15. Life on land
Forests cover 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface and in addition to providing food security and shelter, forests are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. Thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares.
Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the fight against poverty. Efforts are being made to manage forests and combat desertification.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 15: Life on land
To adopt SDG 15 Life on land, in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, please contact us at partners@eco-business.com
Adopt this goalNews
Carbon & Climate
Perfect storm: How climate change amplifies El Niño fallout
Scientists say a double whammy of climate change and El Niño lies behind a record-breaking year of extreme weather - and predict there's more to come.
Policy & Finance
How microloans exacerbate deforestation in Cambodia
Cambodia’s reliance on microloans, long touted as a way to reduce poverty, belies concerns over debt-fuelled deforestation.
Earthsight says Asian garment manufacturers supplying top fashion brands use cotton linked to land-grabbing in the Cerrado region.
Policy & Finance
‘There shouldn’t be an international tradeable unit of biodiversity’: The Nature Conservancy CEO
Jennifer Morris, who heads up the global conservation outfit, rules out preserving nature through internationally traded biodiversity credits as it does not make scientific sense, but says “like for like” regional certificates could work.
Food & Agriculture
Recipes for sustainable food systems
Policy & Finance
Philippine research model targets ‘real-world solutions’
Opinion
Carbon & Climate
The ozone layer’s recovery shows how to protect the planet
To restore Earth’s stability, governments must recognise the need to respect the nine planetary boundaries. This requires a steadfast commitment to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and protecting biodiversity and water resources.
Carbon & Climate
‘Ghost roads’ are cracking open pristine rainforests in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
A new study finds that illegal roads have enabled illicit logging, mining, poaching and land grabbing in some of the world's most biodiversity-rich ecosystems.
Carbon & Climate
Malaysia’s carbon credit conundrum: State governments hold key to unlocking its potential
Malaysia is expected to launch its first local nature-based carbon credit but it faces a jurisdictional quagmire, wherein forest management is predominantly governed by state authorities.
Many with disability live in poverty, in low-income countries that are vulnerable to climate disasters. Yet climate resilience planning excludes their voices.
Policy & Finance
Can the Philippines fulfill its 2024 climate ambitions?
Policy & Finance
How technology can help save Indigenous forests – and our planet
Videos
The Green Mortician is the city-state's first water cremation service, which has a small carbon footprint compared to traditional funeral options.
Carbon & Climate
Lending forests a voice with primatologist Andie Ang
Amid competing concerns such as urban development and tackling climate change, keeping biodiversity conservation in people's minds can be a challenge. Eco-Business asks primatologist Andie Ang how that can be tackled.
Carbon & Climate
Climate spiral: what 141 years of global warming looks like
As planetary temperatures reach an all-time high, a climate scientist has designed a new way to show how global temperatures have changed every month since the start of the industrial revolution and 2021.
Food & Agriculture
Pandemics and the exploitation of wildlife — what’s the connection?
The origin of Covid-19 is believed to be a market selling live wild animals. Eco-Business asked Anbarasi Boopal of Singapore-based animal welfare charity Acres about the link between the exploitation of animals and pandemics, and what can be done to curb the illegal wildlife trade.
Podcasts
Carbon & Climate
‘A 1.1°C warmer world is already a matter of life and death’: Climate scientist Winston Chow
The Singapore scientist, recently elected to the UN's top climate body, tells the Eco-Business Podcast about the precarious state of climate adaptation in developing Asia. The region is not well-prepared to manage the cascading risks of extreme climate events, he says.
The stories of Malaysia’s indigenous tribes are now being captured through the fresh lenses of young female filmmakers. In this bilingual podcast recorded in English and Bahasa Melayu, they tell Eco-Business why they've picked up the camera.
Food & Agriculture
Plant-based protein – fad or the future?
EB Studio
The booming alternative protein sector has experienced turbulence this year. The Eco-Business Podcast asks if growth in plant-based meat alternatives can go the distance.
Food & Agriculture
Food crisis: how to build resilient supply chains in Asia
EB Studio
Dexter Huerto Jr of engineering firm Danfoss tells the Eco-Business Podcast how food supply chains have been affected by a pandemic and conflict, and how they can be fixed.
