Rappler's latest stories on environment
E-waste levels surge 20% in 5 years – U.N.
According to the report, Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019, with 24.9 million tonnes
Villar’s realty group begins cutting 53 pine trees in Baguio
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources gives Vista Residences Inc a special private land timber permit during the pandemic
Proposed increase in Boracay environmental fees needs further study–provincial board
The Aklan Sangguniang Panlalawigan says that all Aklanons and non-resident workers in Boracay Island should be exempted from paying the environmental fee
[OPINION] When we're scared to share: Thoughts from an environmental advocate
'They were already able to red-tag us without the bill, how much more so if it's passed?'
Flying bubble makers could save world from starvation
A Japanese scientist successfully demonstrates that soap bubbles can be used to pollinate fruit-bearing plants
NGO accuses France of starting Mozambique 'climate bomb'
'French machinations are forcing yet another African country into dependency on fossil fuels...in the name of the economic interests of French energy industrials and bankers,' says NGO Friends of the Earth
Aussie scientists turn to drones to protect sea turtles
Stunning drone footage released by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation shows thousands of turtles swimming in the crystal blue ocean
Russia says 'years' needed to clean up Arctic spill
The spill of over 21,000 tons of fuel takes place after a fuel reservoir collapsed last month at a power plant
Hundreds of wild animals being sold on Facebook recovered in Bacolod
Three poachers are caught in an entrapment operation while they tried to sell 300 animals – some vulnerable species – for P150,000
Putin declares state of emergency over Siberian fuel spill
The accident is the second largest in modern Russian history in terms of volume, World Wildlife Fund expert Alexei Knizhnikov says
Ecuador's Amazon communities sue over oil spill
'The families living on the river banks are lacking food and no longer know where to find water to drink, or with which to bathe,' says Marcia Andi, a Kichwa and leader of the Mushuk Llacta community
300 PH scientists, conservationists call for 'a culture of care for nature'
PRESS RELEASE: 'Make nature a priority,' Philippine leaders told in an open letter from 300 scientists, conservationists ahead of Earth Day 2020
[ANALYSIS] Incineration of coronavirus wastes will worsen the situation
Much of health care wastes are single-use materials such as disposable gloves, gowns, face masks, and IV bags, which are mostly plastics made from fossil fuels. When burned, they release toxic substances.
Jun Factoran: Leadership and legacy in DENR
'His eyes lit up whenever we talked about his time in government when he felt there was nobility in serving the public,' writes Marites Vitug
Metro-wide cleanup, disinfection, and public health investment against coronavirus needed
'Mobilizing 40,000 health personnel instead of 40,000 police personnel for the community quarantines would have been the logical thing to do,' says the Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (KPNE)
DENR reminds Cebu LGUs to check hazard maps for landslide prone areas
Over 250 barangays in Cebu province are in landslide prone areas. The geosciences bureau reminds LGUs to prepare for the rainy season.
Amazon, African forests turning from CO2 sink to source – study
The rate of forest decline varies throughout the world, with the Amazon's absorption ability dropping far faster than the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa
DENR removes barbed wire blocking reforestation site in Masungi Georeserve
Masungi Georeserve celebrates the development, calling it the 'best World Wildlife Day gift for nature'
Environment group lauds VFA termination, cites toxic waste U.S. troops left behind
Ending the key military pact with the US is the first step towards exacting justice for thousands of Filipinos whose health suffered because of the hazardous waste the US military left behind in its former bases, says Kalikasan
Crackdown on environmental defenders 'may lead to P1-T ecological damage yearly'
The Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment submits to the United Nations its own report on the human rights situation under the Duterte administration
G20 funds fossil fuels $30 billion a year under the radar – analysis
The export credit agencies of G20 countries currently provide more than 10 times more state-backed finance to oil, gas, and coal projects abroad than they do to renewable energy schemes
Greta Thunberg says climate demands 'completely ignored' at Davos
'We had a few demands (coming into the World Economic Forum). Of course these demands have been completely ignored. We expected nothing less,' the teenage climate activist said.
