The rise in sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, known as El Niño, is often mistakenly linked to summer heat in Europe.
The Brazilian Amazon has been saved from commercial mining
A Brazilian court suspended the decree issued by President Temer to abolish the RENCA nature reserve in the Amazon forest and open it to mining exploration.
The Reserva Nacional de Cobre e Associadas (RENCA) is Brazil’s largest nature reserve located in the heart of the Amazon forest. On 23 August, Brazilian president Michel Temer signed a decree to abolish the reserve and open it to commercial mineral exploration.
International outcry
The news caused widespread outrage all over the world, including among Brazilian citizens. This led Brasilia’s federal judge Rolando Valcir Spanholo to suspend the decree with immediate effect and decide to accept a popular petition presented in the past few days.
The nature reserve, which covers over 46,000 square kilometres between the states of Amapa and Para, lures many mining companies for the exploitation of precious resources including gold, copper, tantalum, iron ores, nickel and manganese. Fortunately, this gold rush has been nipped in the bud because, as explained by the federal court, a decision of this kind requires the Congress’ intervention.
The world celebrates
The news that the decree was suspended has been welcome with joy by conservation and indigenous rights associations, and by all those who have the unique biodiversity of the Planet’s last green lung at heart. Randolfe Rodrigues, senator of the opposition and member of the Sustainbaility Network Party, said that the reserve survived “the biggest attack on the Amazon of the last 50 years“.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
A new report by Dam Removal Europe confirms an 11 per cent increase in the removal of dams and river barriers — a trend that is also spreading beyond Europe.
An innovative Spanish study has found a link between the pesticide picloram and the onset of colorectal cancer among people under 50.
Italy’s new law on the enhancement of marine resources includes a general provision to protect a unique ecosystem, but for now it lacks concrete enforcement tools.
The latest State of the Climate in Europe report paints an alarming picture: the climate crisis is hitting the continent harder than the rest of the world.
In many regions of the world, drought is causing mass displacement, wildfire risk and growing concerns over water supplies.
Santa Marta climate summit kicks off: the “coalition of the willing” responds to COP deadlock — but without the US and China, it’s an uphill battle
A report by the think tank Ember highlights the true boom of renewable energy in the 74 countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
A study shows that by 2050, the increase in heatwave-related deaths will be significantly higher in the world’s poorest countries.