housing as they simultaneously cut effective and proven housing programs. There’s no need for a false choice: we can keep and protect public lands while also investing in creative housing solutions.” Neal Clark, Wildlands Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance 

“Protecting our public lands and ensuring every American has a safe, affordable place to call home are complementary goals. We must reject the false choice between conservation and housing. Any use of public land must come with legally enforceable requirements to ensure it serves the public interest, providing permanent affordability and equitable access for local communities.” – Donald Whitehead, Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless

“Americans love public lands and the freedom they provide to hunt, fish and hike—and we want them to stay as they are, public and accessible, for future generations. Backed by more than 60 organizations, these principles reject the false choice the administration is trying to force between protecting these places and addressing the housing crisis. Americans deserve real solutions on both.” – Tracy Stone-Manning, President, The Wilderness Society

“National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) research finds a gap between wages and rental housing costs in the U.S. Affordable rental homes are out of reach for millions of low-wage workers, seniors, families, and other renters. Governments often turn to public lands to build affordable housing in an effort to safely house residents amid shortages. These efforts are viable but must align with responsible public lands stewardship. NLIHC joins our partners in environmental and conservation spaces in opposing the mass sell-off of federal land without key guardrails or affordability requirements. Many proven solutions exist to increase housing affordability without sacrificing public lands, including preserving existing affordable housing. We encourage policymakers to adopt balanced solutions to the affordable housing crisis that advance long-term affordability and protect irreplaceable natural and cultural resources while safeguarding America’s public lands.” – Renee M. Willis, President and CEO, NLIHC

“The housing crisis demands urgent, evidence-based action, not the short-sighted liquidation of the country’s remaining natural and wild landscapes. This framework looks beyond political ideologies and prioritizes proven strategies to ensure that any use of public land is strictly targeted, limited, and bound by enforceable affordability requirements. It recognizes the reality that most of these public lands lack the infrastructure and accessibility required for viable development, and their true value lies in the clean water, recreation, and economic stability they provide to our communities.” – Chris Hill, CEO, Conservation Lands Foundation

“Land is necessary to the development of affordable housing and local governments should look to well-located surplus lands as a resource for building housing. However, preserving public land for conservation and recreation is a critical priority for our country. Current federal proposals to sell off public land are thinly veiled attempts to line the pockets of politicians’ friends and to undermine public parks, public forests and other public lands. The National Housing Law Project is pleased to release this framework that advances our shared interests in preserving public lands and making housing more affordable.” – Shamus Roller, Chief Executive Officer, National Housing Law Project

“Veterans and military families understand that strong communities require both stable housing and protected public lands. We have seen how these resources support local economies, create jobs, and improve quality of life for the people who live there. We can and should pursue practical solutions that expand housing while keeping public lands in public hands.” – Janessa Goldbeck, CEO, Vet Voice Foundation

“A powerful model during a particularly challenging time – public interest advocates from different sectors coming together to both affirm our shared values and to commit to finding ways to mutually support real solutions to expand affordable housing and to preserve the American birthright of public lands ownership. We stand together to reject the transparent attempt by cynical politicians in DC to divide us through false choices.”-  Mark Allison, Executive Director, New Mexico Wild and former Chair of the Board, National Low Income Housing Coalition

“Solving one crisis doesn’t mean creating another. The national housing crisis should not be used as a stalking horse to sell off our public lands to private developers and industry. Our communities thrive when they have both abundant housing and abundant access to the nature that unites us. Sierra Club supports the common-sense policies that increase our country’s supply of affordable housing while preserving the public lands that are our true common ground.” – Dan Ritzman, Conservation Campaign Director,  Sierra Club

“People across the country have stood up time and time again to reject the sell-off of our public lands and the notion that they are simply a corporate asset on a balance sheet. Our public lands are our shared inheritance and our legacy. They are vital to sustaining our local economies, wildlife, and communities. Anyone suggesting we must sacrifice them to solve the housing crisis is offering a false choice. We need real, community-based housing solutions, and we need to keep public lands in public hands.”- Brien Webster, Senior Public Lands Campaign Manager, Conservation Colorado 