DENR, Customs officials face charges over Canada trash
The National Bureau of Investigation says the officials violated the anti-graft law and the law prohibiting the importation of hazardous wastes
Global natural resource consumption tops 100 billion tons for first time
Wealthy nations, the authors note, consume 10 times more resources per person than in the developing world, and produce far more waste
Japan's rising political star Koizumi and celebrity wife welcome baby boy
Shinjiro Koizumi, a potential future Japanese prime minister according to some opinion polls, say he and his wife Christel Takigawa are now parents of a baby boy
U.N. warns of 'much extreme weather' ahead after hottest decade on record
Scientists stress the urgent need to do more to counter the warming trend
Unlike Boracay, Baguio won’t be closed to tourists during rehab period
The rehabilitation of Baguio will start with the 3 T's: trees, traffic, and tourism
2019 is 2nd hottest year on record – EU
Average temperature in 2019 was only a few hundredths of a degree below the 2016 level
Bangladesh court orders government to ban single-use plastics
Pollution from single-use plastics is a major problem in Bangladesh, where nearly 170 million people live in a tiny sliver of low-lying land crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers and tributaries
Climate change: 6 positive news stories from 2019
Countries like Costa Rica offer us promising examples of the 'possible'
German fireworks sales fizzle on climate anxiety
Germany's fireworks festivities release some 5,000 tons of fine particulate matter into the air on a single night – equivalent to about two months of road traffic, according to a federal environment agency
The year the world woke up to the climate emergency
Although scientists have warned for decades about the risk to humanity and Earth posed by unfettered burning of fossil fuels, in 2019 their message seems to have finally hit home
WATCH: Top animal stories of 2019
A video looks back at how animals fared in the 2019
Hotter, faster, pricier: 10 records in 2019
A look back at 10 new records in the year about to end
[OPINION] Plastikang polisiya
Nakalulungkot na tayong nagrereklamo tungkol sa lumalalang basura ay siya ring nagpaplastikan sa implementasyon ng polisiyang makakalutas sana sa nasabing problema
Number of environmental defenders killed increases to 49 in 2019
Farmers and agricultural workers remain the most targeted, representing 63% of deaths
Solving climate crisis requires leadership – Bloomberg
'Beating climate change won't require a miracle, it won't require limitless resources, it will require leadership and common sense,' says Michael Bloomberg
10 haikus for the planet we failed
Our dying planet, remembered in Japanese poetry
EU to miss 2020 green goals – agency
'While most of the 2020 targets will not be achieved, especially those on biodiversity, there is still a chance to meet the longer-term goals and objectives for 2030 and 2050,' the European Environment Agency says
Slash emissions now or face climate disaster, U.N. warns
'We are not running out of time – we are already out of time,' says Alden Meyer, director of policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
COA finds gov't on losing end of DENR property sale
The Commission on Audit says the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' sale of property at Eastwood 'favored the buyer' and caused a P31-million loss to the government
India's top court orders halt to stubble burning as Delhi chokes
India's Supreme Court says the capital's residents are 'losing precious years' of their lives, adding 'people are dying, this just cannot happen in a civilized country'
Climate-fueled flooding to imperil 300 million by 2050
Destructive storm surges fueled by increasingly powerful cyclones and rising seas will hit Asia hardest, according to scientists
EU countries need better recycling – report
'The EU must find circular and climate-friendly ways of managing its plastic waste e.g. by increasing reuse and recycling,' the European Environment Agency says in a statement
Forest ranger killed in Nueva Ecija
Ronaldo Corpuz, a community environment and natural resources officer in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, is the 3rd environmental worker killed in 2019
Pope Francis demands 'predators' stop plundering the Earth
'The mistakes of the past were not enough to stop the plundering of other persons and the inflicting of wounds on our brothers and sisters and on our sister earth: we have seen it in the scarred face of the Amazon region,' Pope Francis says
Kaliwa Dam project earns environmental clearance despite alleged violations
Indigenous communities are disappointed due to alleged violations in completing or fulfilling procedural requirements for the environmental compliance certificate of the Kaliwa Dam project
Trudeau environment policy disappoints young Canada activists
For activists, Justin Trudeau, who was a symbol of hope when he took office in 2015, is no longer a change agent but the man who didn't do enough for the environment
[OPINION] Planting a lot of trees will make money for cities
What if we plant our trees in clusters, or line a kilometer with just one species, a sunny yellow tree for instance, in the tradition of the cherry blossoms? Wouldn’t that look amazing?
‘Global effort needed to save migratory birds’
Environment secretary Roy Cimatu gives call to action during opening of East Asian-Australasian Flyway Congress
