ENVIRONS
Emperor Penguins Threatened by Antartic Ice Melt
The study by the British Antarctic Survey found that record-low sea ice levels in 2023 contributed to the second-worst year for emperor penguin chick mortality since observations began in 2018.
Source: Givetash, Linda. "Emperor penguins perish as ice melts to new lows: Study," Physics.org, 25 April 2024. Retrieved from: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-emperor-penguins-perish-ice-lows.html#:~:text=The%20study%20by%20the%20British,since%20observations%20began%20in%202018.
Great Barrier Reef Experiences Worst Summer On Record
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the world is undergoing a rare global mass coral bleaching event impacting at least 53 countries. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service/ECMWF, "The average global sea surface temperature has surpassed record-breaking 21°C (69.8°F) for more than 90 consecutive days since late January.. If global average temperatures could be 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050, 99% of coral reefs will simply die.
Source: Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson and Tom Booth. "‘Like wildfires underwater’: Worst summer on record for Great Barrier Reef as coral die-off sweeps planet," CNN, 4 May 2024. Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/04/australia/australia-great-barrier-reef-wildfires-climate-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
Ecuadorian Forest Granted Legal Rights - Personhood
In 2008, Ecuador became the first country to change its constitution to state that nature has the same rights as people. Based upon that action, a cloud forest in northern Ecuador is protected from deforestation and mining after being recognised as an entity possessing legal personhood.
Source: Warnr, Becca. "This Ecuadorian forest thrived amid deforestation after being granted legal rights, BBC, 17 June 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240614-how-los-cedros-forest-in-ecuador-was-granted-legal-personhood
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