“Large-scale sell-off of public land is not the solution to the affordable housing crisis. In Wyoming, public lands strengthen our communities and are part of our way of life. We stand behind the idea that protecting public lands and addressing the affordability crisis need to be simultaneously prioritized by those in our nation’s leadership.” – Gabrielle Yates, Public Lands Program Manager, Wyoming Outdoor Council

“Our public lands are a part of our nation’s shared resources—offering unmatched opportunities to enjoy outdoor experiences, protect natural ecosystems, and bring tourism revenue to our towns. This administration and its industry allies are attempting to create a false choice between our spectacular public lands and affordable housing. SELC is proud to join in this broad coalition of organizations that reject the idea of an unnecessary conflict between those values and to stand in solidarity with both public lands protection and common sense housing reforms.” – Alyson R. Merlin, Staff Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center

“Addressing the real need for affordable housing in our communities and opposing ongoing efforts to sell off our federal public lands are both issues with broad and bipartisan support,” said Tom Uniack, Executive Director for Washington Wild. “Advocates for both of these important issues have found common ground that solutions for both can be achieved but not at the expense of the other.”

“Our nation’s public lands are largely remote, far from any infrastructure, often steep, and if human encroachment occurs in them, they are highly susceptible to fire. Rather than proposing housing which would inevitably be expensive and risky in the Wildland/Urban Interface, the principles we adopt here will lead to real affordable housing in the places where it belongs. The highest and best use of our public lands is as wildlife habitat, places for recreation and cultural experience, and as the engines that create clean water and air for all of us.”—Mark Green, Executive Director, CalWild.

“Our national public lands belong to all Americans, providing opportunities for recreation, preserving wildlife habitat, supplying clean water, and more. While affordable housing is a critical need, selling off our common heritage is not the answer. Cities and states need to look to infill development and appropriate local lands. Furthermore, simply increasing the housing supply is not enough; strategies must be employed to ensure that the housing built is actually affordable. There is no need to sacrifice our public lands to do this.”—Michael J. Painter, Coordinator, Californians for Western Wilderness

“Over 95% of Idahoans want public lands to stay in public hands. Proposals to sell off large tracts of public lands don’t meet affordable housing needs or public desires to protect open space. By encouraging infill and by building up – and not out – we are protecting the trailheads and trail systems that make Idaho communities great places to raise families. We are also creating opportunities for our kids and future generations to stay in Idaho and enjoy the same quality of life we do today.” – John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director, Idaho Conservation League

 “While access to affordable housing should be one of the highest priorities in the US, it does not need to come at the cost of despoiling public lands.  We can balance the need to provide housing without causing irreparable harm to the environment for future generations.” – Michelle Taylor, Vice President of Social Health Services, Community Care Alliance 

Government agencies at the federal, state and local level often own land within urban boundaries. These properties can and should be considered for affordable housing, if not serving other needed functions. Urban properties usually have needed infrastructure like roads and utilities, and accessibility to community services such as jobs, schools, shopping and health care for future residents. However, public lands outside of urban areas should be preserved for wildlife, recreation, domestic drinking water resources, and climate mitigation. – Darlene Chirman, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Cascade Volcanoes Chapter

 ### 

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org. 

The post Unprecedented Alliance Highlights Need for Real Affordable Housing Solutions Without Sacrificing Public Lands – 4.29.26  appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision striking down a congressional map in Louisiana with a second majority-Black district. This decision guts Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and turns the 14th and 15th Amendments against Black Americans.

Stand Up America’s Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs, Brett Edkins, issued the following statement:

“This is a tragic day for the freedom to vote and representative democracy. The Supreme Court just eviscerated the last remnants of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and opened the door to even more extreme gerrymandering that will try to drown out the voices of Black and brown voters, particularly in the South.

“The Court’s decision will escalate the arms race of partisan gerrymanders across the country and could lead to Republican-controlled states redrawing election maps to add an additional 19 GOP House seats. This partisan Court has handed a major election-year gift to Donald Trump and congressional Republicans who are trying to cling to power despite their growing unpopularity with voters.

“It’s time for Congress to act as a check on this rogue Court through major reforms, including term limits, an enforceable code of ethics, and adding more justices who will defend our fundamental freedoms once Trump leaves office.”

