Coronavirus: 'Nature is sending us a message’, says UN environment chief
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La Andersen said humanity was placing too many pressures on the natural world with damaging consequences, and warned that failing to take care of the planet meant not taking care of ourselves. Leading scientists also said the Covid-19 outbreak was a “clear warning shot”, given that far more deadly diseases existed in wildlife, and that today’s civilisation was “playing with fire”. They said it was almost always human behaviour that caused diseases to spill over into humans.
Deforestation commodities spreading malaria
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Researchers, including one of an Indian-origin, have estimated that 20 per cent of the malaria risk in deforestation hot spots is driven by the international trade of exports including coffee, cocoa, palm oil, tobacco, beef and cotton. Previous studies have shown deforestation and rainforest disturbances can increase the transmission of malaria by creating conditions where mosquitoes thrive: warmer habitats and fewer predators.
Ex-missionary named to head Brazil agency
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Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, made the provocative nomination of Ricardo Lopes Dias to head FUNAI, the Brazilian government body that establishes and carries out policies relating to Indigenous Peoples. Dias’ nomination appears threatening. Any contact with outsiders exposes isolated Indigenous Peoples to the risk of disease and violence. Dias – an evangelical pastor – has been connected with the proselytising activities of the New Tribes Mission of Brazil (MNTB), a North American missionary organisation. As head of this department, he will have access to geographical information about more than 100 ‘voluntarily isolated’ peoples.
The tragedy of too small forests
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Biodiversity loss is the biggest environmental problem we face today, according to a UN report that came out last year. One of the main reasons is that large forest areas are disappearing due to human impact. A lack of connected forests can prevent trees from multiplying efficiently. The more fragmented the forest becomes, the greater the problem for the trees. “Forest fragmentation has a negative effect on seed dispersal by means of animals,” says Emma-Liina Marjakangas at the Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Palm oil: Eni fined €5m for deceiving consumers
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Italian regulators today fined Italy’s oil giant Eni over advertisements on TV and in newspapers, digital media and petrol stations that falsely claimed Eni Diesel+ was ‘green’. The watchdog states that the marketing campaign deceives consumers when it claims that the ‘green’ diesel has a positive impact on the environment, saves fuel and reduces air pollution. It is the first ruling against greenwashing in Italy’s history.