Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined by 22% for the year ending July 31, 2023, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, CEO and editor-in-chief Rhett Butler tells us what the data show and what Mongabay will be looking for in the future. Butler also details more exciting news, such as the 2023 Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication, given to Mongabay for its “outstanding track record” in communicating issues related to nature and biodiversity, and the launch of an all-new bilingual bureau in Africa. Related Reading: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls 22% in 2023 Mongabay wins prestigious 2023 Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication Mongabay launches Africa news bureau Meet the tech projects competing for a $10m prize to save rainforests Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms. Image Caption: Scarlet macaw in Brazil. Photo by Rhett Butler.

Deforestation decline in the Amazon and other positive news

News and inspiration from nature’s frontline, featuring inspiring guests and deeper analysis of the global environmental issues explored every day by the Mongabay.com team, from climate change to biodiversity, tropical ecology, wildlife, and more. The show airs every other week.

Natural Sciences

Science & Medicine

Science

Nature

 On this episode of Mongabay’s podcast, we speak with a co-founder of the award-winning Canadian nonprofit news outlet ‘The Narwhal,’ Emma Gilchrist.     She reflects on Canada’s unique natural legacy, her organization's successes, the state of environmental reporting in the nature-rich nation, how she sees ‘The Narwhal’ filling the gaps in historically neglected stories and viewpoints, and why something as universally appreciated as nature can still be a polarizing topic.     She also details a legal battle her organization is involved in that could have significant implications for press freedom in Canada.     If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!     See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.     Image credit: Bow Lake in Banff, Canada. Photo credit: Rhett A. Butler.     ---  Timecodes      (00:00) Introduction  (02:30) The mission and impact of 'The Narwhal'  (05:16) The Canadian environmental paradox  (24:40) Fighting for press freedom  (29:31) An uncertain political landscape  (34:50) Post-chat: independent outlets make waves  (45:58) Credits

What's unique about Canada's environment? 'The Narwhal' brings top news and views

 In recognition of her leadership and advocacy, Indigenous Wirdi woman Murrawah Maroochy Johnson has been awarded the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize.      She joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss a landmark victory for First Nations rights in Australia, led by her organization Youth Verdict against Waratah Coal, which resulted in the Land Court of Queensland recommending a rejection of a mining lease in the Galilee Basin that would have added 1.58 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over its lifespan.     The court case set multiple precedents in Australia, including being the first successful case to link the impacts of climate change with human rights, and the first to include on-Country evidence from First Nations witnesses.      If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!     See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.     Image credit: 2024 Goldman Prize winner Murrawah Maroochy Johnson. Photo courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize.     ---  Timecodes      (00:00) Introduction  (02:51) An unprecedented victory  (05:33) Including on-Country evidence  (16:17) Future legal implications  (20:34) Challenges of navigating the legal system  (26:14) Looking to the future  (28:16) Credits

How a grassroots legal effort defeated a giant Australian coal mine

 Indigenous rights advocate and executive director of SIRGE Coalition, Galina Angarova, and environmental journalist/author of the Substack newsletter Green Rocks, Ian Morse, join us to detail the key social and environmental concerns, impacts, and questions we should be asking about the mining of elements used in everything from the global renewable energy transition to the device in your hand.     Research indicates that 54% of all transition minerals occur on or near Indigenous land. Despite this fact, no nation anywhere has properly enforced Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocols in line with standards in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Further, local communities too seldom benefit from their extraction, while suffering their consequences in the form of reduced air and/or water quality.     This conversation was originally broadcast on Mongabay's YouTube channel to a live audience of journalists but the conversation contains detailed insight and analysis on a vital topic listeners of the Newscast will appreciate. Those interested in participating in Mongabay's webinar series are encouraged to subscribe to the YouTube Channel or sign up for Mongagabay's Webinar Newsletter here.      If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!     See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.     Image credit: A symbol for a renewable charging station. (Photo courtesy of Nicola Sznajder/Flickr)     ---  Timecodes      (00:00) Introduction  (02:57) Why are they called 'transition minerals?'  (07:04) Geopolitical tensions and complications  (16:04) Realities of mining windfalls  (26:30) Cartelization concerns  (32:50) Environmental and human rights impacts  (39:46) Reporting on Free Prior and Informed Consent  (46:49) Recycling  (54:45) Additional Indigenous rights concerns  (57:04) Certification schemes and community-led mining initiatives  (01:03:22) Deep-sea mining  (01:09:21) Credits

Energy transition minerals: questions, consent and costs are key

 On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, journalist Dahr Jamail joins co-host Rachel Donald to discuss the ways many international conflicts are based on resource scarcity.     Notable as an unembedded reporter during the US-led Iraq invasion, Jamail expands on the human and ecological costs to these conflicts, the purported reasons behind them, how those justifications are covered in the media, and the continued stress these conflicts put on society.      "There was a saying a ways back by Lester Brown [who] said 'land is the new gold and water is the new oil.' And I think that that perspective is really kind of driving what we're seeing," Jamail says.     If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!     See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.     Image credit: A U.S. Army soldier watching a burning oil well at the Rumaila oil field in Iraq in April 2003. Image by Arlo K. Abrahamson/DoD via  Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).     ---  Timecodes      (00:00) Introduction  (01:57) From Alaska to Iraq  (10:59) Resource scarcity and the geopolitics of war  (29:31) New horizons and new tensions  (35:09) Post-show discussion  (50:05) Credits

The high costs of resource-based conflicts for people & planet

 On today's episode, climate activist and founder of the non-profit Force of Nature, Clover Hogan, details list of challenges activists face both from outside and within their movements.      Not only do environmental activists face growing legal and physical threats across the globe, they are also vulnerable to burnout, exhaustion, and ridicule as they navigate a host of other social challenges while doing this work that is poorly compensated.     Hogan speaks with co-host Mike DiGirolamo about these challenges and the way forward for more inclusive movements while navigating the noise:     “It's no accident that we spend so much of our time thinking about our individual lifestyles and not thinking about how [to] actually hold these systems accountable,” she says.     Attention, Google Podcasts users—although that podcast provider is being closed by Alphabet, which is moving all podcasts to its YouTube Music service—you can find our show via any of the podcast apps, so please find and follow the Mongabay Newscast via any of those to not miss an episode!     If you enjoy the show, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!     See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.     Image credit: Clover Hogan speaking in Paris, France. Photo courtesy of Clover Hogan.     ---  Timecodes      (00:00) Introduction  (02:10) Force of Nature  (05:36) The challenges activists face  (08:52) The myth of 'perfection'  (16:50) Hostile environments  (25:59) The most surprising 'confessions' of a climate activist  (32:51) Throwing soup on paintings: helpful or harmful?  (39:49) 'Hope' is a verb  (43:53) Climate activism is an intersectional movement

Deforestation decline in the Amazon and other positive news

Download our free app to listen on your phone