Since 2021, Stand Up America has been at the forefront of the fight for Supreme Court reform, mobilizing its members to take nearly one million actions in support of Supreme Court term limits, expansion, and a binding code of ethics. In 2025 and 2026, Stand Up America has been deeply engaged in efforts to oppose the White House’s mid-decade redistricting scheme, driving nearly 33,000 constituent calls, emails, and letters to state lawmakers in Indiana, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Utah, and Florida. Stand Up America members have also made hundreds of thousands of constituent calls and emails in support of federal voting rights legislation.

A few weeks ago I replied to a reader who wanted to stay active in environmentalism despite growing older and feeling put out by “ageism.” After the column came out, I received several delightful responses, one from a trio of environmentalist compadres defying the age gap and another from a Brit who wants some advice on enticing a younger generation to engage in environmentalism. Let’s explore these topics.

Hi Dr. Green!

Thank you for your answer on aging. I’m one of a trio of “old fogeys” who have had to cut back our conservation work due to various and sundry health issues, but we lift each other up and keep finding new avenues to work within our limitations. Having this group is essential! We’ve found opportunities for each other, teamed up for lectures, done some writing, pursued new observations, and are digitizing decades of our data, which is helping new research today. We haven’t formally mentored yet, though, so thanks for that advice.

Hello my friends!

Well, this is a fresh and much-needed perspective for environmentalists who have been around awhile and are opening the vaults of their considerable experience and wisdom to others — especially the next generations.

There’s power in a group, and it sounds like you’ve collectively found a solution that solves issues on several fronts: Ageism, reinventing yourselves at this time in your lives, and sharing your knowledge, hard-earned through years of experience and active commitment.

As Kate Ireland, director of youth engagement at The Nature Conservancy, has written:

“Any conservation action, any policy measure, any partnership built today must be stewarded tomorrow. The transfer of care is a continuous cycle.”

“Formal” mentoring is not always necessary, but there are programs organized by The Nature Conservancy Youth Engagement Program and the National Geographic Society Externship Program, among others, specifically for mentoring — and a lot of this can be done virtually through Zoom and other technology platforms to reach an international audience of young people eager to learn from you. If you three want to start a mentoring program of your own, you might study how these environmental giants do it, then do something modelled like that in your field, town, or city.

“To solve our biggest environmental challenges, we need leaders who are prepared to use their talents for nature,” Ireland wrote. With online mentoring and training, “each participant determines their own schedules, research topics and action steps.”

When you guys are at an event, presentation, or lecture, spend some time during breaks or meet-and-greets to scan the room for younger folks. Introduce yourselves and ask what brought them to this event. Once they’ve gone to the trouble of attending, it’s likely they’re open to making new contacts and willing to ask questions, learn, and get tips on how and where to spend their energy. You’ll make an impression.

Here’s the thing: Many of the young feel lost, lonely, and rudderless. They tell me they’re angry with older people for leaving them with a big mess to clean up, but older people don’t always let them in to step up and be heard. We older folks still have time to right that wrong. And really, it’s our obligation.

Your experience may help them to have hope, ignite their passion, or guide the way toward real solutions.

Bravo and applause for these amazing Green Amigos! Exciting work from seasoned environmentalists. Keep taking names and kicking ass!

Cheering you on,

Dr. Green

Dr. Green,

Thank you for this! I’ve already learned a lot. My story: After decades of (toots own horn: successful) activism here in the UK, I feel a disconnect with my sons’ friends. They seem to have given up on trying to make a difference. I try to engage them with stories of our wins, but I can’t seem to break through.

 They act like they have lost the battle. Any advice?

 Incidentally, we call these advice columns “agony aunties” in the UK. Not sure if that carries over in the States!

Signed, Agonized in Bath

Hello, Agonized in Bath,

Please say hello to Bath for me. It’s a beautiful town. I’ve lived in England and was actually inspired by the British “agony aunties” to create this column for environmentalists. (Tips her hat and bows to the UK agony aunties).

I understand your feelings of disconnection to your son’s friends — as I explained to the Three Green Amigos, younger generations are quite disgruntled with us older folks for leaving the planet in its current state. As much as we tried our best for the environment, we weren’t entirely successful. Young peoples’ minds have also been annexed by “social” technology that overwhelms their minds (which are still developing) with addictive tech-use habits, misinformation and often nonsensical and nihilistic content (Kops, Schittenhelm, and Wachs, 2025; Anvarovna, 2025).

