# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

# data[].attributes.body
With 426 people per square kilometer, as of 2016, England is densely populated when compared to most other European countries. But it’s not as densely populated as the Netherlands, where there were 505 people per square kilometer, or a much poorer country such as Bangladesh, where there were 1,252 per square kilometer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Alasdair Rae

At a national level, traditional measurements treat cities and rural areas the same way. Here's how to judge the density that people experience in their day-to-day lives.

It's often said that England is the most densely populated large country in Europe-typically in discussions about the nation's rising population, and the growing strain on public services. But it's not true.

With 426 people per square kilometer, as of 2016, England is densely populated when compared to most other European countries. But it's not as densely populated as the Netherlands, where there were 505 people per square kilometer, or a much poorer country such as Bangladesh, where there were 1,252 per square kilometer.

Yet simply dividing the number of people by the land area of a country is not always the best way to understand population density. Consider a country such as Russia, where urban density is high, but there are vast swathes of empty land. The figures will tell you density is very low (eight people per square kilometer); but this it not what most people in Russia experience in their daily lives. The same is true of Australia, Canada and other large, highly urbanised nations.

That's why I set out to understand the topic in more depth, using alternative measures of population density. I looked at 39 countries across Europe and came up with a set of statistics to help us understand settlement patterns in a more nuanced way. If you are interested in looking at this issue globally, I recommend Duncan Smith's World Population Density interactive map, or the World Bank's data comparison tool.

A bird's eye view

To begin with, I took Eurostat's population density grid data for 2011 and mapped it. This divides Europe into areas of 1 km², and then gives a population count for each area, so that we can compare like-with-like across Europe. As you can see from the map, it provides a good overview of where people live, and where they don't live: notice the sparse settlement pattern in the Alps or northern Scandinavia, or indeed much of Spain.

This bird's eye view helps us to understand the wider context. For example, we can see an area of high population density extending in a rough arc from north-west England down to Milan, with a little break in the Alps. This is the so-called " blue banana," or dorsale européenne (European backbone), identified by French geographer Roger Brunet in 1989, and it is home to more than 110 million people.

But we can get further clarity still by honing in on "built-up" density, which takes into account only those 1 square kilometer areas with people living in them. I call this figure "lived density," since it provides a way of seeing the kinds of population densities that people experience in their day-to-day lives, within built-up areas.

The Spanish distribution

A good way to understand this measure is to look at Spain. It has a population density of 93 people per square kilometer, giving the impression of a sparsely populated country. This is borne out in the map, where much of Spain appears to be empty; much more so than any other large European country.

The reasons for this date back to Medieval times, as Daniel Oto-Peralías at the University of St. Andrews has explained. Yet characterizing Spain as a sparsely populated country does not reflect the experience on the ground-as anyone who knows Barcelona or Madrid can tell you.

Spain contains within it more than 505,000 one-kilometer squares. But only 13 percent of them are lived in. This means that the "lived density" for Spain is in fact 737 people per square kilometer, rather than 93. So even though the settlement pattern appears sparse, people are actually quite tightly packed together.

In fact, Spain could claim to be the most densely populated major European country by this measure, despite its appearance on the map. This also helps explain why Spain has the most densely populated square kilometer in Europe; more than 53,000 people inhabit a single square kilometer area in Barcelona. France also has an area with more than 50,000 people in a single square kilometer, in Paris.

There are 33 one-square kilometer areas across Europe with a population of 40,000 or more: 23 are in Spain, and 10 are in France. England's most densely populated square kilometer, in West London, has just over 20,000 people in it. Globally, the highest figure is close to 200,000, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

See for yourself

When we look at "lived density" across Europe, it's fair to say that England is a densely populated country-but it still sits behind Spain and the Netherlands on the list of major European nations, and below the microstates of Monaco, Andorra, and Malta. The lived density figure for the Netherlands is 546 people per square kilometer, compared to 531 for England, 204 for Wales, 200 for Scotland, and 160 for Northern Ireland.

Although these population numbers are a little dated now (they are based on 2011 data), they can still demonstrate how population density figures might differ from what we experience in our day-to-day lives. Arithmetic population density measures can be useful, but on their own they don't always help inform public debate, or match up with our perceptions of urban density.

I have provided the data for all 39 countries, where available, so you can compare the figures for yourself. By using a more sophisticated measure, we can gain a more nuanced perspective of settlement patterns and relative densities and, hopefully, better capture the reality on the ground in towns and cities.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Note: the final column shows how many 1km cells have people in them, but within that the level of density also varies, so this is not a "percent urbanised" measure.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
There's a Better Way to Measure Population Density

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At a national level, traditional measurements treat cities and rural areas the same way. Here's how to judge the density that people experience in their day-to-day lives. It's often said that England is the most densely populated large country in Europe-typically in discussions about the nation's rising population, and the growing strain on public services.

# data[].attributes.body
Renewable power accounted for 70 per cent of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2017, the largest such increase in modern history of New Delhi. More than two-thirds of investments in power generation were in renewable energy in 2017 owing to increasing cost-competitiveness and the share of renewable energy in the power sector is expected to only continue to rise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
New Delhi: Renewable power accounted for 70 per cent of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2017, the largest such increase in modern history, a report said on Monday.

But the heating, cooling and transport sectors, which together account for about four-fifths of global final energy demand, continue to lag far behind the power sector.

According to the REN21's Renewables 2018 Global Status Report, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity reached record levels.

Solar PV additions were up 29 per cent relative to 2016, to 98 GW. More solar PV generating capacity was added to the electricity system than net capacity additions of coal, natural gas and nuclear power combined, said the report.

Wind power also drove the uptake of renewables with 52 GW added globally.

Investment in new renewable power capacity was more than twice that of net, new fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity combined, despite large, ongoing subsidies for fossil fuel generation.

More than two-thirds of investments in power generation were in renewables in 2017 owing to increasing cost-competitiveness and the share of renewables in the power sector is expected to only continue to rise.

China, Europe and the US accounted for nearly 75 per cent of global investment in renewables in 2017.

However, when measured per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), the Marshall Islands, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Guinea-Bissau, and many other developing countries are investing as much as or more in renewables than developed and emerging economies.

Both energy demand and energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose substantially for the first time in four years.

In the power sector, the transition to renewables is under way but is progressing more slowly than is possible or desirable.

A commitment made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels makes the nature of the challenge much clearer.

If the world is to achieve the target set in the Paris agreement, then heating, cooling and transport will need to follow the same path as the power sector and fast, the report warned.

Small changes are underway. In India, for example, installations of solar thermal collectors rose approximately 25 per cent in 2017 as compared to 2016.

IANS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World saw largest rise in renewable energy capacity in 2017: Report | The Siasat Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New Delhi: Renewable power accounted for 70 per cent of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2017, the largest such increase in modern history, a report said on Monday. But the heating, cooling and transport sectors, which together account for about four-fifths of global final energy demand, continue to lag far behind the ...

# data[].attributes.body
India will add 227 GW of renewable energy capacity by March 2022, possibly scaling up its ranking to the top three countries making investments in the sector. The country will overachieve its 175 GW renewable energy generation capacity target on the back of new schemes like floating solar, manufacturing-linked solar and offshore wind projects, power and renewable energy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
India will add 225 GW renewable energy project capacity by 2022: R K Singh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MNRE Secretary Anand Kumar, announcing the trajectory of bids over the next couple of years, said that while the current target is 175 GW, the Ministry's 'mission' is to add 225 GW by March 2022.

# data[].attributes.body
Women make up about a third of U.S. wind and solar energy jobs, higher than other technology fields.
A 2017 Department of Energy employee report found that women make up 32 percent of the wind industry workforce, which it found had a total 102,000 jobs. Women also made up 32 percent of the solar energy workforce. Those numbers are higher than some other tech industries; one recent search found women hold less than 20 percent of U.S. tech jobs overall.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Women make up about a third of U.S. wind and solar energy jobs, higher than other technology fields.

Sarah Fischer's journey into the renewable energy field began with a high school French teacher whose husband had been a child slave in Haiti. The couple opened Fischer's eyes to human rights and international development issues and sparked a desire to make a difference in such situations.

