Stephen Leahy: SEAL Award Winner 2018

A selection of this year’s best environmental journalism

Human Impacts On The Environment Are Putting Our Future At Risk

More than 15,000 scientists signed an urgent update to the warning published by the scientific community 25 years ago which detailed the human impacts on the environment that were putting ‘at serious risk the future we wish for human society’. Source: Vice Motherboard (Approx. 7 minutes)

Investors Are Pushing Business To Get In Line With Paris Agreement

An investor group controlling more than USD $4 trillion states, “[They] want to send an unequivocal signal — directly to companies — that they will hold them accountable in order to secure bold corporate action to improve governance, curb emissions, and increase disclosure to address the greatest challenge of our time.” Source: Vice Motherboard (Approx. 8 minutes)

Biodiversity Is In Free Fall. Here’s How We Can Fix It.

The tropics are home to nearly 80 percent of all species in the world. The regions’ species losses are mainly driven by extraction of resources like wood, minerals and palm oil and by global climate change. Halting biodiversity loss in the tropics requires a mix of solutions, from small to global, and all of them urgent. Source: National Geographic (Approx. 5 minutes)

Life On Earth Is Under Assault — But There’s Still Hope

Nearly everywhere, various forms of non-human life are in decline, according to a series of landmark international reports. But at the same time, there is considerable room for hope, based on many solutions with proven track records, the reports say. Source: National Geographic (Approx. 8 minutes)

Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming

Climate change is heating up the Arctic faster than anywhere else, and sea ice is shrinking 14 percent per decade. Because of melting sea ice, it is likely that more polar bears will soon starve, as access to their hunting grounds rapidly disappears. Source: National Geographic (Approx. 8 minutes)

Planet Heading Towards Apocalyptic ‘Hothouse Earth’ State

Cutting carbon emissions to limit climate change to 2 degrees C, as proposed in the Paris climate agreement, won’t be enough to avoid a ‘Hothouse Earth’. The reality is that global temperatures aren’t driven by human emissions of carbon alone — natural systems such as forests and oceans play a major role. Source: Vice Motherboard (Approx. 12 minutes)

Freezing Your Ass Off Is Also A Symptom Of Climate Change

The fact that it is cold today in Palm Springs and warm in Juneau is weather. Climate is long-term trends — years — of weather. And one of those trends is increased extreme weather, including winters too warm to ski and winters too cold to go outside. Source: Vice Motherboard (Approx. 4 minutes)

GreenReads:
Your must-read guide to environmental issues, published by the SEAL Awards (an environmental advocacy organization that hosts environmental journalism awards and business sustainability awards).