Let’s take a look at some ways we can communicate with the young and meet them where they live in their hearts and minds:

My colleagues who specialize in youth psychology find that creating and facilitating intergenerational conversation should be based on mutual learning, shared values, and focusing on hope rather than anxiety or fear. Be an active and present listener, without interrupting or correcting young people (see resources below).

Pay attention to their concerns, mutually share feelings about environmental change, and plan local, practical projects to collaborate on.

Intergenerational Conversations on Climate and the Extinction Crisis Are Effective When Older People:

• • • Listen and validate their rightful concern about the future and their fears.
    • Share personal stories (after they have shared their concerns — don’t act like the expert just because you’re older). For example, talk about how much local seasons or rivers have changed over the decades.
    • Focus on action and solutions, avoiding doom-and-gloom wallowing to actionable, positive steps. Are there local green efforts you can do with them to make feel empowered? If they can make even one small, visible, local change in their community, they can brag to all their friends and get them involved. For example, creating a planting of some sort in a park, cleaning an empty lot, or arranging an information booth at local events.
    • Pinpoint shared values in protecting family, community, health, and nature.
    • Avoid intergenerational blame and steer the focus on working together to tackle climate change and the destruction of the wild.
    • Acknowledge young people’s existing knowledge and motivation to make a change in the status quo.
    • Use creative, fun and active engagement like community gardening, cleanups or other local events that bring folks together.

Never give up on the young; we owe it to them to meet them halfway.

I hope these suggestions help — and let me know how it’s going.

Cheers!

Dr. Green (who secretly hopes she’s your new favorite “agony auntie”)

Are you having trouble communicating the importance of environmental issues with younger people? What are your challenges and concerns? Do you have some success stories to share with our readers?  We want to know! Maybe together we can come up with solutions for bridging the age gap.

See you next time!

Share your challenges and success stories by sending Dr. Green your questions using the form below:

Resources:

Dr. Green: How to Stay Environmentally Active at Any Age

The National Geographic Society Externship Program

The Nature Conservancy Youth Engagement Program

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever (CNN series, April 2026): Inspired by her own experiences with mortality, award-winning journalist Kara Swisher embarks on a deeply personal and sharp-witted journey into the science, culture, and business of longevity.

Young people and false information: A scoping review of responses, influential factors, consequences, and prevention programs. Kops, M., Schittenhelm, C., & Wachs, S. (2025). Computers in Human Behavior, 169, 108650.

Psychological characteristics of difficulties in communication in adolescence. SHOKH LIBRARY, 1(11). Anvarovna, A. S. (2025).

Engaging Teens with Story : How to Inspire and Educate Youth with Storytelling by Janice M. Del Negro and Melanie A. Kimball

7 Active Listening Techniques for Better Communication by Arlin Cuncic, MA (2026)

Republish this article for free! Read our reprint policy. Previously in The Revelator:

Dr. Green: Can Wildlife Get PTSD?

The post Dr. Green: The 3 Green Amigos and Agony in Bath! appeared first on The Revelator.

Nurses at Ascension Via Christi St Francis and St Joseph in Wichita, Kan., will hold an informational picket on May 1 to protest the administration’s refusal to address RNs’ deep concerns about patient care and safe staffing.

Islanda Micherline Aduel speaks about the struggle against imperialism and for food sovereignty in Haiti at a conference on “The peasantry in Haiti today,” organized by the Haiti support platform in France.

The post 17 April | Haiti: A global struggle against imperialism and for food sovereignty appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Mining operations shift environmental harm from the richest communities to the poorest

Source

Western states are running out of money to fight wildfires, according to reporting in High Country News. As climate change fuels hotter fires that occur year-round, states routinely spend well over their forecasted wildfire budgets. For example, Oregon spent more than $350 million fighting wildfires in 2024, far exceeding the $10 million it had allocated for wildfire that year.

A 2022 analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts found that most states use their general fund, or revenue from state taxes and other fees, to cover wildland fire costs, pitting firefighting and fire prevention efforts against top state priorities. Skyrocketing suppression costs have also led to a reduction in fire mitigation treatments, like prescribed burns and mechanical thinning, increasing wildfire risk on state forest land and pouring metaphorical fuel on the wildfire cycle.

