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Agriculture and deforestation don't have to go hand in hand -
The world's tropical regions lost 7 million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2010 while gaining 6 million hectares of agricultural land, but the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says we don't necessarily have to swap trees for food. In a report released today, it says forests boost agriculture by stabilizing the soil and climate, and better communication between the two sectors can increase both tree cover and food security. BBC
Biologists say biodiversity has fallen below safe levels -
A new study finds that human activity globally has caused ecosystems to lose about 15 percent of their species abundance on average—crossing what the researchers say is a safe boundary. Other ecologists, however, take issue with what they call an "arbitrary" threshold. Washington Post
India could meet its climate targets early -
The world's third-largest emitter has pledged to cut carbon 35 percent and boost clean energy 40 percent by 2030. But Prakash Javadekar, the outgoing climate minister, says India could try harder and achieve those goals even sooner. He encouraged other countries to follow suit. The Guardian
A heat wave is baking Alaska -
Temperatures in many Alaskan cities this week rocketed into the high 80s. Deadhorse, near the Arctic Ocean, hit 85, the highest temperature ever recorded in the area. Meteorologists are expecting a massive heat wave to hit much of the Lower 48 next week, too. ThinkProgress
Unless people do more they will end up wearing the pollution on their faces in 10 years’ time.
—Dr. Mervyn Patterson, a cosmetic doctor in the United Kingdom, discusses how air pollution accelerates wrinkles and other types of skin aging in urban areas.