Rhett Butler

The proposed reconstruction of Brazil’s BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho) highway (Figure 1) needs a new environmental impact assessment (EIA). No rational decision can be made on going ahead with this project without considering all its major impacts, and everything points to the project being a monumental disaster for the environment, among other negative effects (see here […]

Em 2019, o mundo assistiu horrorizado enquanto imagens da Amazônia em chamas inundavam as notícias. Mais de 70 mil incêndios florestais arderam descontroladamente, matando animais selvagens, enchendo hospitais com pacientes lutando para respirar, poluindo rios, interrompendo o tráfego aéreo e lançando uma sombra escura sobre as maiores cidades do Brasil.

Orangutans have long captured the human imagination, their expressive eyes and human-like behaviors drawing parallels with our own species. Yet few individuals have had the opportunity to dive as deeply into the minds and lives of these great apes as Dr. Gary Shapiro.

Ryan Killackey, who passed away on October 4, 2024 at the age of 46, was a tireless defender of the natural world, a voice for Indigenous peoples, and a documentarian who sought to bring the farthest reaches of our planet into the public eye. But his was no simple journey of exploration or adventure; it […]

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon remains near a six-year low, with 561 square kilometers cleared in September, a 30% decline from the previous year.

The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has remained near a six-year low despite a surge in the number of fires burning in Earth’s largest rainforest, according to data released on Friday by Brazil’s national space research institute, INPE. INPE’s deforestation alert system (DETER) reported that 561 square kilometers were cleared in September, bringing the 12-month total to 4,191 square kilometers—an area equivalent to nearly 600,000 football fields. This marks a 30% decline from the 6,029 square kilometers recorded at the same time last year. Monthly and 12-month- moving average data for deforestation alert data from Imazon’s SAD system and INPE’s DETER system. Imazon is a Brazilian NGO that independently monitors deforestation. While deforestation has decreased significantly, the area affected by fires in the Brazilian Amazon surged nearly 18-fold, from 4,700 square kilometers to 39,983 square kilometers, as fires ravaged regions hit by a historic drought. The number of fire hotspots detected by satellite rose to 145,357, a 70% increase from 85,670 at the same time last year. Monthly and 12-month- moving average data for burn scar alert data for Legal Amazonia from INPE’s DETER system. Amazonia: Comparison of the total number of active fires detected by the reference satellite each month, from 1998 to Sep 30. Fires are widespread across South America this year, causing air pollution and health impacts. In Brazil, fires outside the Amazon have been particularly severe in the Pantanal and Cerrado. Scientists have warned that the combination of deforestation, forest degradation, and climate…This article was originally published on Mongabay

John Perlin's A Forest Journey explores how forests and wood were fundamental to the rise and fall of civilizations, providing materials for

As Esri nears its 50th anniversary, Jack Dangermond exemplifies how geographic information systems (GIS) have grown from a specialized field into a critical tool for modern planning, environmental management, and decision-making. In a landscape often defined by fast-paced, venture-backed tech companies, Esri offers a contrast: privately held, purpose-driven, and committed to an approach that emphasizes […]

November 1st is All Saints Day. On this holy day, the Church offers thanks for the saints who have left us to be with the Lord, but also acknowledges the grief of our losses. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, wrote in his journals that it is “a day that I peculiarly love.” All Saints Day is perhaps the only holy day that one could “

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropper by 30.6% over the past year, reaching its lowest level since 2015, with 6,288 square kilometers cleared by July 31, 2024.