Rare earths have exceptional magnetic, electronic, optical and catalytic properties, which are particularly useful for the technologies accompanying the energy transition. They are used in all new technologies, but their origin and the environmental impact of their production are unknown to most people. Demand is growing by 10% a year.
Spain is set to offer three days’ menstrual leave to women suffering from severe menstrual pain. The proposed policy will be voted on at a cabinet meeting this week, along with a measure to provide sanitary towels in schools. Spain will be the first country in Europe to offer this service, which already exists in some Asian countries and Zambia.
On May 17, the Agriculture du Futur movement announced the creation of a citizens’ assembly that will begin work in June. One hundred randomly selected Swiss citizens will be asked to draw up concrete recommendations for a sustainable, crisis-resistant food policy. Recommendations are due to be adopted by November 6, and will be forwarded to the political and administrative spheres.
Global warming is causing drought and heat to become more intense and more frequent in summer, putting a strain on tree species accustomed to a more temperate climate. Forests risk no longer being able to provide the services on which people depend. Which heatwave- and drought-resistant trees will be able to guarantee forest functions in 50 or 100 years’ time?
The COP15 desertification conference in Abidjan ended on a very mixed note after eleven days of negotiations. The international community has pledged to “accelerate the restoration of one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030”, but this will not be enough. Indeed, a recent report published ahead of the conference estimates that 50 billion hectares will need to be restored by 2050.
The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) tells us that greenhouse gas concentrations, sea-level rise, ocean warming and acidification have all set new records in 2021, while some glaciers have reached the point of no return. For the UN chief, “without renewable energies, there is simply no future”.
The designer, a pioneer of sustainable fashion, celebrates mushrooms as the future of fashion and our planet with a spring-summer 2002 collection featuring the first bag made from mycelium, a vegan material that offers a genuine alternative to animal leather. To mark the occasion, the brand is organizing a series of culinary events celebrating the exceptional powers of these organisms.
The benefits of taking action against soil degradation far outweigh the costs of sustainable landscape management. The global economy could grow by more than $140,000 billion a year if the objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are met, participants at the 15th UNCCD Summit heard.
After a brief lull, with temperatures falling back below 35°C, the record for the world’s highest temperature in 2022 was broken in Jacobabad, Pakistan, with 51°C in the shade. These extreme temperatures threaten human health, water supplies, future harvests and even biodiversity, which cannot withstand such oppressive heat.
8 freshly graduated AgroParisTech students gave a speech explaining their refusal to work in “destructive jobs” and calling on their fellow students to join green struggles and work with their hands. They explained that they didn’t want to pretend to be proud and deserving of obtaining this diploma at the end of a training program that encourages them to participate in the social and ecological devastation underway.
