Open Newswire

PATAGONIA,  Ariz.—The U.S. Forest Service on March 5 announced it plans to soon approve the nation’s first critical minerals mine, South32’s Hermosa project, when it released the final environmental impact statement, which was permitted under a streamlined process.  The federal government called it “a strategic investment in America’s energy future” that “directly supports U.S. energy […]

Meet our story hero: the admirable red-belly toad. A tiny amphibian found nowhere else on Earth but a small forest patch in southern Brazil. Listed as a critically endangered species, it is capable of amazing things. In 2014, it stopped the construction of a hydroelectric dam that would have destroyed its home. In 2024, catastrophic […]

From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.  A decades-old U.S. Forest Service rule that’s been used to justify logging to supposedly reduce wildfire risk has been deemed unlawful by a federal […]

Arvoreznha, Brazil — Meet the admirable red-belly toad — a tiny amphibian found nowhere else on Earth but a small forest patch in southern Brazil. Don’t let its size fool you. In 2014, it made history by halting the construction of a hydroelectric dam that would have wiped out its only home. With just over […]

(The Center Square) – The legislator who wrote a law modernizing California's water infrastructure says there's no concrete estimate for the cost to respond to worsening drought conditions. In a press conference held Friday morning at the San Luis Reservoir in western Merced County, Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced County, author of last year’s successful Senate Bill 72, said there is no way to know the cost of developing 90 million acre-feet of water by 2040. Her bill, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in October, is being implemented and requires the California Department of Water Resources to formulate long-term water supply goals. “Frankly, we don’t know what the cost will be to meet that goal,” Caballero said, answering a question from The Center Square at the end of the press conference. “It’s speculative to say it’s a certain amount. Will it be expensive? Yes.” Caballero added she's proposing a bond that could pay for implementing much-needed updates to the state’s water plan. Meanwhile, certain water infrastructure projects in California have already cost billions of dollars. A project by the federal Bureau of Reclamation to raise Shasta Dam by 18 feet was allocated $2 billion of federal taxpayer money through 2034. The Delta Conveyance Project, which proposes to construct a 45-mile-long tunnel underground to help capture storm runoff that runs into the ocean, would cost an estimated $20 billion to $50 billion a year to operate, according to the California Policy Center. Despite the enormous price tag, scientific studies show that climate change, which scientists say exacerbates problems related to the state’s water supplies, is getting worse. A 2019 study by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego shows that climate change drove worsening forest fires in California between 1972 and 2018. Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that higher temperatures fueled by climate change caused 61% of the state’s water supply evaporating during the 2020-2022 drought. Only 39% of the drought’s severity was accounted for by reduced rainfall during that time frame, the study shows. “We anticipate, right now, in 2026, that when we go up into the Sierra Nevada and we do our snow survey on April 1, we will have almost no snowpack,” Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources, said during the press conference. “We are trending towards the second-lowest snowpack in modern California history. That’s where we are.” Nemeth added that warming temperatures will reduce the state’s snowpack further by 2040. Increased droughts will also require the state to more responsibly manage its water, she added. “When we have drought conditions, drought conditions don’t require us to be in a state of emergency,” Nemeth said. “I think Californians are getting a little weary of whenever it turns dry, we kick into a state of emergency in California, and it’s really up to all of us to do the work that’s necessary to provide that stability into the future.” More efficient water use, recycling water and investing in water infrastructure the state has already built are necessary to be prepared for the worsening climate conditions state officials anticipate, Nemeth and others said on Friday. “Instead of managing for drought and scarcity of supply, the state will work towards the water supply target of 90 million to ensure we have enough water for our communities, industry, agriculture, the environment and every Californian,” Fern Steiner, chair of the California Water Commission, told reporters Friday. Republican lawmakers, who were not present during the press conference at the San Luis Reservoir, said they supported modernizing the state's water supply, especially in light of prolonged drought conditions, aging infrastructure and increasing wildfire risk. “SB 72 helps move us in the right direction by establishing reasonable water supply targets and ensuring the state properly plans for future water needs," Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told The Center Square in an email Friday afternoon. "By modernizing the California Water Plan for a 21st-century climate and requiring state agencies to work collaboratively with local water providers and stakeholders, we can create a more reliable and resilient water system for generations to come."