The more she learned about the role of deforestation and natural resource exploitation in creating poverty, the more she became interested in sustainability and renewable energy as ways to address injustice.

Fischer, who recently graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State University with a degree in sustainability economics and business, hopes to work in renewable energy policy, first in the U.S. and eventually related to international development.

She is among a cohort of young women whom an organization called (Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy) hopes will increase representation of women in the wind energy field. Fischer was among 11 women who received two different fellowships to attend last month's annual WINDPOWER conference in Chicago.

Fischer was among the fellows (named for a Colorado sustainability campaigner who passed away suddenly in 2002) who are considering a range of policy and other jobs in renewable energy. WRISE's Wind at Our Backs scholars, meanwhile, are entering wind technology specifically, and received $2,500 scholarships along with attending the conference.

The Wind at Our Backs fellows include Ashley Hobbs, who became interested in wind energy seeing wind turbines along the drive to her high school in Arnett, Oklahoma.

" I always wanted to know how they worked," she said.

For seven years, Hobbs worked in another heavily male-dominated field: as a corrections officer and dispatcher in the corrections system.

Then Hobbs completed an advanced wind turbine technician certificate at the High Plains Technology Center in Oklahoma, and she recently accepted a job with GE that will see her not only knowing how wind turbines work, but helping them do so. She's done all this while also raising two girls as a single mother.

"My goals in wind energy are to work my way up over the next several years, as in lead tech and even site lead," Hobbs said. "Wind is crucial for our future when it comes to clean energy and power. Sustainability is the biggest factor to me in wind energy; wind will always be here."

Numbers growing, slowly

Kristen Graf entered the renewable energy field herself about 16 years ago. In college, she was "stunned" to see how few women were in her engineering classes, and that trend only continued once she entered the renewable energy technology and policy world. So after a stint with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Graf took the opportunity to become executive director of WRISE, previously called Women in Wind Energy ( ), to try to change that disparity.

"There were tons of women in my high school calculus classes, but they didn't appear in the college programs to the same extent," said Graf. "There are lots of women in nonprofits, but not as many in the policy space making decisions on the energy side. And you look at public utility commissions, energy committees in Congress; I'd like to see more women there."

A 2017 Department of Energy employment report found that women make up 32 percent of the wind industry workforce, which it found had a total 102,000 jobs. Women also made up 32 percent of the solar energy workforce. Those numbers are higher than some other tech industries; one recent report found women hold less than 20 percent of U.S. tech jobs overall.

The current numbers of women in wind could be seen as an improvement from five years ago when another study showed only about 20 to 25 percent of wind industry jobs were held by women.

Graf said that various studies or ways of looking at employment data have placed women at 20 to 30 percent of the wind workforce over the past decade, with small gains likely made in recent years.

"I'm optimistic this small increase we've seen will be something that continues," she said. "For me it needs to be across the entire sector and every level of that sector, whether entry-level technicians, the manufacturing floor, C-suites, and boards. Some of those roles - admin, paralegal, marketing - are much further ahead in terms of having significant numbers of women in them. It's the edges, the C-suite, the boardroom, the more technical roles, the highly financial roles that have struggled to get numbers of women."

The DOE report found similar proportions of women in other energy fields including biofuels, coal and combined heat and power. Energy efficiency and petroleum fuels each had about a quarter of jobs filled by women. Racial and ethnic minority women are likely even more under-represented, though Graf said there is no comprehensive data that looks at renewable energy jobs by both gender and race. When race alone was considered, the DOE report found Latinos to make up about 20 percent of the workforce and African Americans to make up about 10 percent, in a number of renewable energy sectors.

Futures in Renewable Energy

During college, Fischer, 22, interned with nonprofits including the Ohio Environmental Council, Clean Fuels Ohio and the Electrification Coalition. She focused for a while on electric vehicles.

"Electric vehicles are great and more efficient, but Ohio runs mostly on coal power, so electric vehicles aren't emissions free unless you can promote renewable energy and make sure electricity comes from those sources," she noted.

She recently began a new job with the DC Sustainable Energy Utility, and she plans to later go to graduate school focused on energy policy. While small-scale solar arrays are increasingly being used to improve the lives of people in developing countries, Fischer imagines wind power could also have a bigger role.

"In the U.S. we developed through this incredible push for industrialization and fossil fuels, and it had all kinds of impacts on our environment," she said. "We eventually cut back our impacts but something we need to focus on when looking at other countries developing is finding a way they can skip that [fossil fuel stage] and go straight to green renewable energy."

While she is emphatic that the U.S. "should not be telling other countries what to do," she'd like to be part of such efforts.

"We've seen oil pipelines and coal plants being developed on an industrial scale in developing countries, so I can't see why we can't develop wind there."

Hobbs, meanwhile, plans to later get her associate's degree, thanks in part to the Wind at Our Backs fellowship, and continue working in wind energy.

"There's always a need for women in male-dominated fields such as wind energy," she said. "All industries need equality for women. Every woman has to prove ourselves to the men in the industry. We have to show them that we can keep up with them and can do the same work that men can do."

Opening doors

Even as employers - especially larger corporations that make up the bulk of the wind industry - make commitments to hire more women, " hiring managers appear baffled on how to meet this challenge, often citing a lack of qualified female candidates for positions," Graf wrote on WRISE's website.

WRISE has an initiative called " Find Her Keep Her: Recruiting and Retaining Women across Renewable Energy" that is aimed at showing corporations how to bring women into their workforce, also highlighting the stories of women in renewable energy.

WRISE notes that mentoring, developing leadership pipelines, transparency around salary, flexibility in schedule and other specific policies can help bring more women into the industry. WRISE also runs its own one-on-one and peer group mentoring programs, along with the fellowships.

"It's exciting to me to be able to help open at least a few doors for them," Graf said of the Fellows. "And it's incumbent on the industry as a whole to make sure they have the opportunities they need to flourish and grow and become an integrated part of the sector."

"The success of the sector is reliant on us doing a good job not just on gender but in all different aspects of race, ethnicity, ability, geography, background," she continued. "We can't just have all the same people talking around the same ideas all the time, or we're not going to make the type of progress we want to make."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women look to close renewable energy's employment gender gap

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Women make up about a third of U.S. wind and solar energy jobs, higher than other technology fields. Sarah Fischer's journey into the renewable energy field began with a high school French teacher whose husband had been a child slave in Haiti.

# data[].attributes.body
Renewable energy once again achieved record increases in 2017, according to a report. The power sector, and specifically solar PV, led the results with 9 percent growth in overall generating capacity — 55 percent of which came from new solar. And for the first time in four years the decoupling of emissions and economic growth faltered, with energy-related carbon dioxide emissions growing by an estimated 1.4 percent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Renewable energy once again achieved record increases in capacity in 2017, according to a report out Monday from the Renewable Energy Policy Network of the 21 st Century (REN21), a policy organization with members across national governments, industry, and divisions of the United Nations.

The power sector, and specifically solar PV, led the results with 9 percent growth in overall generating capacity - 55 percent of which came from new solar. But other energy-consuming sectors such as heating, cooling, and transportation saw marginal if any gains in clean energy uptake. And for the first time in four years the decoupling of emissions and economic growth faltered, with energy-related carbon dioxide emissions growing by an estimated 1.4 percent.

"We see a very positive uptake of renewable energy in the power sector, which is really an indication that, in principle, the energy transition is possible," said Rana Adib, executive secretary of REN21. "This said, the big challenge we have in the overall energy transition is that renewable energy for power only represents 20 percent of final energy demand."

Heating and cooling accounts for almost half of total global energy consumption. Transport accounts for almost one-third. In both those sectors, penetration of renewable energy is low: just 3.1 percent in transport in 2017 and 10.3 percent for heating in 2015.

Even as those sectors temper results, though, Adib said the power sector is reaching a "second tipping point" in some areas, where renewable energy is not only more economic than new fossil fuel construction, but also existing fossil fuel plants.

