Conservation News ~ 21 May 2021

• As the rest of world tackles plastics disposal, the U.S. resists
• To save chocolate’s future, ‘start now and go big’ on agroforestry (commentary)
• How to pick a tree-planting project? Mongabay launches transparency tool to help potential supporters decide
• FSC-certified Indonesian logger may have cleared orangutan habitat: Report
• DiCaprio, conservationists launch $43M effort to restore Galápagos Islands
• Over 100 Scientists Urge Biden Administration to Relist Wolves as Endangered Species
• New species of skink found from Western Ghats
• "Wild Horses Adopted Under a Federal Program Are Going to Slaughter"
• "Scientists Urge Restoration Of Federal Gray Wolf Protections"
• Newburgh, N.Y., Wants Biden's Help To Dig Up Lead Water Pipes
• EPA Orders Virgin Islands Refinery To Shut Down, Cites ‘Imminent’ Threat
• Designed For Disaster: These Homes Can Withstand A Category 5 Hurricane
• "Hurricane Season Spurs Hog Waste Worries In North Carolina"
• DFO Altered Report To Downplay Risks To Imperilled Steelhead: Docs
• $2 Billion Project Would Help Save Louisiana Coast - And Stoke Flooding
• "Chainsaw Massacre: Tree Poaching Hits Canada Amid Lumber Shortage"
• Australia Unveils Weapons Of Mouse Destruction To Tackle Rodent ‘Plague’
• Canada declares plastics toxic, paving the way for restrictions
• Outrage as Cambodian court convicts activists for inciting ‘social chaos’
• Carbon dioxide and methane surged in 2020
• Greenland ice sheet on brink of major tipping point
• Researcher describes four new species of sponge that lay undiscovered in plain sight
• Twenty firms produce 55% of world’s plastic waste
• Japan cancels its last coal power plant project
• Zimbabwe re-introduces rhinos in Gonarezhou park after three decades
• Sierra Leone sells rainforest for Chinese harbour
• Singapore is now home to one of the world’s largest floating solar farms
• ‘Drastic forest development’: Vietnam to plant 1 billion trees — but how?
• Jane Goodall wins Templeton Prize for work at intersection of science and spirituality
• As illegal forest conversion for industrial ag worsens, this moment is pivotal (commentary)
• Graham Sibley leads new podcast celebrating endangered species
• Satellites keep watch over global reef health in a world first
• Podcast: Reforestation is booming, but deforestation rose last year
• Protected areas now cover nearly 17% of Earth’s surface: U.N. report
• An engaged society is key for the future of African conservation, says WWF Africa’s Alice Ruhweza
• In Colombia, a successful jaguar conservation program has a whiff of coffee
• Indonesian president slammed for ‘wait-and-see’ approach on climate action
• ‘Amazônia must live on’: Photographer Sebastião Salgado returns home with his new book
• Amazon palm oil has not lived up to its promise of sustainability (commentary)
• Brazil’s environment minister investigated for alleged illegal timber sales
• Settlers invading, deforesting Colombian national parks ‘at an unstoppable speed’
• Brazil environment minister probed for timber trafficking
• More than half of Caribbean lizards and snakes disappeared after Europeans arrived
• For Atlantic sea turtles, Sargasso Sea is home during the ‘lost years’
• Chile’s marine protected areas aren’t safe from its salmon farms
• Did you know that spix’s night monkeys only weigh around 1 kg?
• Court orders Interior to rethink wild horse protections
• 9th Circ. Reverses DOI Win On Endangered Species Notice
• Five new species of listeria discovered, improving food safety
• New Arctic Council Reports Underline Growing Concerns At Air Pollution
• "Even Amid a Pandemic, More Than 40 Million People Fled Their Homes"
• NOAA’s Hurricane Outlook Calls For 6th Straight Above-Average Season
• "White House, GOP Infrastructure Talks Hit Crucial Stage"
• "Biden Admin Takes First Step Toward Light Bulb Efficiency Standard"
• "Biden Orders U.S. Agencies To Assess, Mitigate Risks Of Climate Change"
• "Electricity: Documents Reveal Natural Gas Chaos In Texas Blackouts"
• "Judge Halts Georgia Dredging Plan Over Threat To Sea Turtles"
• "U.S. Proposes Big Increase In Forest Management To Tackle Wildfires"
• "Greenland Votes to Move Whaling Away from Tourists’ Eyes"
• "White House Brings Back Climate Scientist Forced Out By Trump Admin"
• "Banks Always Backed Fossil Fuel Over Green Projects — Until This Year"
• "Biden’s Climate Chops Face A Big Test On Old-Growth Forests"
• Planting A Million Trees In Semi-Arid Desert To Combat Climate Change
• "Project Reviews May Include Environmental Justice, CEQ Head Says"
• "Metal Shredding Firm Sues Chicago Over Operating Permit"
• "Protected Areas Cover A Sixth Of Earth’s Land And Freshwater"
• "'Free-For-All' Used Car Export Threatens Climate Goals"
• "Intruder Pests May Drain Trillions From Africa’s Economies, Study Finds"
• "Overwintering 'Zombie' Fires May Become More Common As Climate Changes"
• Arctic warming three times faster than the planet
• Eight endangered Mexican Gray wolves found dead in opening months of 2021
• Protected areas now cover nearly 17% of Earth’s surface
• Leonardo DiCaprio aims to restore the Galapagos Islands with $43m pledge
• "Biden Makes Electric Pitch At Ford Plant: 'There's No Turning Back'"
• "Nations Must Drop Fossil Fuels, Fast, World Energy Body Warns"
• "Top Interior Lawyer Nominee Quizzed Over Public Records Law"
• "Kerry Says US Examining Carbon Border Tax, Sees Risks"
• "Navajos Say New Arizona Restrictions Will Complicate Voting"
• Calif. Water Districts Get OK To Sue Dow, Shell On Groundwater Pollution
• "What to Save? Climate Change Forces Brutal Choices at National Parks."
• "Banks Fight $4 Billion Debt Relief Plan for Black Farmers"
• Pesticides Becoming More Toxic For The World's Most Important Insects
• "The Cicadas Are Out! You Might Not Hear Them Yet, But You Will Soon"
• "Supreme Court Gives Big Oil a Win in Climate Fight With Cities"
• "White House Announces Efforts To Curb Emissions In Buildings"
• "Blinken in Iceland for Climate Talks, Arctic Council Meeting"
• Worsening Algae Bloom On Lake Okeechobee Threatens Coasts Again
• "Protecting Workers Exposed To Oregon’s Heat Waves And Wildfire Smoke"
• Amid Drought Crisis, Some Ranchers Restore Grasslands to Reserve Water
• "As The Rest Of World Tackles Plastics Disposal, The U.S. Resists"
• "Greenland Ice Sheet On Brink Of Major Tipping Point, Says Study"
• "EPA Releases Federal Plan to Reduce Landfills’ Methane Emissions"
• St. John Parish Group Files Human Rights Appeal Over Denka Air Pollution
• Cement battery could turn buildings and bridges into gigantic energy storage devices
• Net-zero emissions by 2050 are possible, landmark report says