📝 New article on Our World in Data: Beef production in Brazil has been the largest driver of global deforestation in recent decades. The largest driver of deforestation globally is the expansion of agricultural land.

Come work with us, in one of the most beautiful city in Europe, at the doorstep of the Black Forest 🌳

HydrOrth Lab@hydrorth-lab.bsky.social · 2w ago

We are hiring! Postdoc position (2+2 years) on process-based and data-driven modelling of forest floor properties within a DFG Research Unit uni-freiburg.de/en/job/00005...

At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves

At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves

True figure likely to be much higher as it only covers about half of continent and does not include August totals At least 35,000 more people died during Europe’s four record-breaking, back-to-back heatwaves this summer than would normally be expected, according to incomplete figures from barely half the continent. Excess mortality in three of the EU’s larger countries – Germany, France and Spain – alone has already exceeded 25,000, according to the provisional national figures, and experts say the toll will rise significantly once August totals are consolidated. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Satellite-based analyses systematically underestimate carbon accumulation in mature forests. This study illustrates the importance of independent lines of evidence and suggests that terrestrial carbon budgets need to account for forest structure. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Widespread carbon accumulation in mature forests remains underestimated by satellite observations - Nature Ecology & Evolution

The authors combine satellites, repeat airborne lidar, dynamic global vegetation models and field plot monitoring across the conterminous USA to show widespread continued carbon accumulation in mature...

nature.com

The Landscape Ecology Group at the University of Potsdam is seeking applications for a 3-year postdoctoral position! See the full solicitation on our website: www.biogeography.org/news/news/po...

One third of global farmland is doing two-thirds of the damage, to the climate and wildlife. Regions causing both harm largely overlap. Cattle alone drive 29% of the farm carbon cost and 41% of the biodiversity cost. New paper today in @nature.com food-led by Baoxiao Liu doi.org/10.1038/s430...

High-resolution carbon and biodiversity mapping shows correlated losses across space and agricultural products - Nature Food

Food systems substantially impact carbon storage and biodiversity, with food consumption driving four-fifths of losses on agricultural land, particularly through animal-sourced foods. Targeted interve...

doi.org

"The capacity of European forests to absorb and store carbon is likely to have decreased by 39% in the period 2010 to 2030. This is due to disturbances that far outpace the ability of forests to naturally regrow and recover. Europe can increase its forest area but still lose carbon sink capacity."

Europe’s forests losing more biomass since 2018

Europe’s forests are losing more biomass than previously thought, with disturbances such as drought and pests causing increasingly large losses from some of the oldest forests in Europe. This situatio...

esa.int

37% of Germany's #climate bioeconomy footprint stems from #livestock. As the consumption of #meat in Germany is 3x higher than dietary recommendations, related #environment pressures can be decreased thru dietary change—which would also be healthier: doi.org/10.1016/j.sp... #Footprint #Health

The (first) results of an absolutely amazing field season are out now! It was my first field season, and I had the best time ever (see photo), thanks to my brilliant colleagues and friends @mariapotterf.bsky.social and Kristin Braziunas 💖

Johannes S. Mohr@johannesmohr.bsky.social · 4w ago

New publication alert! 🔔 How should we manage sites after drought-induced disturbances to support rapid forest recovery? Regeneration response to post-disturbance forest management in Central Europe Just published @jappliedecology.bsky.social

It's a point I've been trying to make for a long time: there is no good way to meet even 10% of current demand for animal products. They trash the living world, whichever way you do it. If you want to reduce your impact, switch to a plant-based diet. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Organic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickens

Adopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggests

theguardian.com

Ten selected design proposals for the next series of euro banknotes have been unveiled. Explore the proposals and tell us which ones you prefer. Have your say surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/ecbeuro/

71% of air pollution comes from sources other than transport (and a key one is our diets; the study below, just on cities, doesn't even include the role of nasty ground-level ozone, much of it due to methane: www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ma...) Transport emissions leave out 74% of PM2.5 and 78% of PM1O

Farms found to be the biggest particulate pollution source for cities

Between 25% and 38% of air pollution that could harm human health in UK cities is the result of agriculture, more than produced by the city itself, while pollution drifting in from continental Europe ...

ucl.ac.uk

Josiah Mortimer@josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Some good news. "Between 1990 and 2024 transport nitrogen oxide emissions dropped by 81% while PM2.5 fell by 65% and PM10 declined by 52%. Sulphur dioxide emissions were cut by 94% while carbon monoxide fell by 95%." www.energylivenews.com?p=362909#:~:....

Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law

Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law

Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife * Europe live – latest updates Newly revealed documents from inside the most powerful farming lobby in Europe reveal how it delayed, gutted and overturned some of the most sweeping farming reforms in EU history, including a plan to cut pesticide use in half. Copa Cogeca describes itself as the voice of 22 million farmers across the continent, and enjoys unrivalled access to EU lawmakers. It has even been described as a “partner in policymaking”. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Israel deliberately targeting Gaza children to commit genocide, UN inquiry finds

Israel deliberately targeting Gaza children to commit genocide, UN inquiry finds

Report says by aiming at children Israel is undermining capacity of Palestinian people to exist Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, an ⁠independent UN inquiry has found. The report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war in Gaza, and said about 30% of those killed by Israeli forces have been children. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Mountain regions are not just for #cows: Cultivation of arable #crops was once a central pillar of alpine #foodsystems, but then a shift to grassland-based livestock production gave rise to an #agriculture system deeply rooted in economic & institutional path dependencies… doi.org/10.21256/zha... +

Belgium's federal government is facing criticism after health authorities linked last week's heat wave to over 1,200 excess deaths, prompting opposition parties to accuse ministers of failing to protect the country's most vulnerable citizens.

Belgian government under fire after heat wave claims 1,200 lives

Emergency services came under scrutiny as the country’s 112 hotline “did not function properly” during the crisis.

politico.eu

The number of farmed land animals grew by 50% in two decades, the amount of cropland used for #livestock feed grew by 25%, 90% of irrigation water is used for feed, emissions from livestock grew by 20%, fertiliser used for animal feed leads to dead zones in seas: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Global boom in livestock farming since 2006 is piling pressure on nature, report finds

Wildlife at risk as demand for cropland and water grows to feed 50% rise in farmed animals, campaign alliance says

theguardian.com

It's worth reminding ourselves: we created this situation, not the so-called "Super El Niño." The power to mitigate future European heat waves lies with us alone www.euronews.com/2026/06/24/e...

'El Niño is a distraction': Why is Europe becoming a deadly heat trap?

Europeans are sweltering under the latest heatwave, which experts say is being “amplified by long-term warming” – not El Niño.

euronews.com

ECMWF weekly mean temperature anomaly shows the highest category (>10°C above normal) over France this week. Typically, these colors appear only during winter warm spells, when temperature variability is the largest. Seeing them in mid-summer says a lot about the intensity of this heatwave.

Quel enfer ! L’anomalie thermique moyenne sur une semaine continue de pulvériser tous les plafonds, atteignant désormais +10.00°C à l’échelle nationale. C’est très largement au-dessus de la canicule d’ordre millénaire de mai 2026. 1/2

Not the end of the story, but this is marvellous news.

The Colorado Sun ☀️@coloradosun.com · 3mo ago

Federal judge blocks breakup of NCAR in Boulder while blasting Trump for enacting political revenge on Colorado

Amazonian forests are experiencing faster carbon turnover due to increased atmospheric drying and convective storms, which may reduce their long-term carbon storage capacity.

Amazon's carbon clock is speeding up, and violent storms may be only part of why

Tropical forests store more than 60% of the world's vegetation biomass and are among the most important ecosystems for regulating the global carbon cycle and climate.

phys.org

A team of academics looked into the environmental & climate claims of the meat & dairy industry from 2021-2024, to try to determine what percentage of those claims qualified as "greenwashing." The good news: it wasn't 100%! The bad news: it was, uh, 98%.

Environmental claims, climate promises, and ‘greenwashing’ by meat and dairy companies

Animal agriculture has disproportionate environmental impacts relative to other forms of food production and accounts for at least 16.5% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Many of the large...

journals.plos.org

We have a pretty good understanding of the differences between GHG emission estimates, but when it comes to some sectors (e.g., land), estimates seem all over the place! Why is this? @wflamb.bsky.social has you covered... essd.copernicus.org/articles/18/... 1/

Of all human activities, few have as big an impact on the planet as agriculture. Globally, the agri-food system—everything that’s produced & consumed, from farm to fork to landfill—is the largest consumer of water & user of land, and one of the largest GHG emitters: drawdown.org/news/only-ha... >>

Only half of calories produced on croplands are available for human consumption, study finds

Study: 1/2 of the calories produced on croplands are unavailable for human consumption

drawdown.org

Next study (preprint) that models underestimate warming substantially No shit no kidding Models have a circulation problem (oceans + atmosphere) which are able to massively supercharge changes or extreme events like the North American heatwave or the non-linear expansion of marine heatwaves

I just resigned from NASA. It breaks my heart to leave, but I’ve become convinced the best path forward is to do the best science I can, and that can’t be here anymore. I’m still in love with the promise of those four magic letters. Ad astra per aspera, and remember: Earth is the only good planet.

🌟 Editor's Pick! 🌟 “The Amazon forest has been a reliable carbon sink, soaking up some of humanity’s carbon emissions, but a severe drought in 2023 adds to growing concern that this ecosystem service is at risk.” 🔗 eos.org/editor-highl... #AGUPubs @eos.org

Severe 2023 Drought: Sinking Carbon Sink in the Amazon - Eos

The Amazon forest has been a reliable carbon sink, soaking up some of humanity’s carbon emissions, but a severe drought in 2023 adds to growing concern that this ecosystem service is at risk.

eos.org