In 2017, the world added 98 gigawatts of solar PV capacity - more than fossil fuels and nuclear capacity taken together. That's an increase of about 29 percent compared to 2016, which was also a record-breaking year.

Those records are especially noteworthy given the policy uncertainty in the United States. While growth was somewhat depressed in the U.S., China ran away with the strongest growth. REN21 notes that though more and more governments and corporations are relying on solar power, most global demand is still tied to policy.

Offshore wind also had a record-breaking year, growing capacity by 30 percent even though the industry at-large lagged behind solar with 52 gigawatts of added capacity.

China continues to dominate in clean energy

Overall investment grew modestly last year to a total of $279.8 billion compared to $274 in 2016. Once again that was led by what REN21 categorizes as "developing and emerging economies," which grew their investments by 20 percent to $177 billion compared to money from developed countries, which fell 19 percent and added up to $103 billion.

Much of the investment in the developing and emerging category was led by China, which, it's safe to say, is neither developing or emerging when it comes to clean energy. China's dominance and aggressive clean energy growth was a theme threaded throughout the report. The country accounted for a record 45 percent of global investment last year, up 10 percent from 2016.

Adib said China is investing in a holistic approach towards renewables by paying for the infrastructure that allows clean energy to integrate into the grid, and setting up incentives for high energy-consuming industries to locate facilities in regions with proximate clean energy.

She also said that the country is pushing the pack on transportation electrification. Though electric vehicles still account for a miniscule portion of light-duty car sales globally, at 1 percent, China is the world's largest market.

The United States, on the other hand, is lagging. It's true that the Trump administration's solar tariffs had less of an industry-halting impact than a chilling one, but on most barometers of clean energy progress "they're ripping us left and right," as President Trump would say.

While China's investment grew, U.S. spending fell 6 percent. The $40.5 billion accounted for 14 percent of the global total, making it "a distant third" to China. Europe accounted for 15 percent of investment.

China now has over 3 million jobs in solar. The U.S. has just over 230,000 according to REN21, although the Solar Foundation's latest job census put that number closer to 250,000.

The U.S. still came in second to China on total renewable power capacity, but its 161 gigawatts of capacity is less than half of China's 334 gigawatts. In 2017, China added more solar capacity than the entire world added in 2015. According to GTM Research, China's demand is driving global growth.

Source: REN21

Non-governmental actors take the lead

Adib said it's not all negative for the U.S. Much like in the rest of the world, bodies aside from national governments are increasing their focus on clean energy.

"In the U.S., the positive thing is we see new players stepping up even though the national government is quite critical of renewable energy," said Adib. "The fact that new players, like corporations and subnational governments, are stepping in is quite a good sign."

This progress should be placed in context, though. Non-governmental actors represent a small portion of overall energy consumption. Adib said "there is no way that we will reach Paris goals or the sustainability development goals," if countries don't make advancements on electrifying sectors aside from power generation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2017 Was Another Record-Busting Year for Renewable Energy, Still Emissions Increased

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The power sector, and specifically solar PV, led the results with 9 percent growth in overall generating capacity - 55 percent of which came from new solar. But other energy-consuming sectors such as heating, cooling, and transportation saw marginal if any gains in clean energy uptake.

# data[].attributes.body
Officials with the Los Padres National Forest announced this week the largest wildfire in California's modern history is officially out, more than six months after it started. On December 23, the fire officially became the largest since the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection  also known as Cal Fire began compiling its list in 1932. The blaze consumed more than 1,000 structures throughout Southern California before it became 100% contained January 12. It also led to devastating mudslides that killed 17 people and destroyed dozens of homes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Thomas fire started December 4, 2017, and eventually burned 281,893 acres, a Friday news release from the US Forest Service said.

Officials made the announcement after no hot spots were detected within the fire's perimeter for more than two months, the release said.

"Work continues however," it said, "as crews and equipment repair roads, trails and fences damaged by the fire and by suppression actions."

On December 23, the fire officially became the largest since the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection -- also known as Cal Fire -- began compiling its list in 1932.

The blaze consumed more than 1,000 structures throughout Southern California before it became 100% contained January 12.

It also led to devastating mudslides in Montecito that killed 17 people and destroyed dozens of homes.

The Thomas Fire claimed the life of 32-year-old Cory Iverson, an engineer with Cal Fire. He left behind a wife, a toddler and an unborn baby.

The fire, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, devastated portions of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. It also concluded the costliest year of wildfires in US history, in which fires did more than $10 billion in damage.

About $177 million was spent battling the Thomas Fire alone, according to Cal Fire.

CNN's Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
the largest wildfire in california's modern history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The largest wildfire in California's modern history is finally out, more than 6 months after it started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Thomas fire started December 4, 2017, and eventually burned 281,893 acres, a Friday news release from the US Forest Service said. Officials made the announcement after no hot spots were detected within the fire's perimeter for more than two months, the release said.

# data[].attributes.body
One of the largest fires to burn in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Rim Fire tore through 257,000 acres on the edge of Yosemite National Park in 2013. A fleet of bulldozers and trucks arrived, sent by billionaire Archie Emerson. Workers began ripping up the trees even as the brush nearby was still smoldering.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Billion-Dollar Fortune From Timber and Fire

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From humble beginnings traipsing through California's vast forests with his dad to salvaging wood from forest fires, Red Emmerson has built a logging empire by being cheaper and more aggressive than his rivals.

# data[].attributes.body
Several wildfires have forced evacuations in California, Colorado and New Mexico.The Stone Fire burning in Agua Dulce, California, grew to more than 2 square miles in a few hours' time. The 416 Fire in Colorado has burned into the San Juan National Forest and spurred more than 800 homes to be evacuated.
Fourteen buildings have been destroyed in a New Mexico inferno, and hundreds of homes are threatened, officials said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Three separate wildfires have forced evacuations in California, Colorado and New Mexico.

The so-called 416 Fire in Colorado has burned into the San Juan National Forest and spurred more than 800 homes to be evacuated.

Fourteen buildings have been destroyed in the New Mexico inferno, and hundreds of homes are threatened, officials said.

A fire also erupted Saturday near Laguna Beach, California.

Fires in Colorado, New Mexico and California have forced evacuations amid dry conditions and severe drought.

A quickly spreading wildfire in southwestern Colorado has spurred evacuations for over 800 homes, La Plata County officials told the Associated Press.

The blaze, dubbed the 416 Fire, was spotted north of Durango Friday morning and was being fueled by shifting winds onto the San Juan National Forest. More than 3 square miles were scorched by Monday morning. The fire is 10 percent contained.
(MORE: The Latest on the Deadly Guatemala Volcano Eruption)
In addition to the more than 800 homes evacuated, another 700 homes were told to be ready to leave on a moment's notice. About 500 residences are threatened in the Highway 550 corridor, according to InciWeb, a government incident information system.

Highway 550 was partially reopened Sunday, according to CBS Denver, but the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad canceled all rides through June 10 due to the severe fire danger.

Several witnesses have indicated that the inferno was sparked by someone near the train tracks, but no official cause has been released, according to the Durango Herald.

Ute Park Fire, New Mexico

Residents have been ordered to evacuate an area of northern New Mexico as an aggressive wildfire quickly burned more than 56 square miles of land through the weekend.

The so-called Ute Park Fire destroyed 14 unoccupied structures at the Boy Scouts' Philmont Ranch overnight as it burned near Highway 64 in Ute Park. More than 200 buildings in Ute Park are threatened by the fire, according to KOAT.com.

However, there was some good news Monday: with the fire threat in steady decline, hundreds of residents in and around the town of Cimarron were cleared to return to their homes, officials said. Precipitation helped firefighters battle the blaze Sunday, and it is now 23 percent contained, according to InciWeb.
(MORE: Why the Start to June Might Be a Little Different for Some)
Several roads in the area were closed as the fire jumped over highways Friday and into the weekend.

Officials also said the fire danger forced the closure of the Santa Fe National Forest Friday morning, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. It will remain closed until conditions improve, the report added.