Over decades, the tropical deciduous forests of central India have weathered the impacts of a quietly changing climate. New research sheds light on the extent to which long-term changes in temperature and precipitation transformed a protected area in Madhya Pradesh, in addition to the anthropogenic pressures caused by tree felling, extraction, and grazing. The forests […]

For years, a battle has raged between EU nations that claim their forest biomass certification policies safeguard against deforestation, promote sustainability and enable carbon-emissions reductions, even as forest advocates have argued that those policies fail to combat climate change, are badly flawed or outright fraudulent. EU policymakers remain entrenched today, defending their certification schemes as […]

In Jackson Hole, in the nation’s richest county, there is a major housing problem. Now, developers are looking to public land. The post ‘A slippery slope’: Quest to build affordable housing in national forest raises alarm appeared first on Montana Free Press.

When Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina, forestry officials conservatively estimated the storm damaged 822,000 acres of timber.  Now satellite imagery showing changes in forest cover suggests the extent of damage was much greater. Nearly 18 months after Helene, forestry officials and the state fire marshal warned legislators Thursday that North Carolina needs to […]

In 2018, a young tigress stopped appearing on camera traps in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. There was no official report of conflict as well as no records of carcass recovery or poaching incidents. This indicated that she had not died within the reserve. However, for nearly three years, there was no photographic trace […]

The Indigenous group set up camp in a tiger reserve last year to reclaim their ancestral lands. Despite state opposition, they are still standing strong.

NORTH KIVU, Democratic Republic of Congo — Over the last decade, towns in the north of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have seen the increasing migration of Indigenous Batwa people, according to censuses seen by Mongabay. Traditionally living by hunting and gathering in the Congo Basin forests, many Twa people (also […]

(The Center Square) – Legislation that could make insurance companies cover seizure detection devices is advancing at the Illinois Statehouse. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Julie A. Morrison, D-Lake Forest, mandates health insurance plans in Illinois cover medically prescribed seizure detection devices, ensuring that individuals can access these devices without additional barriers like prior authorization or cost-sharing. A number of seizure detection devices are FDA-cleared and alert caregivers to seizures in real-time, potentially reducing hospitalizations and saving lives of epileptic patients, according to the Danny Did Foundation, a non-profit in support of the bill. Mary Duffy, the executive director of the foundation, told the Illinois Senate Committee this week that seizure detection devices are not routinely covered by insurance, despite their preventative nature. While widely in support of the nature of the bill, opposition have raised concerns with specific aspects of the bill. Representatives from the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council and the National Federation of Independent Business testified to their concerns about increased costs for small businesses and an exemption of state employee health plans in the bill. “Any one mandate probably doesn't add a significant portion to the cost of health insurance, but over time that adds up. And when there are significant concerns today around affordability of health care, health insurance is a reflection of the cost borne in the system,” said Laura Minzer, president of the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council. Minzer also said she had concerns with the bill’s removal of prior authorization, along with the groups that are excluded from the legislation. “Certainly, it does raise eyebrows when one of the larger payers including the state group health has been exempted out for reasons of cost,” Minzer said. Noah Finley, the Illinois state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, shared Minzer’s concerns, noting his organization did not take a position on the bill until it was amended to exclude certain health plans, such as for state, school and local government employees. “This legislation specifically carves out the state and state employee health insurance plans. Our position is that if it's too expensive for the state to afford this coverage, then it's too expensive for Illinois small businesses,” Finley said. Supporters, including Duffy, spoke in favor of the bill at Tuesday evening’s hearing. Pediatric neurologist Dr. Rebecca Garcia-Sosa spoke to the variety of improvements the devices have provided her patients. Citing medical research, she said the devices often cause a reduction in seizure-related injury, leading to a long-term cost benefit by limiting ER visits and hospitalizations due to injury. “Although there's been compelling evidence that these seizure detection devices can help in so many ways. Unfortunately, they haven't been widely recommended by physicians because of the prohibitive cost for many individuals,” Garcia-Sosa said. During questioning, Sen. Jason Plummer asked why the bill would make small business and private payers bear the brunt of the cost, while the state would be exempt. “I'm trying to understand why. The part of our economy that's struck the most – if you look at employment numbers, if you look at economic activity, if you look at new new entity start-ups – our small and medium-sized business community is in really rough shape right now in Illinois,” Plummer said. Morrison pushed back, saying it would be cost-saving in the long run for small businesses. “They need those employees to show up, come to work, not be at the hospital with the kid, not be up all night, not be the patients themselves. I think there is a cost benefit,” Morrison said. Plummer then questioned if the state shouldn’t then benefit from the savings as well. “If we do pass this legislation, it will be at the height of hypocrisy,” Plummer said. Committee members ultimately voted in favor of the bill 9-1, with Plummer being the only “nay” vote. Senate Bill 2762 will be brought to the floor for a second reading Thursday.

