publichealth

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/28002973

At first, state officials, including the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, and the state’s secretary of the environment, were quick to blame the neighbouring state of Pará as the source of fires. However, the study and its data tell a different story.

The study revealed that satellite imagery, air quality sensors, and field inspections identified the southern area of Manaus, particularly the municipalities of Autazes, Careiro, and Manaquiri, located along the BR-319 and AM-254 highways, as the main sources of smoke emissions.

Vast areas of forest weren’t lost to accident; they were burned on purpose to make way for cattle pasture. After the fires, bulldozers moved in, water buffalo spread across the fresh clearings, and illegal side roads crept further into once-intact rainforest.

The lead author of the study, Lucas Ferrante, a researcher at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), mentioned:

This study shows that Brazil is heading in the opposite direction of its commitments for COP30, with millions of tons of emissions turning Manaus into a city under smoke. The forest is burning while public officials such as the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, deflect attention away from the fires, even as they endorse laws that benefit those who use fire to clear land and illegally expand cattle ranching.

Fires weren’t just an unfortunate by-product of drought; they were tools in a land-grabbing playbook.

archived (Wayback Machine)

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/27699255

• Malawian households with fruit trees on their farms consumed more vegetables, and each additional tree species increased fruit consumption by 5% over a 10-year study period.
• Trees improve nutrition through direct consumption of fruits, ecosystem services that boost other crop production and potential income from sales, and they provide cooking fuel.
• Despite trees’ benefits, fruit and vegetable intake dropped 42% and 25%, respectively, due to rising food prices, currency devaluation and climate change.
• Researchers recommend including food-producing trees in Africa’s reforestation programs and shifting agricultural policies from focusing solely on staple grains to supporting diverse, nutritious crops.

archived (Wayback Machine)

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/27698973

Coal, oil and gas have been killing people for centuries. We’re still paying for it.

archived (Wayback Machine)

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/27466224

Healthy forests are more than climate shields; in the Amazon, they also serve as public-health infrastructure.

A Communications Earth & Environment study spanning two decades across the biome links the extent and legal status of Indigenous Territories to 27 respiratory, cardiovascular, and zoonotic or vector-borne diseases. The findings are complex, but one pattern is clear: Where surrounding forest cover is high and fragmentation is low, Indigenous lands help blunt health risks.

archived (Wayback Machine):

• Mongabay article
• research cited

To clarify, the benefits are due to large contiguous forest cover, which is a result of indigenous territories being legally protected from deforestation by outsiders. Any other protected area with intact forest cover (e.g. a national park or large private reserve) should provide the same benefits.

This community was created due to the recent events of the largest community under the same name on mander.xyz being compromised by the appointment of a bad actor as moderator following which was called out and surprisingly the admins involved failed to see the problem with this. This community will not be tolerating quacks.

https://lemmy.ca/post/50678930