ENVIRONS
Seed Guardians of Peru Trying to Save the Potato
The "seed guardians" of Potato Park in the Andes are hoping to avert the threat climate change and disease poses to the potato. more than 1,300 varieties of potato to be found growing in the mountains of the Andes, somewhere between 3,200m and 5,000m (10,500ft-16,500ft) above sea level.
Potato Park, located near the Peruvian town of Pisac, was founded by six indigenous communities in 2002 to preserve the genetic diversity of potatoes grown in the region, as well as the cultural heritage of the people that grow them.
While the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, or "doomsday vaulty, holds a great many backup versions of seeds from all over the world, research suggests that the majority of global seed diversity is held by the world's 2.5 billion smallholders rather than in gene banks.
Source: Oakes, Kelly. "The seed guardians of Peru trying to save the potato," BBC Future, 2 October 2023. Retreived from: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230929-the-seed-guardians-that-are-saving-our-crops
Europe Challenges Apple Over Carbon Neutral Claims
Apple faces scrutiny from European environmental and consumer groups over its claims that its latest devices are carbon-neutral, a term Brussels proposes to ban in marketing as misleading.
Source: Bryan, Kenza. "Carbon-neutral claims for latest Apple devices under close scrutiny in Europe," Financial Times, 26 Octobeer 2023, 11.
The Amazon rainforest experienced its worst drought on record in 2023.
Currently 17% of the Amazon has been deforested and the global temperature is 1.1C to 1.2C above pre-industrial levels. By some estimates the 2015 "Godzilla drought" killed 2.5bn trees and plants in just one small part of the forest - and it was less severe than this latest drought.
Source: Hegarty, Stephanie. "Amazon drought: 'We've never seen anything like this,'
BBC, 25th December 2023. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67751685
Tree in Alerce Costero National Park in Chile is believed to have survived for more than 5,000 years - making it the oldest.
Source: Budin, Jeremiah. "Scientists make stunning discovery in remote forest: ‘There are no others that have had the opportunity to live so long,' Yahoo News!, 30 December 2023. Retrieved from: https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-stunning-discovery-remote-forest-010000780.html
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