Some states are tackling this issue with new taxes or wildfire-specific accounts. Oregon passed a new nicotine tax to fund wildfire prevention last year, and Utah put $150 million into a new wildfire fund. Still, costs continue to rise, and drought is driving above-average wildfire predictions for the West this summer.

Burgum struggles to defend public lands budget

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum struggled to defend the Trump administration’s disastrous public lands agenda in congressional appropriations subcommittee hearings p;last week in both the House and the Senate. Members grilled him on cuts to the National Park Service, a billion-dollar payout to kill offshore wind energy, and a $10 billion request for a NPS “beautification” program in D.C. Read more in a new Westwise blog post by CWP Communications Manager Kate Groetzinger.

Burgum appears before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this morning.

Quick hits The ramifications of record-shattering heat on the West’s ecosystems

High Country News

How the Lolo National Forest planners are bracing for a roadless rule repeal

The Missoulian

Trump signs bill ending protections for Boundary Waters watershed

Associated Press | GearJunkie

University of Utah creates critical minerals institute

Utah News Dispatch

Energy execs push WY lawmakers to carry out Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda

WyoFile

Colorado farmers tighten their belts ahead of summer drought

Colorado Sun

NM breaks ground on Reforestation Center, with plans to plant 5 million seedlings a year

Albuquerque Journal

Rep. Davids introduces Truth in National Parks Act to protect Native American history

Native News Online

Quote of the day

What we’re seeing right now is a deliberate attempt to erase the experiences of Native communities and other marginalized groups from places that are supposed to educate and inform the public. That’s unacceptable.”

—U.S. Representative Sharice Davids, Native News Online

Picture This

@CAgovernor

California’s ocean is not a sacrifice zone for Big Oil.

With Donald Trump plotting to sell off our beaches to his fossil fuel industry donors, we’re celebrating California Ocean Day by reaffirming our commitment to protect every inch of it.

Feature image: A prescribed burn in Oregon on Bureau of Land Management land in 2016; Source: Justin Robinson for the BLM via Flickr

The post States can’t keep up with rising wildfire costs appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

2025 proved to be a successful nesting season at nine islands in Manatee County, where 15 species raised their young, including Great Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, and Reddish Egrets. In...

Forest destruction in the tropics eased by over a third in 2025, thanks in large part to Brazil’s stronger environmental protection which drove forest loss not caused by fires to a record low in the country, an annual survey showed.

In 2025, the world lost 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary rainforest – an area roughly the size of Denmark, according to data from the University of Maryland hosted on Global Forest Watch. That is 36% lower than in 2024 when climate-fuelled fires pushed forest disappearance to a record high.

Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch at the World Resources Institute (WRI), said the drop was “encouraging” and proved what “decisive” government action can achieve. But she cautioned that part of the decline reflected “a lull” after an extreme fire year and forest destruction remains far too high to meet international goals to protect forests and limit global warming to acceptable levels.

Deforestation was 70% higher than it needed to be in 2025 to meet a global pledge to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, which 145 countries first committed to at COP26 nearly five years ago, the report said. Brazil, which holds the COP30 presidency, has promised to deliver a global roadmap guiding countries toward that goal before this year’s UN climate summit.

“Achieving this goal in the coming years will not be easy as forests become more vulnerable to climate change and as humanity’s growing demand for food, fuel and material sourced from forests in the land they stand on continues to grow,” Goldman told journalists.

Agriculture, fires cause most losses

Primary tropical forests – such as the Amazon in Latin America, the Congo Basin and rainforests in Southeast Asia – are critical carbon sinks that help regulate the global climate by absorbing vast amounts of planet-heating CO2. Their loss weakens one of the world’s most important defences against planetary heating.

Agricultural expansion, driven both by industrial agribusinesses and shifting cultivation for subsistence, returned to being the leading cause of forest destruction in the tropics last year, the Global Forest Watch analysis found. After hitting a record high in 2024, fires – which are usually started by humans – still contributed to around a third of forest destruction in those critical regions.

Climate change is increasing fire risk in the tropics by creating hotter, drier conditions that allow blazes to spread more easily.

Lula’s policies drive progress in Brazil

Trends in global forest destruction are significantly influenced by what happens in Brazil, home to the world’s largest remaining rainforest. In 2025, the South American nation recorded a 42% fall in primary forest loss and its lowest-ever rate of forest loss caused by reasons other than fire.

