Planet: Critical

All species and subspecies of great apes are endangered or critically endangered. Experts say that GIFs depicting these apes in unnatural situations can also perpetuate the myth that they make good pets which fuels international wildlife trade of these endangered animals. 

While campaigners have been successful in coercing some stock photo agencies to stop providing images of apes in unnatural situations, many popular GIF sites still don't have policies against these images.

This episode features the popular article, "Think that GIF of the smoking chimp was funny? The chimp wasn't laughing," by Tina Deines:

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/think-that-gif-of-the-smoking-chimp-is-funny-the-chimp-wasnt-laughing/

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy this series, 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 us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Photo Credit: Adult female and infant wild chimpanzee feeding on figs in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Image by Alain Houle via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Welcome to the era of generalists, of the big picture thinkers who translate concepts into action. These are the people who join the dots to get a better sense of how our world fits together—and how we impact each other.

Planet: Critical is a resource for a world in crisis, supported by people like you. Join the community by becoming a subscriber today.

Nate Hagens is one of the most acclaimed big picture thinkers tackling the sustainability question. He joins me to explain that creating a sustainable future demands tackling social and economic inequalities, and ultimately creating a new system of values.

Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.

Nate currently teaches a systems synthesis Honors seminar at the University of Minnesota ‘Reality 101 – A Survey of the Human Predicament’. Nate is on the Boards of Bottleneck Foundation, IIER and Institute for the Study of Energy and the Future.

You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.

© 2022 Rachel Donald

Still there was some progress so we discuss those here plus proactive ways we can all stay engaged with this debate over the planet's future atmosphere, with two guests. 

Bill McKibben is a noted activist, author, and founder of 350.org as well as the newly created Third Act initiative, and shares his response to the failures of COP26, why he was inspired by the activism he saw at the COP, and how he sees climate activism evolving to counter the outsized influence of the industries that rely on burning fossil fuels and clearing the world’s forests for profit.

And Trebbe Johnson, author of Radical Joy for Hard Times: Finding Meaning and Making Beauty In Earth’s Broken Places and founder of an organization with the same name, Radical Joy for Hard Times, tells us about ecological grief, how it can affect people concerned about the future of our planet, and how to deal with that grief and stay committed to working towards a better future for all life on Earth.

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, 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!

Further reading:

• ”Hope old and new: COP26 focused on two largely unsung climate solutions”

• “‘Standing with your feet in the water’: COP26 struggles to succeed” 

• ”Do forest declarations work? How do the Glasgow and New York declarations compare?”

• ”COP26 Glasgow Declaration: Salvation or threat to Earth’s forests?”

• ”$1.7 billion pledged in support of Indigenous and local communities’ land tenure” 

Episode artwork via Twitter.

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Please share your thoughts and ideas! [email protected].

Ugo Bardi is a Professor in Physical Chemistry at the University of Florence, and a member of the Club of Rome. Ugo’s work focuses on promoting a sustainable transition to renewable energy on the basis of a quantitative energy yield analysis. In his blog, he examines among other things the “Seneca Effect”, a biophysical interpretation of the collapse of complex systems.

In this fascinating interview Ugo ranges from discussing what killed the dinosaurs to revealing a theory of evolution that could radically transform how we combat the climate crisis. He also provides details on some of the most exciting technological advancements which could help us navigate our energy, economic and ecological crises.

This isn’t one to miss. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.

Ugo’s blog, The Seneca Effect.

You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.

© 2022 Rachel Donald

The Earth Defenders Toolkit is a collection of apps that support local autonomy of Indigenous lands, giving communities ownership of critical data and reducing the need for outside support. 

The toolkit, which includes mapping apps like 'Mapeo,' keep the needs of Indigenous communities at the forefront, overcoming barriers inherent to technology, like participation and security. 

This episode features the popular article, "Sharing solutions: How a digital toolkit is strengthening Indigenous voices," by Caitlin Looby:

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/sharing-solutions-how-a-digital-toolkit-is-strengthening-indigenous-voices/

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy this series, 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 us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Photo Credit: Members of the land patrol from the Kofan community of Sinangoé, Ecuador, test Mapeo Mobile as part of the design process. Image courtesy of Digital Democracy.

Caitlin Looby is the 2021 Sue Palminteri WildTech Reporting Fellow, which honors the memory of Mongabay Wildtech editor Sue Palminteri by providing opportunities for students to gain experience in conservation technology and writing. You can support this program here.

