Environment

Explainer

Why Cattle Farming Is Bad for the Environment, Explained

Beef and dairy production are particularly damaging.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

The Causes and Effects of Deforestation, Explained

A big aspect of climate change, summarized briefly.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

Humans Destroying Ecosystems: How to Measure Our Impact on the Environment

You might have heard the claim humans are “destroying” the planet — but how do you actually measure that?

Climate•7 min read

Explainer

Agriculture Affects Deforestation Much More Than Most People Realize

Cattle farming accounts for 80 percent of all deforested land across the Amazon, and 41 percent of all tropical deforestation worldwide.

Climate•7 min read

Explainer

What Is Climate Change and How Do We Solve It?

Some of the biggest questions of our time, summarized concisely.

Climate•10 min read

Reported

Texas Panhandle Fire Has Killed Thousands of Cattle, Yet Ranching May Be To Blame

Cattle ranching contributes to the dangerous conditions making wildfires like Smokehouse Creek far more likely.

Climate•4 min read

Explainer

Mangroves Fight Climate Change, but Shrimp Farming Threatens Them

On a per capita basis, mangroves capture four times more carbon than the Amazon.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

How Overconsumption Affects the Environment and Health, Explained

You likely contribute to overconsumption in ways you might not realize.

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

7 Tips for a More Sustainable Holiday Celebration

From plant-based eggnog to recycled wrapping paper, here are the best ways to curb your environmental impact.

Climate•5 min read

Explainer

What the Endangered Species Act Does, and Why It Matters

The Act is turning 50 this year — but how successful has it been at protecting endangered species?

Climate•10 min read

Reported

Don’t Feed Your Holiday Pumpkins to Wild Animals

Pumpkins in parks and your backyard could be doing more harm than good.

Climate•3 min read

Explainer

Amazon Deforestation — How Much of the Rainforest Is Left?

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is now at a six-year low, but factory farming continues to drive destruction.

Climate•10 min read

Explainer

How Wildfires Affect Animals, and What You Can Do About It

The increasing number of wildfires are devastating for wild animals, but they harm farm animals greatly too.

Climate•8 min read

Reported

How a Family Cares for Llamas in Guatemala — and Teaches Climate Action

A family in Guatemala chose to keep llamas rather than sell them for meat. Two decades later, they teach tourists how to be more sustainable.

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

How Bees Help the Environment and Humans

Why it’s crucial we protect these extremely helpful insects — and what’s at stake if we fail to do so.

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

Methane Pollution: Why Is Methane Bad for the Environment?

Methane is responsible for 30 percent of global warming since pre-industrial times. Emissions sources include natural gas, landfills and cattle farming.

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

What Is Land Use Change, and What Causes It?

Over the last few centuries, human activity has caused land use change on an unnatural scale.

Climate•8 min read

Analysis

Rapid Bird Species Decline Boosts Case for Biodiversity Action

New wildlife report reveals 49 percent of bird species are decreasing.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

End Animal Farming and Scale Up Protein Breweries

Reboot Food calls for replacing factory farms with precision fermentation.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

Saving Food Waste From Landfill, One Whatsapp Message at a Time

Foodsharing has rescued 178 million pounds of food from landfill since 2012. Yet experts say more should be done to combat food waste on a global scale.

Climate•7 min read

Explainer

Announcing New Midwest Journalism Fund

Sentient Media is launching a new $10,000 fund and training program to support journalists in the Midwest who report on environmental and agricultural issues.

Climate•2 min read

Explainer

Gen Z: The Future of the Planet Is in Their Hands

Our planet is in trouble. Younger generations, like Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, are taking action.

Climate•1 min read

Reported

Inside David Attenborough’s Journey to the Center of the Climate Movement

For years, he inspired curiosity and awe for the natural world in ways that no other television presenter had done before. But recently, the tone of his films has changed.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

Vegans Are Buying Grazing Land and Giving It Back to Nature

In Britain, a crowdfunding campaign called the Vegan Land Movement is buying out grazing land from farmers to rewild it. The transition is proving more complicated than they expected.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

Brazil’s Amazon Now Emits More Carbon Than It Captures

According to a new study, the Brazilian Amazon is emitting more carbon than it captures. The unprecedented rise in emissions is being driven by animal agriculture.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try.

A climate scientist spent years trying to get people to pay attention to the disaster ahead. But his frantic effort to reduce his carbon footprint left his family exhausted and…

Climate•22 min read

Reported

9 Boundaries We Must Respect to Keep the Planet Habitable

There are nine planetary boundaries beyond which we cannot push Earth without putting billions of lives at risk. We are already outside the "safe operating space" for at least four…

Climate•16 min read

Analysis

Dietary Changes Needed to Prevent Future Pandemics and Biodiversity Loss

A new UN-backed report is calling for the rapid transition away from intensive animal agriculture, fearing it could lead to massive biodiversity loss and the next pandemic.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

The Raven Corps: Youth Activists Making a Difference

Youth activists in The Raven Corps are coming together to bring awareness to the pivotal issues the world is currently facing. These activists will not be silenced in their mission…

Climate•4 min read

Perspective

More Than Talk: Making the Climate Conversation Meaningful

Climate change is not a new concept, yet communication experts, scientists, and activists are still struggling with how to convey messages about this pertinent topic.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

DearTomorrow, Let’s Make it Personal

The climate crisis we are facing is not a political issue, it’s a personal, human issue that affects everyone in different ways. The digital archive project DearTomorrow wants to hear…

Climate•4 min read

Reported

Missing the 2℃ Mark

During a drought earlier this year in Australia, where temperatures reached 117 degrees Fahrenheit, farmers could barely afford to feed their cattle at $10,000 per truckload of hay. All their…

Climate•1 min read