ENVIRONS
More than 1,700 people have died while trying to prevent mining, oil drilling or logging on their lands.
A report from Global Witness says that more than 1,700 people have died while trying to prevent mining, oil drilling or logging on their lands. That means an environmental activist has been killed every two days on average over the past decade. Latin America is on the frontline of this attack, with 68% of the murders taking place across the continent. Many of those who died were indigenous people, often involved in struggles to prevent the exploitation of their lands by mining, oil, logging or hydropower developers.
Source: Decade of Defiance: Ten years of reporting land and
environmental activism worldwide, September 2022 Retrieved from:
https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/decade-defiance/
Northern Hemisphere’s extreme summer drought was made 20 times more likely by climate change.
The World Weather Attribution initiative found extreme summer drought was made 20 times more likely by climate change. Generally, such events would happen only once in 400 years; but, the burning of fossil fuels has made a drought of this magnitude a 1-in-20-year occurrence.
Source: Edwards, Christian. "Northern Hemisphere’s extreme summer drought was made 20 times more likely by climate change.," CNN, 10/5/22.
Almost 70% of animal populations wiped out since 1970
According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London's Living Planet Report, the earth's
wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years. The 2022 LPI analysed almost 32,000 species populations. It provides the most comprehensive measure of how they are responding to pressures in their environment. Biodiversity loss by region: North America - 20% Latin America and the Carribean - 94% Africa - 66%; Europe and Central Asia - 18%; and Asia Pacific - 55%.
Source: Living Planet Report 2022. World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved from: https://livingplanet.panda.org/
COP27: Climate change threatening global health
The Lancet Countdown report says the world's continued reliance on fossil fuels increases the risk of food insecurity, infectious disease and heat-related illness. The report includes the work of 99 experts from organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and led by University College London.
Source: Hambley, Ella. "COP27: Climate change threatening global health - report," BBC News, 26 October, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63386814
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