"Under current conditions, one abandoned campfire could cause a catastrophic wildfire, and we are not willing to take that chance with the natural and cultural resources under our protection and care," National Forest Supervisor James Melonas said in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Northern New Mexico has been in a prolonged period of extreme drought. Areas in and around Ute Park are currently in exceptional drought - the worst category - according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Aliso Fire, California

A new fire erupted near Laguna Beach, California, Saturday afternoon, forcing evacuations that have since been lifted.

Residents of some 2,000 Aliso Viejo homes were allowed to return late Saturday night after they were evacuated earlier in the day, the AP reported. Evacuations continued for some Laguna Beach neighborhoods, including Top of the World and Old Top of the World.

The fire, named the Aliso Fire, grew to 150 acres in Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach's Top of the World neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

More than 400 firefighters battled the blaze, which is now 40 percent contained, according to Orange County. The cause of the fire is unknown.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wildfires Erupt in Colorado, New Mexico, California; Hundreds of Homes Threatened

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Three separate wildfires have forced evacuations in California, Colorado and New Mexico. The so-called 416 Fire in Colorado has burned into the San Juan National Forest and spurred more than 800 homes to be evacuated. Fourteen buildings have been destroyed in the New Mexico inferno, and hundreds of homes are threatened, officials said.

# data[].attributes.body
A large forest fire in central-eastern Sweden is still not under control after more than a day of efforts to fight it both on the ground and from the air. Four helicopters have carried out water bombing in an attempt to put out the blaze, and 150 members of the emergency services and armed forces were fighting the fire, as well as volunteers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Images from the scene on Monday. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

A large forest fire in central-eastern Sweden is still not under control after more than a day of efforts to fight it both on the ground and from the air.

Four helicopters have carried out water bombing in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, and 150 members of the emergency services and armed forces were fighting the fire on Tuesday, as well as volunteers.

They were forced to take a break during the night due to darkness, after the first alarm came at 2.30 pm Monday, but resumed work around sunrise.

"Work is ongoing and the fire is spreading all the time, moving northwest with the wind. It's pushing that way. The fire is still not under control, and we're continuing to water-bomb it. But when one part is put out, new embers are caught by the wind," Mats Kero from the fire service told news agency TT.

Around 25 people were evacuated on Monday as a precaution in Sala, Västmanland, but so far no injuries have been reported. Robin Haglund from Greater Stockholm's fire department predicted that the fire will continue to burn for several days.

No further evacuations were planned for Tuesday, though some roads in the area remained blocked.

The fire is located the same area that was affected by severe forest fires in 2014. An estimated million kronor of damage was caused by those blazes, but Haglund said that this time emergency services were able to get resources to the site faster.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) issued an official warning of an "extreme risk" of forest fires in many parts of the country in late May, due to recent dry weather.

READ MORE: Swedes endure hottest May on record

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Large forest fire blazes in central Sweden

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Images from the scene on Monday. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT A large forest fire in central-eastern Sweden is still not under control after more than a day of efforts to fight it both on the ground and from the air.

# data[].attributes.body
One study predicts that the global population will peak at 9.4 billion later this century and fall below 9 billion by 2100. New projections of escalating growth increase the tension between humanity’s expanding needs and what the planet can provide. The new UN study out this week projects that the world's population growth may not stop any time soon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There are more than 7 billion people on Earth now, and roughly one in eight of us doesn't have enough to eat. The question of how many people the Earth can support is a long-standing one that becomes more intense as the world's population-and our use of natural resources-keeps booming.

This week, two conflicting projections of the world's future population were released. As National Geographic's Rob Kunzig writes here, a new United Nations and University of Washington study in the journal Science says it's highly likely we'll see 9.6 billion Earthlings by 2050, and up to 11 billion or more by 2100. These researchers used a new "probabalistic" statistical method that establishes a specific range of uncertainty around their results. Another study in the journal Global Environmental Change projects that the global population will peak at 9.4 billion later this century and fall below 9 billion by 2100, based on a survey of population experts. Who is right? We'll know in a hundred years.

Population debates like this are why, in 2011, National Geographic published a series called "7 Billion" on world population, its trends, implications, and future. After years of examining global environmental issues such as climate change, energy, food supply, and freshwater, we thought the time was ripe for a deep discussion of people and how we are connected to all these other issues-issues that are getting increased attention today, amid the new population projections.

After all, how many of us there are, how many children we have, how long we live, and where and how we live affect virtually every aspect of the planet upon which we rely to survive: the land, oceans, fisheries, forests, wildlife, grasslands, rivers and lakes, groundwater, air quality, atmosphere, weather, and climate.

We've been on a big growth spurt during the past century or so. In 1900, demographers had the world's population at 1.6 billion, in 1950 it was about 2.5 billion, by 2000 it was more than 6 billion. Now, there are about 7.2 billion of us.

The new UN study out this week projects that the world's population growth may not stop any time soon. That is a reversal from estimates done five years ago, when demographers-people who study population trends-were projecting that by 2045, world population likely would reach about 9 billion and begin to level off soon after.

But now, the UN researchers who published these new projections in the journal Science say that a flattening of population growth is not going to happen soon without rapid fertility declines-or a reduction in the number of children per mother-in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa that are still experiencing rapid population growth. As Rob Kunzig wrote for National Geographic, the new study estimates that "there's an 80 percent chance . . . that the actual number of people in 2100 will be somewhere between 9.6 and 12.3 billion."

A History of Debates Over Population

In a famous 1798 essay, the Reverend Thomas Malthus proposed that human population would grow more rapidly than our ability to grow food, and that eventually we would starve.

He asserted that the population would grow geometrically-1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32-and that food production would increase only arithmetically-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So food production would not keep up with our expanding appetites. You might imagine Malthus' scenario on geometric population growth as being like compound interest: A couple have two children and those children each produce two children. Those four children produce two children each tomake eight, and those eight children each have their own two kids, leaving 16 kids in that generation. But worldwide, the current median fertility rate is about 2.5, (or five children between two couples) so, like compound interest, the population numbers can rise even faster.

Even though more than 800 million people worldwide don't have enough to eat now, the mass starvation Mathus envisioned hasn't happened. This is primarily because advances in agriculture-including improved plant breeding and the use of chemical fertilizers-have kept global harvests increasing fast enough to mostly keep up with demand. Still, researchers such as Jeffrey Sachs and Paul Ehrlich continue to worry that Malthus eventually might be right.

Ehrlich, a Stanford University population biologist, wrote a 1968 bestseller called The Population Bomb, which warned of mass starvation in the 1970s and 1980s because of overpopulation. Even though he drastically missing that forecast, he continues to argue that humanity is heading for calamity. Ehrlich says the key issue now is not just the number of people on Earth, but a dramatic rise in our recent consumption of natural resources, which Elizabeth Kolbert explored in 2011 in an article called "The Anthropocene-The Age of Man."

Measuring Our Rising Impact

As a result of this massive expansion of our presence on Earth, scientists Ehrlich, John Holdren, and Barry Commoner in the early 1970s devised a formula to measure our rising impact, called IPAT, in which (I)mpact equals (P)opulation multiplied by (A)ffluence multiplied by (T)echnology.

The IPAT formula, they said, can help us realize that our cumulative impact on the planet is not just in population numbers, but also in the increasing amount of natural resources each person uses. The graphic above, which visualizes IPAT, shows that the rise in our cumulative impact since 1950-rising population combined with our expanding demand for resources-has been profound.

IPAT is a useful reminder that population, consumption, and technology all help shape our environmental impact, but it shouldn't be taken too literally. University of California ecologist John Harte has said that IPAT ". . . conveys the notion that population is a linear multiplier. . . . In reality, population plays a much more dynamic and complex role in shaping environmental quality."

One of our biggest impacts is agriculture. Whether we can grow enough food sustainably for an expanding world population also presents an urgent challenge, and this becomes only more so in light of these new population projections. Where will food for an additional 2 to 3 billion people come from when we are already barely keeping up with 7 billion? Such questions underpin a 2014 National Geographic series on the future of food.

As climate change damages crop yields and extreme weather disrupts harvests, growing enough food for our expanding population has become what The 2014 World Food Prize Symposium calls " the greatest challenge in human history."

