ETH News

In shaking our society to its core, says Jaboury Ghazoul, Covid-19 shows that we must adopt a far broader perspective to tackle the complex socio-ecological problems humanity faces.

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, ushers in a new era of deforestation in the sad saga of Brazil’s land conflicts. As consumers we should not be complicit in his agenda, says Jaboury Ghazoul.

We need to seize the opportunity for a unified global response to deforestation, land degradation, and climate change, says Jaboury Ghazoul.

Science is never truly objective. Charles Darwin and his failed theory on the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy can provide an excellent role model, writes Jaboury Ghazoul.

Palm oil is not equal to palm oil: Since plantations differ massively in environmental and social criteria, a general ban of palm oil in biofuels, as recently discussed by the European Union, would punish the wrong producers while having little impact on reducing deforestation.

Antarctica has a new marine reserve, while here in Switzerland voters recently missed the chance to create Parc Adula. While we protect whales we’ll never see, let us not forget the animals and plants in our own unnaturally still woods and fields.

In the aftermath of the US election, and the consequent precariousness of the Paris climate agreement, it seems particularly apposite to revisit Dürer’s vision – a little more than 500 years since its creation and with a new layer of contemporary interpretation.

Coral reefs are vibrant partnerships of corals, microalgae, and bacteria. Apply a little heat, and this community breaks down as the symbiotic algae leave, turning corals pale. On a political level, the Brexit is teaching us the value of partnerships, but the UK’s experience is but a small ripple as compared to that of the world’s coral reefs.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” John Muir’s observation encapsulates the inherent interconnectedness that lies at the heart of environmental issues. It is this that makes environmental problems not only complex, but also wicked—in seeking to address one issue we create new conflicts.

Since the dawn of human civilization, trees and forests have provided us with food, resources, and energy. And humans often have a strong sense of connection with trees – we display an affection and tenderness for them. But the history of human development is also one of forest loss and transformation.

Over the last year, palm oil prices have dropped drastically. Has oil palm turned from blessing to curse for small-scale farmers? Depending on the region, this development may hold some opportunities for smallholders.

Around 150 years ago, Charles Darwin championed the role of earthworms in maintaining healthy soils. Since then, much topsoil has been lost and soil biodiversity degraded. Urgent action is required in 2015, the International Year of Soils, to readdress this immense problem.

Milk is expensive. Not so much in terms of the cost at the supermarket, but in terms of the environmental cost. The white stuff is, therefore, hardly green. Synthetic milk could help avoid this downside. The environmental benefits would be substantial indeed – but the social and political consequences could be far-reaching.

Europe’s forests are recent secondary regrowth from a period when, little more than 100 years ago, they had been all but eradicated from the landscape. Now, we seek to restore forests to recover the many benefits they provide. Can we hope for the same transition in the tropics, where deforestation remains rampant?

2014 is the International Year of Family Farming, so it is a good time to take stock of what the future holds for small farms across the world, particularly when farmers’ children are leaving farms in search of more enticing opportunities in cities.

We read in the papers that oil palm as a crop has caused the destruction of huge areas of tropical forest and associated considerable loss of biodiversity. We are right to be indignant about these losses. Yet, there is another problematic crop that is part of our daily life.