Deforestation is the large-scale, often permanent removal of forest cover, typically through logging, burning, or land conversion for agriculture, infrastructure, or resource extraction, resulting in the reduction or fragmentation of forest ecosystems. As a research topic, it encompasses quantifying forest loss using remote sensing and geospatial analysis, assessing impacts on carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, hydrological cycles, and soil integrity, and examining social-ecological drivers such as governance, commodity markets, and land-use policies. Deforestation studies also investigate feedbacks to climate systems, resilience thresholds, and the effectiveness of interventions including protected areas, certification schemes, and zero-deforestation supply-chain commitments.
An international team of scientists has used artificial intelligence and 35 years of satellite data to uncover the shocking scale of environmental destruction in one of the world's most important ecosystems.
Environment
May 26, 2026
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Changes in land-use across Southeast Asia over the past 15 years are worsening air quality and contributing to thousands of excess deaths each year, according to a study led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, ...
Environment
May 25, 2026
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35
British demand for everyday global commodities can be linked to more than 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide in a single year, with tens of thousands of hectares stripped directly from overseas ecosystems. The stark ...
Earth Sciences
May 25, 2026
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For 20 years, Millicent Turay has supported her family by collecting mangrove oysters near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, a common livelihood along the west African coast.
Environment
May 22, 2026
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For decades, environmental debates have been framed around a stark trade-off: economic growth lifts people out of poverty but comes at the expense of forests, wildlife, and climate stability. More people and richer diets ...
Environment
May 20, 2026
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10
Human development is driving numerous global species to the brink of extinction, threatening essential resources like water and soil, and contributing to climate change. Conservationists have shown that putting critically ...
Environment
May 18, 2026
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12
Researchers have developed a model that identifies prime farmland, habitats critical for biodiversity and areas suitable for solar development in New York, to help communities minimize land-use conflicts when making solar ...
Environment
May 18, 2026
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15
Last night, Labor unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform. It comes at a time when politics is consumed with the international shocks created by US President Donald ...
Environment
May 13, 2026
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7
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Somehow, it feels like it's getting hotter and drier every day.
Environment
May 12, 2026
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A technology designed to mitigate global warming could, paradoxically, contribute to carbon emissions if hotter temperatures lead to a shift in where bioenergy crops are grown. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) ...
Environment
May 12, 2026
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