Population's Structure: Fertility, Mortality and Migration

Population is not just about numbers of people. Demographers typically focus on three dimensions- fertility, mortality, and migration -when examining population trends. Fertility examines how many children a woman bears in her lifetime, mortality looks at how long we live, and migration focuses on where we live and move. Each of these population qualities influences the nature of our presence and impact across the planet.

Reducing fertility is essential if future population growth is to be reined in. Cynthia Gorney wrote about the dramatic story of declining Brazilian fertility as part of National Geographic's 7 Billion series. Average family size dropped from 6.3 children to 1.9 children per woman over two generations in Brazil, the result of improving education for girls, more career opportunities, and the increased availability of contraception.

Mortality-or birth rates versus death rates-and migration (where we live and move) also affect the structure of population. Living longer can cause a region's population to increase even if birth rates remain constant. Youthful nations in the Middle East and Africa, where there are more young people than old, struggle to provide sufficient land, food, water, housing, education, and employment for young people. Besides the search for a life with more opportunity elsewhere, migration also is driven by the need to escape political disruption or declining environmental conditions such as chronic drought and food shortages.

A paradox of lower fertility and reduced population growth rates is that as education and affluence improves, consumption of natural resources increases per person. In other words, (as illustrated in the IPAT graphic here) as we get richer, each of us consumes more natural resources and energy, typically carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. This can be seen in consumption patterns that include higher protein foods such as meat and dairy, more consumer goods, bigger houses, more vehicles, and more air travel.

Those of us reading this article are among an elite crowd of Earthlings. We have reliable electricity, access to Internet-connected computers and phones, and time available to contemplate these issues.

About one-fifth of those on Earth still don't have have access to reliable electricity. So as we debate population, things we take for granted-reliable lighting and cooking facilities, for example-remain beyond the reach of about 1.3 billion or more people. Lifting people from the darkness of energy poverty could help improve lives.

Improved education, especially for girls, is cited as a key driver of declining family size. Having light at night can become a gateway to better education for millions of young people and the realization that opportunities and choices besides bearing many children can await.

So when we debate population, it's important to also discuss the impact-the how we live-of the population equation. While new projections of even higher world population in the decades ahead are cause for concern, we should be equally concerned about-and be willing to address-the increasing effects of resource consumption and its waste.

Dennis Dimick led creation of the 2011 National Geographic series "7 Billion," and is National Geographic's executive editor for the Environment. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and flickr.

Related Reading and Resources
National Geographic 7 Billion Series 2011 United Nations World Population Trends 2014 Population Data Sheet from Population Reference Bureau Population Reference Bureau Interactive World Population Map Grist: Hungry, Hungry Humans Series Global Post: Half the World's Population Lives in these six countries Pew Fact Tank 10 projections for world population in 2050

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
As World's Population Booms, Will Its Resources Be Enough for Us?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are more than 7 billion people on Earth now, and roughly one in eight of us doesn't have enough to eat. The question of how many people the Earth can support is a long-standing one that becomes more intense as the world's population-and our use of natural resources-keeps booming.

# data[].attributes.body
Fertility rates in China have now dropped to an average 1.62 babies per woman, one of the lowest in Asia and below the rate of 2.1 required to keep most populations growing. The Chinese State Council commissioned a study on the consequences of ending the policy and plans to recommend the removal of all limits on how many children a couple can have.
The birth-planning policy was introduced in 1979 by Deng Xiaoping who argued that the country was too poor to feed its rapidly-growing population.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Population control policies were introduced in 1979 essentially limiting families to having a single child but the rule was always seen as human rights abuse.

Fertility rates have now dropped to an average 1.62 babies per woman, one of the lowest in Asia and below the rate of 2.1 required to keep most populations growing.

The trend has left the number of pensioners outpacing younger generations in a country which is home to 1.38 billion people, almost a fifth of the world's population.

The Chinese State Council commissioned a study on the consequences of ending the policy and plans to recommend the removal of all limits on how many children a couple can have.

Demographer Liang Zhongtang said the authorities had signalled the rethink after restructuring the agency in charge of enforcing the restrictions in March.

He said: "I don't think our government will make a fuss about abolishing the birth-planning policy. It will just go away.

"The matter simply will not be brought up any more.

"The birthrate will continue to decline. It's not a matter that can be simply decided by a government order for more children or fewer.

"But the abolition of the birth policy will give the public the freedom of their reproductive rights."

Enforcement of the policy had become increasingly rare with expectant parents needing only to register with their neighbourhood committees to receive prenatal care and child services.

In the past restrictions were draconian: couples had to submit paperwork to demonstrate their eligibility before getting a permit to get pregnant.

The birth-planning policy was introduced in 1979 by Deng Xiaoping who argued that the country was too poor to feed its rapidly-growing population.

Most urban couples were limited to one child and rural couples could have two if the first was a girl.

To meet fertility rate targets local officials sometimes took extreme measures, such as forcing women to have abortions or be sterilised.

City dwellers who broke the law risked losing their jobs and rural families had their homes torn down for having "illegal" children.

They faced heavy fines, and their children could be denied public education and healthcare. The policies provoked criticism but the ruling party argued that the controls improved human rights by reducing poverty.

But the recent decline in birthrate has created a new set of demographic challenges, including caring for an ageing population and ensuring that there is adequate labour to meet the demands of the fast-growing economy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China poised to scrap 'one child rule' - as Asian superpower faces population CRISIS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Population control policies were introduced in 1979 essentially limiting families to having a single child but the rule was always seen as human rights abuse. Fertility rates have now dropped to an average 1.62 babies per woman, one of the lowest in Asia and below the rate of 2.1 required to keep most populations growing.

# data[].attributes.body
The pace of human migration to urban environments is expected to sweep up more than 68 percent of the world population by 2050.About 4.2 billion people currently live in cities around the world, and an additional 2.5 billion are expected to be added over the next 30 years. According to the U.N., the world will host 43 mega cities with populations of more than 10 million inhabitants by 2030.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The dizzying pace of human migration to urban environments is expected to sweep up more than 68 percent of the world population by 2050, according to a new report. Prepared by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the study says 90 percent of the growth will be fueled by increased urbanization in Asia and Africa, with cites in China, Nigeria and India experiencing the greatest booms.

While the massive rise in urbanization underway in developing countries is reminiscent of the first wave that took place in Europe and North American between 1750 and 1950, its pace is unparalleled. About 4.2 billion people currently live in cities around the world, and an additional 2.5 billion are expected to be added over the next 30 years.

As Robert Muggah, research director of the Igarapé Institute in Rio de Janeiro, told Ensia earlier this year, this expected swell of people within such a small time frame paints a worrying picture.

"Many fast-growing cities urbanize before they industrialize," he said. "It took centuries for cities in the Global North to do this. In the south we are seeing a doubling of population in 25 years. Most cities [today] don't have the infrastructure, employment base or productivity to manage this growth. You see a maze of informal settlements, completely overloaded infrastructure. Cities are generating a challenge on a resource level never seen before. The fastest-growing cities may be hit the hardest."

Here come the megacities

Tokyo, currently the world's largest megacity with more than 37 million inhabitants, is expected to be eclipsed by New Delhi by 2030. (Photo: Chris Battaglia/flickr)

According to the U.N., the world will host 43 megacities with populations of more than 10 million inhabitants by 2030. New Delhi is expected to overtake Tokyo as the world's largest city, with a population of 43.3 million by 2035. The rural population meanwhile, which has grown slowly since 1950, is expected to peak in the coming years and then decline to 3.1 billion by 2050.

The U.N. notes that the expected upward trend in urbanization highlights an urgent need for cities to embrace inclusive, sustainable growth strategies that address everything from housing to healthcare to energy and education.

"As the world continues to urbanize, sustainable development depends increasingly on the successful management of urban growth, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where the pace of urbanization is projected to be the fastest," they state.

Opportunity at the expense of happiness?

