RSS Feed
Author Archive
China’s Appetite for Wood Takes a Heavy Toll on Forests
Posted by Yale Environment 360: William Laurance on November 18th, 2011
Yale Environment 360: In Chinese folklore, a dragon symbolizes strength. It is an apt icon for a nation whose rise as an economic superpower has been nothing short of meteoric.
While China’s stunning economic advances have come at significant environmental cost, the boom has been a plus in a few realms. The country is investing avidly in green technologies, such as solar energy and high-tech car batteries. It has also undertaken an ambitious national reforestation program, while cracking down on illegal forest clearing...
Posted in 
The world’s tropical forests are already feeling the heat
Posted by Yale Environment 360: William Laurance on May 2nd, 2011
Yale Environment 360: On Jan. 12, 2002, in the Australian state of New South Wales, biologist Justin Welbergen was observing a colony of flying foxes for his Ph.D. research. The temperatures that day on Australia’s subtropical, eastern coast reached record highs, soaring to 42.9 degrees C (109 degrees F) at the weather station closest to Welbergen’s study site -- nearly 8 degrees C higher than the average summer maximum temperature. The flying foxes, or giant fruit bats, normally just doze in the treetops through the...