Business

20 Global Dishes With the Greatest Biodiversity Risks Include Meat-Based and Vegan Fare, Study Finds

20 Global Dishes With the Greatest Biodiversity Risks Include Meat-Based and Vegan Fare, Study Finds

Our food choices can have substantial environmental impacts. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, worldwide food production — especially animal agriculture — is the main cause of biodiversity loss. One of the major reasons is that livestock and their feed require a great deal of land. Certain foods — such as Indian kidney bean […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Humans Could Consume 60% More Natural Resources by 2060: UN Report

    Humans Could Consume 60% More Natural Resources by 2060: UN Report

    The United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Resources Outlook — the flagship report of the UN’s International Resource Panel, due to be published later this month — highlights how the consumption of natural resources globally is set to rise by 60 percent by 2060. Raw materials consumption worldwide is already four times higher than it was […]

    USDA Census of Agriculture Shows U.S. Losing Small Farms to Factory Farming, While Gaining in Renewable Energy Use

    USDA Census of Agriculture Shows U.S. Losing Small Farms to Factory Farming, While Gaining in Renewable Energy Use

    The latest Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) raises concerns over a loss of small farms and a growth in larger farms, while also showing some promise with the growth of renewable energy implementation in agriculture. The USDA completes a Census of Agriculture every five years to count the nation’s farms […]

    Environmental Groups, Oil Industry File Separate Legal Challenges to Biden’s Offshore Drilling Plan

    Environmental Groups, Oil Industry File Separate Legal Challenges to Biden’s Offshore Drilling Plan

    Legal petitions have been filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by environmental groups and oil and gas interests challenging the Biden administration’s plan to offer additional Gulf of Mexico drilling leases. The congressionally mandated five-year plan includes three sales — the least number being offered since 1980, reported […]

    In ‘Vital Victory for Farmers and the Environment,’ Arizona Court Cancels EPA’s Approval of Dicamba Pesticide

    In ‘Vital Victory for Farmers and the Environment,’ Arizona Court Cancels EPA’s Approval of Dicamba Pesticide

    In a win for farmers and endangered plants and wildlife, an Arizona district court has revoked the approval of the destructive pesticide dicamba, saying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law when it allowed it to be on the market. Dicamba-based weedkillers have been widely used on soybean and cotton crops genetically engineered […]

    Mexico’s Maya Train Project Threatens Vulnerable Ecosystems, Including Ancient Caves

    Mexico’s Maya Train Project Threatens Vulnerable Ecosystems, Including Ancient Caves

    Mexico’s 966-mile Yucatán Peninsula Maya Train rail project — Tren Maya — is causing concern because of the potential for harm to environmentally sensitive areas like an ancient ecosystem of thousands of subterranean caves. In late 2023, a southeastern portion of the train service connecting Cancún opened, with the government announcing the remaining routes would […]

    How to Choose Chocolate That’s Truly Sustainable

    How to Choose Chocolate That’s Truly Sustainable

    Like with so many products, staring at the shelf of chocolate chips and baking bars can be overwhelming. What are the “right” labels to pay attention to: “Certified Compostable,” “Direct Trade” or “Fair Trade?” Does higher price mean better wages for the workers that produced it? Cacao is produced in humid regions near the equator […]