Polluted air kills 7 million people worldwide every year. These are the estimates published by the World Health Published a few days before the start of the first global conference on air pollution. Children are the worst affected: every year it is estimated that there are at least 600 thousand early deaths due to high fine and ultrafine particulate concentrations.
According to a Canadian study published in Plos One, global agricultural output would not be sufficient to feed the entire population if everyone decided to turn vegetarian. This would be due to the excessive production of grains, fats and sugar. Specifically, 12 portions of grains are produced instead of the 8 required, and only 5 portions of fruit and vegetables instead of 15. Unless farming practices change, the world will need 12 million hectares of arable land and about 1.3 million hectares of pastures by 2050.
Original article in PlosOne
An economic crisis is hitting the Argentinian middle class particularly hard, forcing them to change their diet. Today beef is only rarely appearing on tables, due to inflation expected to reach 44% this year. This is revealed by a survey conduced by Reuters on the Argentinian public, butchers and farmers: meat consumption has fallen by 17% in a single month.
The animal protection association confirms what many scientists are describing as the sixth mass extinction. In the 2018 edition of its annual “Living planet report”, the WWF explains that the planet lost 60% of vertebrate species between 1970 and 2014. Excessive use of resources, which is causing biodiversity to be lost at an ever-increasing pace.
This is occurring above all in the Andes, the area where the world's most widely grown tuber originated. CGIAR researchers have calculated that since the 1950s the region has experience gradual warming and an increase in extreme weather events. The scientists are also attempting to understand how climate change will affect rising numbers of parasites and diseases.
Planted forests (created for reforestation purposes) are one of the solutions put forward by the FAO during the 4th International Congress on Planted Forests, for achieving sustainable development while also meeting the growing demand for timber and forestry environmental services such as carbon sequestration. A system for the responsible, sustainable management of the entire timber production chain, with positive impacts for both society and the environment.
September's super typhoon caused unprecedented flooding and damage right across the city, felling trees, shattering skyscraper windows and paralyzing transport networks.