Recent studies have found an increase in overall life satisfaction the further you move away from urban environments. (Photo: Ken Douglas/flickr)

While cities are bastions of rich culture, innovation and economic opportunity, humanity's present and future love affair with them may erode our overall well-being.

A recent Canadian study found that people living in rural areas and small towns were significantly happier, with shorter commutes, tighter social circles, and less expensive housing all being major factors. The study backed up a previous American one, which found overall increasing levels of life satisfaction the more people moved from megacities to smaller urban environments and small towns.

The loss of a connection to nature, something all urban environments should aspire to correct, is also considered a defining factor in overall happiness.

"One of the things we're recognizing is that, like other medicines, nature follows a dose curve," author Florence Williams told NatGeo last year. "A little bit of nature is helpful; a little more nature is even more helpful. If we think about how to access a little bit of nature in our daily lives, that's a great start: houseplants, going for walks on streets with trees and, as you move further up the pyramid, making an effort maybe once a month to go to a nature preserve or park outside the city."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Almost 70% of population will live in cities by 2050 (so maybe we should get better at it)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The dizzying pace of human migration to urban environments is expected to sweep up more than 68 percent of the world population by 2050, according to a new report.

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis met with some of the world's oil executives last week, to give them a nudge to clean up their act on global warming. The conference will be a follow-up to the pope's encyclical three years ago calling on people to save the planet from climate change and other environmental issues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Pope Francis will meet with some of the world's oil executives next week, likely to give them another moral nudge to clean up their act on global warming.

Climate change policy and science experts are cautiously hopeful but aren't expecting any miracles or even noticeable changes.

The conference will be a follow-up to the pope's encyclical three years ago calling on people to save the planet from climate change and other environmental ills, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke confirmed Friday. Cardinal Peter Turkson, who spearheaded the encyclical, set up the June 8-9 conference with the executives. The pope himself will speak to the leaders on the second day of the summit, organized with the University of Notre Dame, Burke said.

Officials at the Vatican and Notre Dame would not disclose who is coming. BP, however, confirmed that its CEO Robert Dudley plans to attend, and Exxon Mobil said CEO Darren Woods would be there. Woods said this week that his company is trying to balance the risks of climate change with growing demand for energy to raise living standards in the developing world.

Michael Oppenheimer, a professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University, said he doubts anything "measurable" will come out of the conference but he was nevertheless hopeful.

Oil companies have talked about fighting climate change, but they haven't done much beyond talk, said MIT management professor John Sterman.

The pope offers "moral persuasion," but if it is just a photo opportunity for oil executives to show off "it doesn't mean anything and in fact it's just PR to help oil companies burnish up their image while they continue to delay actions," Sterman said.

Jerry Taylor, president of the Washington libertarian-oriented think-tank Niskanen Center, said he figures the oil executives will tell the pope they're willing to accept action, such as a tax on heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions.

"But what is needed is for these oil majors to tell Republican lawmakers of their concern and support for action, not the pope. And this they have not done in any focused, sustained, or meaningful way," Taylor said in an email. That's where, he said, the pontiff needs to push them farther on the morality of what they're doing, he said.

Dana Fisher, a sociologist who studies environmentalism at the University of Maryland, said the pope is cementing his leadership on climate.

"He certainly is trying to lead for the planet and lord knows we need it," she said.

Gary Yohe, an economics and environment professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, said the executives might feel compelled to listen to the spiritual leader of nearly 1.3 billion Catholics.

"This is not somebody you can ignore," Yohe said. "It might be a come to Jesus moment for them."

Borenstein reported from Washington. Business Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pope summons oil executives to Vatican to talk climate change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pope Francis will meet with some of the world's oil executives next week, likely to give them another moral nudge to clean up their act on global warming. Climate change policy and science experts are cautiously hopeful but aren't expecting any miracles or even noticeable changes.

# data[].attributes.body
One consequence of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be less nutritious rice, despite growth gains for some other crops. Scientists have found that rice grown at higher levels of carbon dioxide has an overall lower nutritional value. The researchers estimate that 600 million people for whom rice provides more than half their daily diet could be affected.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Global warming could bring a serious problem for the two billion people on the planet who depend on one grain for their staple diet: less nutritious rice to sustain them. Scientists have found that rice grown at higher levels of carbon dioxide has an overall lower nutritional value.

The grain contains lower levels of protein, and iron and zinc-metals vital for health in trace form-and also consistent declines in vitamin B.

This finding is not based on computer simulation of a plant's response to notionally higher atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas CO2, nor on laboratory studies under glass and in artificial conditions. It is based on open air field trials.

That is, extra carbon dioxide is piped to the plants to mimic the ratios expected at the end of the century as ever more people burn ever greater quantities of fossil fuels. And it has been tested in many locations in rice-growing countries over many years.

The finding remains true-although at different levels of impact-for the 18 varieties or hybrids of rice tested so far.

Ten nations depend upon rice for daily food supplies. The people most likely to feel the consequences of reduced nutritional support-and these include impaired cognitive development, a feebler immune system, obesity and diabetes-are likely to be those who are poorest. The researchers estimate that 600 million people for whom rice provides more than half their daily diet could be affected.

"

For those populations that are highly rice-dependent, any CO2-induced change in the integrated nutritional value of rice grains could disproportionately affect human health.

Scientists from China, Japan, the US and Australia report in the journal Science Advances that they began their research, using what they call the technique of free air carbon dioxide enrichment, in 1998, to recreate what they expect to be the conditions under which farmers will grow crops a few decades from now.

They found on average that the test rice had 10 per cent less protein, 8 per cent less iron and 5.1 per cent less zinc compared with rice grown by farmers under existing conditions. There were also declines of 17 per cent in the vitamins B1 (thiamine) and of more than 16 per cent in vitamin B2 (riboflavin). Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid levels, were down more than 12 per cent. Folate or vitamin B9 levels were down 30 per cent.

"People say more CO2 is more plant food-and it is. But how plants respond to that sudden increase in food will impact human health as well, from nutritional deficits, to ethnopharmacology, to seasonal pollen allergies-in ways we don't yet understand," said Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist with the US Department of Agriculture research service, one of the authors.
Hungry billion
Up to a billion people in the world are what bureaucrats politely call "food insecure." There has already been concern about the impact of higher levels of carbon dioxide on protein in potatoes, maize and other cereals.

As global temperatures rise in response to ever greater levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, harvests of all the staple cereals could in any case decline- sometimes as a response to ever wilder extremes of heat, rain and windstorm-by between 20 and 40 per cent. But so far, there has been little research on the impact of climate change on the nutritional qualities of each staple.

The study puts the case more coolly: "For those populations that are highly rice-dependent, any CO2-induced change in the integrated nutritional value of rice grains could disproportionately affect human health." And the scientists end their study by saying:

"Overall, these results indicate that the role of rising CO2 on reducing rice quality may represent a fundamental, but under-appreciated, human health effect associated with anthropogenic climate change."
This story was published with permission from Climate News Network.

Thanks for reading to the end of this story!

We would be grateful if you would consider joining as a member of The EB Circle. This helps to keep our stories and resources free for all, and it also supports independent journalism dedicated to sustainable development. It only costs as little as S$5 a month, and you would be helping to make a big difference.
Find out more and join The EB Circle

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Global warming grows less nutritious rice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Global warming could bring a serious problem for the two billion people on the planet who depend on one grain for their staple diet: less nutritious rice to sustain them. Scientists have found that rice grown at higher levels of carbon dioxide has an overall lower nutritional value.

# data[].attributes.body
A new study out of Oxford University suggests that if we want to save our planet, eating less meat may be the answer to global warming. Meat-eaters are responsible for almost twice as many dietary greenhouse-gas emissions per day as vegetarians and about two and a half times as many as vegans.The researchers found that the diets of people who eat more than 3.5 ounces of meat per day generate 15.8 pounds of carbon-dioxide , whereas vegetarians and vegans are responsible for 8.4 pounds and 6.4 pounds of carbon dioxide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Vegan Diet May Be What Stops Global Warming, According to New Study

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new study out of Oxford University suggests that if we want to save our planet, eating less meat may be the answer. Tony Spitz has the details.