Siyabulela Primary School learners can escape their sweltering classrooms

Illegal gold mining is poisoning Ghana’s soil and rivers, seeping into its crops and seafood, and turning the national food system into a long-term public health crisis.Makola Market, Accra. Image credit 26daysoff via Shutterstock © 2024.Every part of Ghana’s food system is corrupt. The water, the land, the food, and the body form a symbiotic relationship. A study conducted by Mensah et al. in 2025 revealed that on a  galamsey mining site, abandoned for six years in Ajamesu, a village in the Ashanti Region, cucumbers were being grown in strongly contaminated soil. Galamsey is the Ghanaian term for illicit artisanal small-scale gold mining. The harvested cucumbers contained high trace amounts of mercury, cadmium, iron, arsenic, and copper. The research report indicates that daily consumption of cucumbers and produce containing these metals has adverse health risks, including an increased risk of cancer among adults and children. In rural Ghana, there are hundreds of abandoned mines on former arable lands. The backbone of most rural economies is agriculture. Areas affected include Nyaboo, Agogo, Odumase, Goaso, and Tepa—all former breadbaskets. Cultivated produce in these areas includes garden eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and green peppers—all central ingredients in Ghanaian cuisine. They also supply major markets in Kumasi and Accra, after which these ingredients make their way all over Ghana, and thus to millions of households. None of the recently abandoned lands can properly support plant growth, not unless soil toxicity caused by galamsey is reversed, or nutrients are supplemented via heavy use of fertilizer, or the soil rejuvenated. All food cultivated on these lands will absorb and store poisonous metals directly found in the land. And for non-polluted areas, through the use of contaminated irrigation water. Considering that the entirety of the Ghanaian diet revolves around legumes, cereals, vegetables, and animal products, primarily cultivated in the affected and soon-to-be-affected areas and seafood from polluted waters, the persistence of these metals denotes the imminent collapse of our food system. For eight times the minimum wage, all a galamsey miner in Manso-Adubea has to do after each day shift is to wash the mined gold in a lead mercury mixture with water pumped directly from Nsuo Abena, W’aha, or any of the surrounding rivers that people depend on for survival and agricultural activities. Afterwards, he dumps the water-heavy-metal solution directly back into the land. Sometimes this washes downstream into rivers. Other times, it is absorbed into the soil. The journalist Anthony Labruto reports that as of September 2024, 60% of Ghana’s water bodies had been polluted due to galamsey-related activities. Major rivers affected include Birim, Tano, Densu, Subin, and Pra—all serving thousands of communities. Further findings from the study by Mensah et al. indicate that, unlike large-scale firms that treat their waste before disposal, galamsey miners directly dump into the environment, often causing irreparable damage to the land, waters, fauna, and flora. Public health expert, Kelvin Tamakloe, adds that communities that have remained untouched by galamsey will experience acid rain, which will inadvertently expose the land, air, and waterbodies to these same heavy metals and chemicals. Since agricultural activities are still largely reliant on rainfall, food cultivated all over Ghana will become contaminated. Therefore, there will be no safe zones or communities. In short, the entire food chain is corrupted or will be, and this poses a significant risk to food safety, security, and health. He adds that consistent consumption of products contaminated with heavy metals will potentially lead to genetic and epigenetic changes in future offspring. This could present as neurological disorders, developmental abnormalities, and cancer. Africa’s food systems remain under constant threat and are therefore vulnerable. In the past decades, foodways have been significantly impacted by colonialism, climate change, urbanization, and the rapid depletion of arable land, for example. The specific climate impacts on Ghana’s food systems present a rather harrowing picture. Across Ghana and other parts of Africa, an urgent humanitarian crisis brews as food systems and foodways become increasingly vulnerable to ecological threats. The rapaciousness of galamsey, the complicity of the media, the involvement of the political elite, independent mining corporations, including the Chinese, compounded with poverty, makes it the most potent form of ecological violence and a direct threat to Ghana’s food system. The reason is that, unlike other crises such as annual floods, corruption, and inaccessible healthcare, whose effects are tangible and readily discussed in the media in digestible packets, the effects of galamsey are not immediate, but long-term, if you ignore the loss of farmland and proliferation of water pollution. The effects compound over time and thus require a specific type of messaging to connect polluted waters to polluted lands to polluted foods and the imminent collapse of our food system and, inadvertently, health infrastructure. The Ghanaian media remains incapable or unwilling to do this work. Furthermore, the government and relevant agencies, including the Ghana Water Company, Forestry Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency, remain reticent to categorize