rivers
Many Obsolete Barriers Harm Europe’s Rivers
A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, looks at the issue of river barriers and their impact on ecosystems. The EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 aims to restore at least 25 000 km of free-flowing rivers by 2030, by removing barriers and restoring…
A Pretty Stream in Belgium Is so Polluted Its Water Could Be Used as Pesticide
The idyllic stream that meanders through the Flemish countryside has been called the most polluted stream in Europe. When you think of a polluted waterway, what do you envision? For me, a dark, oil-slicked river studded with garbage comes to…
EU Clean Water Laws Under Attack from Industry Lobbyists
Industry lobbies are mounting a push to roll back EU clean water regulations, even though less than half of the continent’s rivers, wetlands and lakes are in a healthy state. The lobby offensive is aimed at weakening the bloc’s floods…
One Million Plant and Animal Species ‘Now at Threat of Extinction’
One million plant and animal species are now at threat of extinction. That’s the troubling conclusion reached in a new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which suggests many of these organisms could die…
Prosecco Production Is Destroying Soil in Some Italian Vineyards
Sorry to burst your bubbly, prosecco lovers, but skyrocketing demand for the sparkling wine might be sapping northeastern Italy’s vineyards of precious soil — 400 million kilograms of it per year, researchers report in a study posted online January 10…
Valuable Wetlands Are Disappearing 3 Times Faster Than Forests, New Study Warns
Wetlands around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. New research shows that these valuable ecosystems are vanishing at a rate three times that of forests. Unless significant changes are made, the disappearance of wetlands could cause severe damage…
World’s Largest River Floods Five Times More Often Than It Used to
Extreme floods have become more frequent in the Amazon Basin in just the last two to three decades, according to a new study. After analyzing 113 years of Amazon River levels in Port of Manaus, Brazil, researchers found that severe…