Tootfinder

Plastic industry bookkeeping plans hide chemical recycling harms, critics say https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/plastic-industry-bookkeeping-plans-hide-chemical-recycling-harms-critics-say/

Plastic industry bookkeeping plans hide chemical recycling harms, critics say
Plastic pollution has rapidly escalated into a global environmental crisis that threatens ecosystem function and human health at an epic scale. Solutions are urgently needed, but while scientists, conservationists and more than 75 nations have called for binding limits on fossil fuel-driven plastic production, the plastics industry is opposed to all limits and is instead […]

"South African coal mine advances amid legal challenge and mounting water concerns"
#SouthAfrica #CoalMine #Environment

South African coal mine advances amid legal challenge and mounting water concerns
A Chinese-controlled coal mine in South Africa’s Limpopo province is moving toward full production even as a legal challenge mounted by a coalition of community members and environmental groups remains unresolved amid concerns about water security in the region. Kinetic Development Group controls MC Mining, whose Makhado hard-coking-coal project is expected to reach steady-state operation […]

Amazon deforestation falls 42% to a record low #Amazon

Amazon deforestation falls 42% to a record low
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to the lowest level on record. Data released today by Brazil’s national space research institute, INPE, shows that forest clearing in Earth’s largest rainforest over the 12 months ended July 31, 2026, amounted to 3,335 square kilometers (1,288 square miles), an area smaller than the Spanish island of […]

Legal gaps allow rampant pet trade, poaching reptiles and amphibians towards extinction https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-gaps-allow-rampant-pet-trade-poaching-reptiles-and-amphibians-towards-extinction/

Legal gaps allow rampant pet trade, poaching reptiles and amphibians towards extinction
Spain’s law enforcement agency, the Civil Guard, announced on Sept. 25, 2026, that it seized 209 reptiles from breeding facilities in Jérica and Sot de Ferrer (Castellón), including critically endangered iguanas endemic to Fiji. Nearly half of the reptiles were protected under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty. They also seized unlicensed handguns and nearly […]

"Belize looks to the deep sea to complete its 30% ocean protection pledge"
#Beliza #Oceans #Environment

Belize looks to the deep sea to complete its 30% ocean protection pledge
Belize is turning to its deep waters to fulfill its pledge to protect 30% of its ocean and achieve the sixth milestone of its Blue Bond agreement. A draft marine spatial plan submitted on Sept. 8 for government approval proposes closing the final gap to 30% by establishing three offshore marine protected areas (MPAs). Officials […]

Venezuela’s historic oil deal with the US reignites environmental, human rights concerns https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/venezuelas-historic-oil-deal-with-the-us-reignites-environmental-human-rights-concerns/

Venezuela’s historic oil deal with the US reignites environmental, human rights concerns
In late August, the U.S. announced a historic oil deal that gives it access to more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves in Venezuela, with investment of up to $100 billion in new oil infrastructure across the country. The deal has been billed as a way to secure “energy dominance” for the U.S. while […]

"How women farmers are helping elephants and forests in a Sumatran national park"
#Women #Elephants #Animals

How women farmers are helping elephants and forests in a Sumatran national park
LUBUK KEMBANG BUNGA, Indonesia — Tesso Nilo National Park, located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, often makes headlines due to human-wildlife conflict — a byproduct of illegal encroachment and deforestation by oil palm plantations. However, there is a ray of hope, thanks to female farmers who live in a buffer zone of the national […]

"Electric fences that kill and the Maasai trying to save Kenya’s last giant pangolins"
#Kenya #Pangolin #Animals

Electric fences that kill and the Maasai trying to save Kenya’s last giant pangolins
Naserian, a giant ground pangolin, lived for about two years in Kenya’s last remaining stronghold for this animal, Nyekweri Forest. When researchers from The Pangolin Project began tracking her in 2025, they observed her threading her way through a landscape where forests, farms and fences increasingly intersected. Each night, she emerged from the darkness of […]

Indonesia’s wildfire season surges as haze spreads into Malaysia https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/indonesias-wildfire-season-surges-as-haze-spreads-into-malaysia/

Indonesia’s wildfire season surges as haze spreads into Malaysia
JAKARTA — Haze from fires in Indonesian Borneo has drifted across the border into the Malaysian portion of the island, pushing air pollution there to “very unhealthy levels” and causing school closures. On Aug. 12, Sarawak’s Tebedu district, near the Indonesia-Malaysia border, recorded an air pollution index (API) exceeding 200, considered “very unhealthy,” prompting the […]

Bat virus fragments turn up in fertilizer sold in Thai markets, study finds https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/bat-virus-fragments-turn-up-in-fertilizer-sold-in-thai-markets-study-finds/

Bat virus fragments turn up in fertilizer sold in Thai markets, study finds
Researchers have found the first genetic evidence of bat-borne viruses within commercially sold bat guano fertilizer in Thailand. However, the viral strains the team detected are not known to infect humans. Moreover, since the researchers only identified fragments of viral RNA and did not isolate live, intact viruses, they could not confirm if the genetic […]