Canada’s Record-breaking 2023 Wildfires Released Nearly 4 Times More Carbon than Global Aviation

Canada’s 2023 wildfire season made international headlines. Smoke blew as far as the United States’ Eastern seaboard, wrapping New York City in a hazy orange blanket, and air pollution reached Europe and Asia. In Canada, thousands of people were displaced, and property damage was in the billions of dollars.

New research from WRI’s Global Forest Watch Initiative and the University of Maryland sheds light on how the roughly 7.8 million hectares of Canada’s forests that burned impacted global carbon emissions. The analysis shows this amount of tree cover loss — more than 6 times the annual average since 2001 — produced roughly 3 billion tons of CO2. For reference, that’s nearly 4 times the carbon emissions of the global aviation sector in 2022. Read more.

How Faith Communities in Latin America Are Defending Land and Lives

“If we lose nature, we lose ourselves too,” says one faith leader in Altamira, Brazil. Her community was endangered by the construction of a dam that flooded Indigenous land and displaced more than 40,000 families. In Latin America, countless communities are standing up against development projects that threaten the forests, rivers and ecosystems that sustain them. And they don’t stand alone: New research from WRI and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute points to the critical role Latin America’s faith communities play in defending life and territory. Read more.

The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US

More than 90% of school buses in the U.S. run on diesel, which produces toxic exhaust that’s linked to cancer, respiratory diseases and developmental problems. Bringing more clean electric school buses to U.S. roadways will deliver benefits to the more than 21 million children who ride the bus to school. WRI’s biannual update takes a look at the current state of electric school bus implementation nationwide. Read more.

What Is Kelp and Why Is It Vital to People and the Planet?

Kelp, believe it or not, is not a plant. The blades of these large algae often wash up on shorelines but can just as easily wind up in a salad or on the ingredient list of beauty products. Beyond functional purposes, kelp forests generate $500 billion annually in ecosystem services through processes like carbon capture and removing nutrient pollution, while also providing habitats for underwater dwellers. Read more.

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