Guardian Environment
‘Mega-consumers’ of food and energy cost environment $5.7tn a year, study finds
The world's top 10% of consumers generate up to $5.7 trillion in annual environmental damage through climate and biodiversity harm — a figure that dwarfs the GDP of nearly every nation on Earth. This group is heavily concentrated in wealthy countries, with over half of all Americans qualifying as "mega-consumers." The findings underscore how consumption inequality, not just population size, sits at the heart of the environmental crisis.
Read article →
Mongabay
Pulp and paper giant APRIL adds major deforesters as suppliers after revising sustainability policy
APRIL, one of the world's largest pulp and paper producers, has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups after revising its sustainability policy to weaken deforestation commitments and add major forest destroyers to its supplier network. The Indonesia-based company, owned by Singapore's Royal Golden Eagle, suspended its flagship sustainability framework while onboarding two firms linked to some of the country's most significant recent forest losses. The moves signal a troubling retreat from corporate conservation pledges at a time when Indonesia's remaining forests face mounting pressure.
Read article →Guardian Environment
South African men sentenced in ‘world’s largest’ rhino-horn trafficking case
South Africa has sentenced the alleged mastermind of the world's largest rhino-horn trafficking operation, with Dawie Groenewald receiving a fine of 2 million rand or four years in prison — nearly 16 years after his initial arrest. Groenewald and co-accused Tielman Erasmus faced more than 1,700 charges, including illegal hunting, dehorning, racketeering, and money laundering. The verdict closes a chapter on one of the most sprawling wildlife crime cases in history, though critics will note the relatively modest sentence for crimes of such scale.
Read article →Guardian Environment
South African men sentenced in ‘world’s largest’ rhino horn trafficking case
South Africa has sentenced the two men at the center of the world's largest rhino horn trafficking case, with alleged mastermind Dawie Groenewald facing a 2 million rand fine or four years in prison — nearly 16 years after his arrest. Groenewald and accomplice Tielman Erasmus had faced more than 1,700 charges, including illegal hunting, dehorning, racketeering, and money laundering. The verdicts close a chapter on one of the most protracted and high-profile wildlife crime prosecutions in history.
Read article →Guardian Environment
More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak
More than 13,000 southern elephant seal pups have died on Heard Island, a remote Australian subantarctic territory roughly 4,000km southwest of Perth, following a confirmed H5N1 bird flu outbreak. Testing has verified the virus has spread across multiple species, including penguins and petrels, signaling a broad ecological crisis in the region. The outbreak raises serious concerns about the vulnerability of isolated wildlife populations to a strain that has already devastated animal communities across the globe.
Read article →Get this delivered every morning
Join thousands of readers who get the world's most important stories, curated daily.
Start reading free →