# data[].attributes.body
Scientists believe that the asteroid, which struck Earth roughly 66 million years ago, eventually triggered a lengthy period of ferocious global warming. Upon impact, it vaporized solid limestone into gas, and it incinerated enormous swaths of forest. This unleashed so much heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere so quickly that, across all of Earth’s history, its rate of increase seems to be rivaled only by recent carbon pollution from factories, cars, planes, and modern industry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
100,000 years of scorching temperatures may have followed the impact.

Toby Melville / Reuters

"At the moment, it is safe to say the warming is another insult to those species trying to run the gauntlet between the latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene, including any dinosaurs that survived the immediate aftermath of the impact and subsequent impact winter," he told me in an email.

And there may be more bad news in the study for humanity. While scientists believe that Earth's atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide after the impact, they're not sure how much carbon dioxide was actually released. One study finds the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by fivefold after the impact. "But that's really big, it's just one study, and geologists' ability to estimate CO₂ levels across time is notoriously poor," said MacLeod.

If that huge, fivefold shift is accurate, then the 5 degrees Celsius of temperature increase detected by MacLeod and his colleagues in the fish bones makes sense. The best modern climate models predict that that much warming would follow from such a gigantic release of carbon dioxide.

Related Stories

Yet many more studies do not argue that so much carbon dioxide was released. They say the asteroid may have only doubled carbon levels in the atmosphere. "If the increase was actually by a factor of two, or a factor of three, and if our estimate of five degrees Celsius of warming is representative of the whole globe -then the climate models are underestimating how much it will warm," MacLeod told me.

In other words, modern climate models may be underestimating how much warming the current carbon-dioxide increase would produce. And that would be bad: It could suggest that we could see as much as twicethe warming as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change currently forecasts for the end of the century.

"Models are tested by their ability to reproduce what we've seen-and we've never seen anything like CO₂ levels changing at the rate they have over the last 100 years," said MacLeod. "Or at least, we haven't seen them since 66 million years ago."

But that revelation lies further off. For now, the 100,000-year warmed period-produced by just the carbon emissions that occurred in the span of a human lifetime-are worrying enough. "The obvious parallel is that what we've done in the last century will take another 100,000 years to decay to its pre-perturbation state," said MacLeod. "Simply stopping emissions won't get you to where you were before, because that carbon dioxide takes a long time to cycle through our system."

Sounds messy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
That Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid? It Triggered Global Warming, Too

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
100,000 years of scorching temperatures may have followed the impact. "At the moment, it is safe to say the warming is another insult to those species trying to run the gauntlet between the latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleogene, including any dinosaurs that survived the immediate aftermath of the impact and subsequent impact winter," he told me in an email.

# data[].attributes.body
A recent survey found that constant media portrayals of pandas, polar bears, elephants and many of the big cats might actually hurt their chances of survival. The researchers think that's because we see these animals so often in the media that it creates a false impression of how well they're doing or even how much scientists know about them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Endangered animals are everywhere in media - in film, television, advertising, books and toys, and even on our cookies. But a recent survey found that constant media portrayals of pandas, polar bears, elephants and many of the big cats might actually hurt their chances of survival.

Researchers found that when it comes to these so-called "charismatic species," most members of the public don't even realize the animals are endangered at all.

Continue Reading

The researchers think that's because we see these animals so often in the media that it creates a false impression of how well they're doing or even how much scientists know about them. For instance, scientists still don't know exactly where cheetahs range through Africa or just how many elusive gorillas or manatees are left in the wild - pretty big gaps in our knowledge for such well-known species.

To be clear, the public appeal of these species can still help their cause. Lacoste once replaced the crocodile logo on its shirts with endangered animals. The shirts sold out, and Lacoste donated the proceeds to conservation groups.

Related Story To Save Endangered Animals, We're Learning To See Them In The Dark

Some researchers suggest this model might scale up. Brands could cut a sort of global licensing deal where using animal imagery would come with payments to conservation funds to help the real animals out.

Another option to boost overall conservation is to give some different animals time in the spotlight, like the Canterbury knobbed weevil or the flightless kakapo bird.

"My favorite ugly animal is the Canadian blue-grey taildropper slug."

That's biologist Simon Watt. He helps run the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, a collection of conservationists and comedians who want to raise the profile of far less photogenic endangered species.

Because for an endangered animal, lacking charisma can be just as detrimental as being too charismatic. Exposure might sometimes hurt an animal's perception, but it definitely still helps, too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Some Animals Are So Famous, People Don't Realize They're Endangered

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Endangered animals are everywhere in media - in film, television, advertising, books and toys, and even on our cookies. But a recent survey found that constant media portrayals of pandas, polar bears, elephants and many of the big cats might actually hurt their chances of survival.

# data[].attributes.body
Wildlife researchers in central Africa conducted a recent census of the wild apes and came up with a total tally of 1,004 (it’s the first time the number of wild gorillas has exceeded 1,000 in decades and it's a 25 percent increase in their numbers since 2010). Still, there’s an extraordinarily long way to go towards getting the gorilla population off the critically-endangered list and back to sustainable levels. And the threats to the animals are not going away.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Gorillas are making a comeback! Though there's still a long way to go towards the conservation of the critically-endangered species, reports, the recent uptick in the number of gorillas in the wild is making conservationists rejoice.

Wildlife researchers in central Africa conducted a recent census of the wild apes and came up with a total tally of 1,004. That's significant for two reasons: first, it's the first time the number of wild gorillas has exceeded 1,000 in decades. Second, that's a 25 percent increase in their numbers since 2010.

All of the known wild mountain gorillas live in one of two places: either in Virunga National Park, a tropical rainforest located in parts of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda; or Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. 604 of the animals were found in Virunga, and the remaining 400 were found in Bwindi, for a total of 1,004.

By comparison, according to , the 2010 count found a mere 786 of the animals living in the wild.

Still, there's an extraordinarily long way to go towards getting the gorilla population off the critically-endangered list and back to sustainable levels. And the threats to the animals are not going away.

Perhaps the biggest threat to our primate cousins is poaching: according to the World Wildlife Fund, the animals often fall victim to the traps and snares set for other animals that are being hunted, legally, for food. Similarly, the gorillas themselves are hunted, for food, or as pets, or for trophies, or because their body parts are used as medicine or "magical charms."

Endangered gorilla population increases to over 1,000 https://t.co/NuWft3gf5T pic.twitter.com/YFIL32TV0r

- The Hill (@thehill) June 2, 2018

And though the hunting of gorillas is illegal, weak enforcement and corrupt judicial apparatus don't always make a dent in deterring their hunting.

Similarly, deforestation, farming, and oil drilling threaten the animals.

Still, the fact that the animals' numbers are climbing is cause for celebration, according to Mike Cranfield, from the charity organization Gorilla Doctors.

"These numbers are truly remarkable, far exceeding our expectations, and are the result of a collaborative, three-country effort with governments and partners all playing an important role."

Meanwhile, gorillas have found a new advocate in TV's Ellen Degeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. De Rossi recently gifted Ellen with a wildlife conservation center in her name, and the pair has been in Rwanda these past few days, using social media to stress the importance of the animals' conservation.

This was us about to start our three-mile trek up the mountain to see the gorillas. Every moment of it was incredible. pic.twitter.com/I2Az9ym3ta

- Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) June 2, 2018

It may be generations before the gorilla population is back to sustainable levels, however, due to their low reproductive rates. And that's if all of the threats to the animals can be appropriately managed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gorillas Are Making a Comeback, Maybe: Population Of Endangered Animals Has Increased 25 Percent

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gorillas are making a comeback! Though there's still a long way to go towards the conservation of the critically-endangered species, reports, the recent uptick in the number of gorillas in the wild is making conservationists rejoice. Wildlife researchers in central Africa conducted a recent census of the wild apes and came up with a total tally of 1,004.

# data[].attributes.body
A female Guam kingfisher bird was born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute May 17. These birds are the most endangered animals living at the Front Royal site, and a few of the only 140 left on the planet. The group has hatched 19 of the birds since the 1980s as part of its Guam Kingfisher Species Survival Plan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Forget all that breaking news about US tariffs-there's a new baby in Virginia, and it just happens to be a member of one of the most endangered species in the world.