Analysts said Brazil’s progress in tackling forest loss is a result of the stronger environmental protection and enforcement actions introduced since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to office in 2023, after years of budget cuts and policy rollbacks under his pro-business predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula’s administration revived the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), an anti-deforestation framework that coordinates actions across federal agencies and promotes strengthened monitoring, commodities tracking and support for sustainable livelihoods.

The Brazilian government also beefed up the activities of the federal environmental agency Ibama, which between 2023 and 2025 issued 81% more infraction notices and 64% more fines than in the previous two-year period.

“Brazil’s progress shows what’s possible when forest protection is treated as a national priority,” said Mirela Sandrini, executive director of WRI Brasil, adding that the success is derived from building partnerships between the government, civil society, academia, local communities and the private sector.

Neighbouring Amazon country Bolivia recorded the second-highest amount of primary forest loss in the world last year, despite being home to a fraction of the forest held by other rainforest nations like Indonesia or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Fires, likely started by humans, were the main cause of forest destruction in Bolivia, alongside the expansion of cattle ranching and crops such as soy and maize, the WRI analysis said.

Forest loss also remained high last year in countries including Peru, Laos and the DRC.

Malaysia and Indonesia showed stable and relatively low levels of forest loss compared to the highs reached in the mid-2010, although experts said Jakarta’s plans to massively expand food and energy production risk threatening the progress seen in the past decade.

Global policies and cash needed

Analysts said protecting the world’s remaining tropical forests will depend not only on national political leadership but also on global policy and financial developments.

Those include the creation of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a major new rainforest protection fund launched by Brazil at COP30. The mechanism, which gives financial rewards to countries that keep trees standing, has been billed as an historic opportunity to finance forest production. But it is far from raising the $125 billion of public and private investment needed for it to reach a meaningful scale and is unlikely to start making payments until 2028.

• Apr 10, 2026 Comment How a global roadmap can meet the promise to halt deforestation Meeting the goal requires political will and a pathway that brings together efforts and drives implementation. An international roadmap can deliver this Read more
• Apr 10, 2026 Aviation’s Green Dream UK imports of “green” jet fuel linked to Amazon deforestation A Texas refinery shipping sustainable aviation fuel to Europe has sourced beef tallow with links to a meatpacking firm fined over illegal cattle purchases Read more

After failing to secure a negotiated agreement on forest protection at COP30, Brazil promised it would deliver this year a global roadmap charting a course to end deforestation by 2030.

The COP30 presidency said it has received 177 contributions from governments, UN agencies, business groups and civil society with suggestions on what the document should include.

What countries want in the roadmap

The Coalition of Rainforest Nations, which includes 50 countries, wants the roadmap to adopt a “global carbon budget” lens, mapping out region by region where CO2 emissions cuts are most urgent and where existing forest carbon stocks must be protected.

The negotiating bloc also wants finance, including from carbon markets, to be given a prominent space in the document, which will need to obtain broad support from governments to be effective. Without it, the roadmap “risks becoming yet another [plan] collecting dust on the shelves of posterity”, its submission said.

Colombia said interventions should focus on tackling the root causes of deforestation, pointing out that forest loss in the country is concentrated in regions afflicted by deep inequalities, high levels of poverty and the widespread presence of organised crime.

Indonesia wants the roadmap to function as a collaborative platform that “strengthens partnerships”, but warns that international initiatives should “avoid unilateral measures that may undermine trust and effective cooperation”, a thinly veiled rebuke of the European Union’s deforestation regulation.

In its submission, the United Kingdom said the roadmap should focus on a small number of “critical interventions” that can unlock the greatest progress, such as securing legal land rights for Indigenous communities, encouraging sustainable land use and introducing demand-side measures to promote deforestation-free products.

Meanwhile, Russia voiced its opposition to the creation of a “universal roadmap” to end deforestation, saying it instead wants to see a “dedicated dialogue” on forests where countries just exchange best practices.

The post Brazil leads “encouraging” decline in global rainforest destruction in 2025 appeared first on Climate Home News.

Huguenot Memorial Park is a critical Northeast Florida nesting site for coastal birds, including Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls. Thousands of birds nest here each year, typically at the north end of...