this as a national emergency—a position held amid major anti-galamsey protests in 2013, 2024, 2025, and 2026, including adjunct allied protests by artist collectives such as The Beyond Collective. I suppose that classifying galamsey as a crisis might impel the government and relevant stakeholders to do the hard work of doing their actual work. With ongoing parallel crises, some of which have persisted for more than five decades, Ghana is a country ill-equipped to handle yet another crisis that affects everyone, albeit unequally. The (political) elite will remain untouched while farmers in Agogo, communities, and families all over Ghana face the consequences of the government’s inaction. Nonetheless, contracts are still being awarded to small-scale artisanal mining companies amid brutal clashes and growing concerns about the safety of Ghana’s food system—including the passing of legislation L.I 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves and allows the President to approve mining licenses in “globally significant diversity areas.” Indisputably, the tenacity of Ghana’s food systems has always been questionable. Both Akomea-Frempong et al. and Northern Presbyterian Agricultural Services (NPAS) report heavy use of fertilizer, some of which include DDT, banned worldwide since 2004. However, the galamsey crisis and its incongruous relationship with the ecosystem and biodiversity have transformed an environmental crisis into a blooming food-chain emergency. This will have wide-reaching consequences on health and even the economy. It will also reveal the rather shambolic state of the underlying systems and their fragility, particularly the already inept food safety frameworks that are unable to address existing issues with straightforward solutions. Thus, several questions emerge: how does soil toxicity present, and is it reversible? How are poisoned rivers and biodiversity destruction manifesting in real time? How will this crisis disrupt the food system? For example, if only 10% of tomatoes—a key ingredient of Ghanaian cuisine— are cultivated here, what happens if that percentage decreases? How has the loss of specific fish and seafood species, which previously thrived in these rivers, affected fishermen, and what happens to the health of consumers who feed on seafood harvested from these rivers? To these questions, Ian Kwakye, an Environmental Scientist and Conservationist, argues that the food system has already been corrupted. Arable farmlands have been forcefully encroached upon, sometimes even willingly given away to mining companies. To wit, some cocoa farmers in Bono Ahafo, Ashanti, and the Western region—all breadbaskets—have sold off their farms for galamsey activities. This means that companion crops such as cassava, beans, cocoyam, and tomatoes are no longer being cultivated in these areas and that has impacted food availability, cost, and ultimately food security. Licensed hunters report low to no catches because biodiversity has been damaged due to illegal mining activities. In areas where farming activities haven’t been fully disrupted, and where contaminated irrigation waters are also used, food produced will contain high amounts of these trace metals. In communities where mining activities have burgeoned for years, and where vegetation has been destroyed, Ian cites the increased likelihood of erosion, low soil fertility, and reduced food production. Farmers have shared growing concerns about previously mined areas not supporting plant growth. They also complain of decreasing yield in even unmined areas. Fishermen in the Western region, Shama, for example, have reported dwindling catches over several years, due to marine litter, including a decline in fish diversity. Galamsey remains a well-ignored environmental emergency. The current reality of the Ghanaian food system and the slow descent into an environmental catastrophe is caused directly by the government’s inaction.

More than half a billion dollars in federal grant money for Helene losses is set to be made available to Georgia farmers, ranchers and foresters in a state application process that opens this month. The Current is an inclusive nonprofit, non-partisan news organization providing in-depth watchdog journalism for Savannah and Coastal Georgia’s communities.

After a three-mile hike carrying a 275-pound hunter with a broken ankle across rugged terrain, Blain Volunteer Fire Company Chief Nick Campbell and his team decided it was time to purchase an off-road vehicle. Covering 130 square miles in Perry County, including portions of the Tuscarora State Forest, a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) would be […]

Trump’s Iran war is historically unique in one critically important way: Early on, the war is not popular with the American public.

Earlier this year, workers built a concrete perimeter wall for a planned resort on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania. There’s scant public information about the Mantuli development, but the wall is just a few hundred meters west of the 1,440-hectare (3,558-acre) Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, where scientists have identified more than 80 new […]

Furniture giant IKEA is famous for its wood products, but it may soon need to tighten oversight of its supply chains due to the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation that comes into force at the end of this year. The Swedish company sources timber from both inside and outside the EU, with major source markets including […]