A female Guam kingfisher bird was born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute May 17. These birds are the most endangered animals living at the Front Royal site, and a few of the only 140 left on the planet. The group has hatched 19 of the birds since the 1980s as part of its Guam Kingfisher Species Survival Plan.

There's a reason their numbers are slim: Guam kingfishers don't really get it on that often. They're territorial, and it's hard to find compatible matches (so, yes, it's a lot like your Bumble profile).

To add to the drama, the baby's parents didn't take to her while she was in egg form, so she had to be artificially incubated and is being hand-raised by keepers.

Although little, pink, and feather-less right now, the chick will grow up to be an orange shade with blue wings. She just has to keep up her diet of mealworms and chopped mice and crickets (yummm), and she'll be fleeing the nest in no time.

If you're over Netflix tonight and want something new to watch, check out footage of the chick hatching. She doesn't have a name yet, according to officials, but for what it's worth, we think she looks like a Fiona.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
One of the World's Most Endangered Species Was Just Born in Virginia | Washingtonian

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Forget all that breaking news about US tariffs-there's a new baby in Virginia, and it just happens to be a member of one of the most endangered species in the world. A female Guam kingfisher bird was born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute May 17.

# data[].attributes.body
Endangered Species Chocolate, an Indianapolis-based company donates 10 percent of its profits to wildlife conservation efforts. $5 million toward efforts to conserve wildlife and endangered species have been raised through the selling of chocolate. Beyond that, in the last year alone, ESC been able to help in discovering of a new species of shark, safeguarding more than 350,000 acres of rain forest and fighting against poaching of elephants.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
CLOSE

When Curt Vander Meer first started his new job in 2005, there were a few adjustments he had to make.

Most notably, perhaps, to the notches on his belt.

"You know how there is the freshman 15 in college?" he asked. "Well, we have what we call the ESC 15 when you first start working here."

That's the Endangered Species Chocolate 15, as in the 15 pounds employees gain after landing a job. But can you blame the cocoa CEO? It's in the job description - he had to learn the company's products, familiarize himself with the flavors.

He also had to read up on the animals that adorn the chocolate bars' wrappers: the sea turtle, the chimpanzee and the black rhino, to name a few.

Indy 500 leftovers: A woman says she found race day balloons. In Ohio.

Sweet tooth?: Here's where to get free doughnuts on National Doughnut Day

Not just any animals, however, endangered species. And Vander Meer's company, based right here in Indianapolis, is determined to do its part to protect and save them - one bite and chocolate bar at a time.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Endangered Species Chocolate is a local company with a national presence and a global impact.

"A charitable chocolate company is certainly unique to the Indiana business landscape," said Renee Sweany with the Hoosier Environmental Council. "One might expect such a company to be in a locale like Boulder, Colo. or Seattle, Wash., but ESC's location is the least of their notable features."

"Using chocolate as a platform for education, conservation and advocacy," she added, "now that is something very special and compelling."

The conservation-minded company has humble roots, founded just north of the California border in small-town Talent, Ore. For the next 12 years, ESC made its chocolate bars on one manual machine and sales stretched only as far as the neighboring communities.

It wasn't until a 2005 acquisition brought the west coast operations to Indy that the company's confectionery and conservation reach began to grow. And fast.

Its resume is now quite impressive: Endangered Species Chocolate now has 25,000 points of distribution across all 50 states and even in some international markets.

And the company's conservation track record is equally inspiring.

In April, Vander Meer traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers - including Indiana's Senators Todd Young and Joe Donnelly and Rep. Brooks - about the importance of the Endangered Species Act, under threat from proposed changes in other laws.

Beyond that, in the last year alone, ESC been able to help in discovering of a new species of shark, safeguarding more than 350,000 acres of rain forest and fighting against poaching of elephants.

Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10 percent of its profits each year to these efforts through its GiveBack partners - a promise it has kept since its inception. In the 13 years since calling Indiana home, it has donated more than $5 million to wildlife conservation and $1.4 million of that in just the last three years.

"ESC has a terrific mission that sets an excellent example of how well business and sustainability can and do work together," said Paul Salaman, CEO of Rainforest Trust, a current GiveBack partner. "Together, we have launched a series of campaigns that have raised awareness and funds for habitat and species protection."

Other current and recent partners include the Wildlife Conservation Network, African Wildlife Foundation and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

But the chocolate enterprise invests in people, too, namely the communities where it sources its cocoa. Coming from Fairtrade farmers in West Africa, ESC's sourcing practices and chocolate sales benefit the communities by providing funds that can be used to install water wells, repair roads, build schools or hire medical staff.

Whether going to endangered species or West African farmers, Vander Meer has one rule.

"They decide how to spend the money based on what they need," he said. "We are experts in making chocolate, and our partners are the experts in conservation and producing cocoa."

He certainly isn't wrong: Endangered Species Chocolate knows a thing or two when it comes to delivering delectable treats to store shelves.

It currently has 15 flavors, each with its own endangered species the company hopes to highlight and educate its sweet-tooth consumers about (the wrappers' insides have nuggets of information). The flavors also often have a loose tie to the animal or the region it's from - such as the dark chocolate with blueberries Sea Turtle bar (blue as in the ocean) or the 88 percent dark chocolate Black Panther bar, the company's best seller.

That's also the case for the new flavor launching in August: dark chocolate with salted peanuts for elephants.

Karen Burns with the Indianapolis Zoo has a hard time picking a favorite flavor, saying that anything with chocolate qualifies.

"But to be absolutely honest, I buy the bar based on the animal on the wrapper," said the Zoo's executive vice president and also the executive director for the Indianapolis Prize, the worlds leading award for animal conservation. The Zoo and Prize have worked with ESC since they came to Indy, Burns said, recognizing the company as trailblazers.

"One of the most powerful weapons we have in the fight to save endangered animals is the consumer," she continued. "Everyone can make a difference in how they spend their money and ESC is a great example of how we can all vote our convictions with our wallets."

Vander Meer plans to take that idea and run with it.

The company will be releasing several new products and lines over the coming months and year, working to tap into the e-commerce and possibly subscription box markets amid the changing grocery industry. ESC also is setting its sights on additional warehouse space, having already outgrown the 43,000 square-foot facility it moved to 13 years ago.

But there is one fixture that remains a constant at its northwest side building: the original chocolate producing machine from Oregon, measuring no more than 12 feet in length.

"It reminds us where we've been and how far we've come," the CEO said, "and shows us just what is possible going forward."

Fast forward about seven years from now, Vander Meer said he sees Endangered Species Chocolate being able to give $1 million per year to its partners.

"We want to let people know who we are, that we're here in Indiana and what we stand for so we can share our passion with them, both chocolate and conservation," he said. "That's our motto, 'Indulge in a Cause' and if you buy this product, we can promise our consumers they are making a difference."

Like chocolate and conservation?

Endangered Species Chocolate in partnership with Rainforest Trust will be giving away chocolate all summer in an effort to save 10,000 acres of rain forests to protect the endangered Forest Elephant.

To enter, visit: www.rainforesttrust.org/endangered-species-chocolate/

They will announce two prize winners per week who will receive a "swag" box filled with goodies from Rainforest Trust and Endangered Species Chocolate.

There will be one grand prize winner announced at the end who will receive Endangered Species Chocolate for a year.

If you would like additional entries, choose a donation amount.

The contest runs between Endangered Species Day (May 18) and World Elephant Day (Aug. 12).

Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at (317) 444-6129. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStar's environmental reporters, join The Scrub on Facebook. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Read or Share this story: https://indy.st/2LPn95x

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Those chocolate bars with endangered species on the wrapper are made in Indianapolis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
CLOSE When Curt Vander Meer first started his new job in 2005, there were a few adjustments he had to make. Most notably, perhaps, to the notches on his belt. "You know how there is the freshman 15 in college?" he asked. "Well, we have what we call the ESC 15 when you first start working here."