The “Coastal Education Team,” made up of Girl Scout Cadettes from Troops 328 and 446 of the Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida Council, is working toward their Silver Award. For their “Take...

Infographics originally appeared in the 2025 Coastal Report. Click here to read full report.22372

We are excited to share with you a new toolkit for civil society produced by our allies at HOME Alliance that unpacks the realities of land-based geoengineering.

As the climate crisis intensifies, dangerous distractions and false solutions are gaining ground. Land-based geoengineering schemes are increasingly being promoted as a “solution,” but behind these lie serious risks to ecosystems, communities, biodiversity, and climate justice.

Read in the newly launched toolkit:

• What these technologies are
• The environmental and social risks they pose
• The projects and actors driving their expansion
• Why these approaches threaten real climate solutions

At a time when urgent, just, and proven climate action is needed, geoengineering deflects and misdirects attention from real solutions and shifts attention away from phasing out fossil fuels and systemic change.

This toolkit is designed for climate justice groups or civil society networks, campaigners, activists, and researchers. It brings together critical analysis, accessible explanations, and evidence to support resistance against risky technological schemes.

Download and share the toolkit: https://tinyurl.com/landGEtoolkit

Read previously launched geoengineering, marine, and solar geoengineering toolkits here.

What can you do to support?

• Keep learning: Stay informed about geoengineering and its developments to build a critical understanding.
• Take a stand: Include the rejection of geoengineering and support for resistance efforts in your campaigns and advocacy.
• Spread the word: Share this toolkit within your networks. Geoengineers often erase & trivialise critical civil society perspectives.
• Endorse the manifesto: Become a signatory to  the HOME Alliance manifesto, rejecting geoengineering

With a lack of major storms in 2025, our team saw encouraging results for many coastal bird species all around the Sunshine State, thanks in large part to the dedication of our incredible shorebird...

If you every have the good fortune to taste honey from the remote Philippine island of Palaui, chances are you will be savoring the flavor of an endangered tree.

That’s what scientists working on Palaui learned when they studied wild honey collected by Indigenous Agta people there. That honey, prized for its supposed medicinal qualities, bore a chemical fingerprint suggesting it came almost exclusively from a single species of tree, the endangered Pterocarpus indicus, or narra.  

Think of it as the honey equivalent of what wine connoisseurs call terroir, the idea that the specifics of a place, such as soil chemistry, shape the flavor of a bottle. While this might just sound like airy food snobbery, it turns out the terroir of honey can tell you a lot about the surrounding landscape and the health of the forest. It can even underscore the importance of conserving endangered species.

“It demonstrates how important narra trees are for local biodiversity and for the Indigenous community that depends on harvesting this honey,” said Merlijn van Weerd, an ecologist at the University of Leiden and co-author of the recent study in Scientific Reports.

You don’t have to live in the Philippines for these lessons to apply. Honey from wild hives anywhere could offer a glimpse into the surrounding ecosystem. The story of the narra-loving bees shows how that might work.  

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that bees on Palaui were drawn to the narra, the national tree of the Philippines. When it blooms, the hardwood jungle tree is festooned with sprays of orange, nectar-rich blossoms.  But its dense wood also made it a staple of the furniture industry, driving logging that wiped it out in much of the island nation before cutting the tree became illegal. Remote Palaui is one of the few places where the trees escaped that fate.

Still, van Weerd and collaborators at the University of the Philippines say they were startled that the narra tree was such a dominant feature of the island honey.

 

.IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl , .IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {height: auto;position: relative;}.IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby:hover , .IRPP_ruby:visited , .IRPP_ruby:active {border:0!important;}.IRPP_ruby .clearfix:after {content: "";display: table;clear: both;}.IRPP_ruby {display: block;transition: background-color 250ms;webkit-transition: background-color 250ms;width: 100%;opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: #eaeaea;}.IRPP_ruby:active , .IRPP_ruby:hover {opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: inherit;}.IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl {background-position: center;background-size: cover;float: left;margin: 0;padding: 0;width: 31.59%;position: absolute;top: 0;bottom: 0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {float: right;width: 65.65%;padding:0;margin:0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text {display: table;height: 130px;left: 0;top: 0;padding:0;margin:0;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;}.IRPP_ruby .IRPP_ruby-content {display: table-cell;margin: 0;padding: 0 74px 0 0px;position: relative;vertical-align: middle;width: 100%;}.IRPP_ruby .ctaText {border-bottom: 0 solid #fff;color: #0099cc;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .postTitle {color: #000000;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .ctaButton {background: url(https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts-pro/assets/images/next-arrow.png)no-repeat;background-color: #afb4b6;background-position: center;display: inline-block;height: 100%;width: 54px;margin-left: 10px;position: absolute;bottom:0;right: 0;top: 0;}.IRPP_ruby:after {content: "";display: block;clear: both;}Recommended Reading:The circular economy comes for chocolate. . . and honey

