By Suzanne York. It’s the type of story that should lead the news headlines all week.  But a report of critical significance for the entire world barely elicited a whimper from media, much less governments. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services was compiled over the past three years by 145 expert authors from
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By Suzanne York. It is critical to support human rights in the face of climate change and environmental degradation, as the situation grows more dire with each passing year. People everywhere must have their rights to water, food, and health acknowledged and respected, women above all. As the world recognizes International Women’s Day, let’s explore
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By Suzanne York. It’s an almost unbelievable statistic in an age of shocking facts – humans make up just .01% of all life on Earth but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals and 50% of plants since the dawn of civilization. Of all the mammals on Earth, 96% are livestock and humans and only 4% are
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By Suzanne York. There was some good news on the nature front, just in time for World Environment Day – the number of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif in central Africa has increased to above 1,000. This represents a rise of 25% since 2010 of a critically endangered species. It is a sign of hope
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By Candela Vázquez Asenjo, youth blogger, Transition Earth. When I decided to volunteer to work with orangutans in Indonesian Borneo, little did I know how much it would change my life. It all started with Jane Goodall. Her life and spirit of discovery has always been an inspiration to me since I was young. It
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By Suzanne York. On this World Elephant Day, it’s well known to many people that elephants are on the path to extinction in the wild, if something isn’t done soon to change this narrative. Last year, the Great Elephant Census, based on aerial surveys, concluded there are just over 350,000 elephants in Africa. It is
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By Suzanne York. One thing is for certain – there is not a lack of specially recognized days, especially for Earth’s endangered species. Last week there was World Elephant Day. This week, we have World Orangutan Day. If only the day could be celebrated with uplifting photos and stories.   But sadly, orangutans are facing multiple
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By Suzanne York. One elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory. Perhaps it is appropriate that World Elephant Day (August 12) follows Earth Overshoot Day, the date when humanity exceeds the carrying capacity of the planet. This is because human beings are doing a good job of wiping wild elephants off the face
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By Suzanne York. The outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion from Zimbabwe is palpable. Sadly, this lion is just one of many species of animals killed by trophy hunters (as well as poachers). Yet would people be outraged if they knew that wild habitat for almost all species in Africa – and the
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org From the outside, it seems like the UN climate negotiations are all about wordsmithing, rehashing decades-old arguments on responsibility, finance and a little bit about impacts on people. It is more difficult to hear about the planet, i.e., nature, in the talks. When it does come up, nature is often reduced
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