Editor’s note: This story was supported by XPRIZE Rainforest as part of their five-year competition to enhance understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. In respect to Mongabay’s policy on editorial independence, XPRIZE Rainforest does not have any right to assign, review, or edit any content published with their support.

Gary Juffa is the Governor for Oro Province in Papua New Guinea, and has become famous for taking on the illegal logging cartels decimating one of the world’s most precious rainforests. He attended COP26 in Glasgow to speak on behalf of his people, his forests and the creatures that call it home—and to bravely name and shame the companies “raping and pillaging” his country.

Gary explains how the “timber mafia” landed in Papua New Guinea from Malaysia and how they took over local government through bribes, blackmail and even assassination. He explains how he’s fighting them in his province, and how the West must lend funds and muscle to the fight, and what he thinks of the deals made at COP26.

What Gary has to say is jaw-dropping. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.

You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.

© 2022 Rachel Donald

Initiatives to plant billions and even trillions of trees have been popping up like seedlings after a rainstorm.

These are important in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, but what about using natural regeneration, where one allows a forest to regrow using its native seedstock, in such efforts?  

On this episode we discuss the amazing power of letting forests regrow, and when tree-planting is necessary, plus what we know about the differences between planted and naturally regenerated forests with two guests:

University of California professor Karen Holl describes the conditions that are conducive to natural regeneration of forests and shares inspiring examples ranging from current experiments to historical events like in Costa Rica and the Northeast United States.

And researcher/restoration consultant Robin Chazdon discusses the decision-making process that goes into successful reforestation projects, and whether today’s tree-planting campaigns are likely to be beneficial in the long run.

Related resources:

• ”Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?”
• ”Beyond tree planting: When to let forests restore themselves”

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, 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 us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Please share your thoughts and ideas! [email protected].

The rare Champman's pygmy chameleon has been missing in the wild for over two decades. First described in 1992, it was finally seen in a dwindling patch of rainforest in the Malawi Hills in 2016. Researchers say there are likely more. However, they are unable to travel the long distances between the shrinking patches of their forest home.  Scientists' findings of the rare chameleon call for conservation of the chameleon's habitat, which has seen an 80% deforestation rate over the past 40 years. 

This episode features the popular article, "Rare pygmy chameleon, lost to science, found in dwindling Malawi forest," by Liz Kimbrough:

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/rare-pygmy-chameleon-lost-to-science-found-in-dwindling-malawi-forest/

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to have access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

If you enjoy this series, 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 us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Photo Credit: Chapman’s pygmy chameleon by Krystal Tolley

Liz Kimbrough is a staff writer for Mongabay. Find her on Twitter: @lizkimbrough_

We speak with two Indigenous leaders and scientists on this episode -- Stephanie Thorassie of the Seal River Watershed Alliance in Manitoba, and Angela Waupochick, a researcher of forested wetlands for Menominee Tribal Enterprises in Wisconsin -- about their projects and how bioacoustics techniques are aiding them. 

We hear sound clips of bears and birds shared by Waupochick and also Jeff Wells of the National Audubon Society, which  partners with the Seal River Watershed Alliance to study the region’s importance to wildlife toward establishing a new, 12-million-acre Indigenous Protected Area.

Further reading:

• ”Indigenous-managed lands found to harbor more biodiversity than protected areas”

• Canada working towards new future for Indigenous-led conservation (Indigenous Protected Areas)

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, 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 us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay.

Dr Carey King is a research scientist at the university of Texas and Assistant Director at the Energy Institute. He performs interdisciplinary research related to how energy systems interact within the economy and environment, and how these can impact the policy.

We discuss the fallacy of pursuing economic growth whilst trying to decarbonize the planet, how to re-evaluate what an economy provides for mankind, and how energy and the economy truly interact to create what he calls an “economic superorganism”. He thinks understanding the economy as a superorganism holds the key to creating more resilient policies, structures and models when combatting climate change.

This is an utterly fascinating episode that truly dives into the science driving both climate change and the mistakes being made when confronting it. Listen here or catch it on Apple or Spotify.

Get a copy of Carey’s book, The Economic Superorganism.

You can also follow Planet: Critical on Youtube and support the project on Patreon where I upload a bonus video every Saturday.

© 2022 Rachel Donald