Rainforests pump water round the tropics – but the pulse of this heart is weakening
Calling the Amazon “the lungs of the world” overlooks the forest’s vital role in the water cycle.
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From the Amazon, Indigenous Peoples offer new compass to navigate climate change
The climate emergency can’t be addressed with simplistic solutions. A network of Indigenous communities in Brazil invites us to reorient colonial approaches and embrace deeper change.
The great Amazon land grab – how Brazil’s government is clearing the way for deforestation
Land grabs spearheaded by wealthy interests are accelerating deforestation, and Brazil’s National Congress is working to legitimize them.
The Amazon is not safe under Brazil’s new president – a roads plan could push it past its breaking point
Nearly 95% of deforestation in the Amazon occurs within 3.5 miles of a road or near a river. Brazil’s plans to ramp up exports may be on a collision course with the forest.
Landsat turns 50: How satellites revolutionized the way we see – and protect – the natural world
With decades of images and data from the same locations, these satellites can show changes over time, including deforestation, changes in waterways and how loss of trees corresponds to urban heat.
Three trillion trees live on Earth, but there would be twice as many without humans
Each year more than 15 billion trees are lost worldwide, according to a major new study.
Why Amazonian forest peoples are ‘counter‑mapping’ their ancestral lands
They are contesting the maps that deny them territorial rights.
In Brazil’s rainforests, the worst fires are likely still to come
As deforestation rates in Brazil rise, it’s worth asking whether the country can repeat the successes of the last decade. Current trends don’t bode well.
Satellites over the Amazon capture the choking of the ‘house of God’ by the Belo Monte Dam – they can help find solutions, too
When Indigenous peoples lose their river flow to dams, satellite programs like Landsat – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary – can help them fight for their resources.
How positive tipping points may be the key to protecting tropical rainforests
We don’t have to persuade everyone to do the right thing. We just need to persuade enough people to make the system tip in the right direction.