 

The discovery came as the scientists studied the chemical makeup of honey there to understand what it might say about the surrounding forests and to see what made this wild honey distinct. This “fingerprinting” of the honey could also enable scientists to distinguish wild, sustainably harvested honey from commercial knock-offs adulterated with cane or corn syrup, a common problem in honey marketed as being from the Philippines.

Their primary tool was a set of machines that separated the honey into its chemical constituents, then identified the individual molecules, a process known as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In 2021, they collected honey from various sites on the island, then put it through this treatment to see what it contained.

One standout was an abundance of the amino acid hypaphorine. Conversations with a local source in the Agta community led the researchers to zero in on the narra as a likely source. Analysis of pollen from the tree also revealed high levels of hypaphorine. The role of this species in the honey was confirmed by the discovery of narra pollen grains in the honey.

The sensitivity of honey to the surrounding plants was reaffirmed by the discovery of caffeine in some honey gathered at hives close to a coffee farm.

“The honey reveals which plant species occur in the area: a kind of chemical fingerprint of the local flora,” said van Weerd.

For van Weerd, the results are confirmation of the importance of conserving existing forests, clarifying the link between the trees, the bees and traditional Indigenous practices.

“We are involved in reforestation projects, in which planting narra trees plays a central role,” he said. “In addition, we assist in securing land rights for Indigenous communities, enabling them to become stewards of their land and better protect it.”

The knowledge of what goes into the honey there, and elsewhere, could help make the prospect of saving endangered trees and the surrounding forests that much sweeter.

Molino et. al. “Multi‑omics and palynology of selected Philippine forest honey.” Scientific Reports. Feb. 4, 2026.

Image: ©Anthropocene Magazine

The US Constitution Betrayed the Revolution is the fourth video in our America 250: A Revolutionary Perspective series. In 2026 we are being called to celebrate something that didn't happen 250 years ago. 

The post What is America 250: The US Constitution Betrayed the Revolution appeared first on CELDF - Community Rights Pioneers - Protecting Nature and Communities.

Headline News:

• “UAE Leaves OPEC, Citing National Interest In ‘A New Energy Age'” • The United Arab Emirates announced that it will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries effective 1 May. The UAE’s decision signals a reshape of the global energy interactions, just as the global energy crisis is escalating over blockades of the Strait of Hormuz. [Euronews]

Dubai, UAE (Nick Fewings, Unsplash)

• “Chinese Iron Flow Storage Battery Is 80 Times Cheaper Than Lithium” • Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences say they developed an all-iron flow battery electrolyte that sustains more than 6,000 charge/discharge cycles without any capacity loss. The material costs roughly 80 times less than lithium-based alternatives, they claim. [CleanTechnica]
• “‘Unequivocal Evidence’: Europe’s Climate Crisis Threatens Food, Health And Economy” • In Europe, very few places in escaped rising heat, as Europe battled new extremes in 2025. At least 95% of the continent recorded above-average temperatures, according to the latest European State of the Climate report from Copernicus. [Euronews]
• “Off-Grid Gold Mine Achieves Record 93.8% Renewables Share Over Whole Month” • The off-grid Bellevue gold mine, which sits in a remote part of Western Australia, has established a new benchmark for its renewable hybrid power supply. It set a record for the best share of wind and solar at 93.8% over the month of February. [Renew Economy]
• “Massachusetts Triggers Vineyard Off-Take Contract” • The state of Massachusetts has activated its contracts with the 806-MW Vineyard Wind array from developers Iberdrola and CIP. The 20-year PPAs are projected to save Massachusetts ratepayers $1.4 billion over the lifetime of the contracts, according to the office of Governor Maura Healey. [reNews]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.