{"id":294191,"date":"2024-12-19T21:52:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/19\/amid-hottest-year-on-record-nature-takes-center-stage\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T21:52:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:52:19","slug":"amid-hottest-year-on-record-nature-takes-center-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/19\/amid-hottest-year-on-record-nature-takes-center-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid hottest year on record, nature takes center stage"},"content":{"rendered":"


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As 2024 comes to a close, global temperatures are at an all-time high<\/a> \u2014 topping the previous hottest-year on
\n record: 2023. As the rising temperatures fuel extreme weather around the world, communities are left to grapple with catastrophic floods, severe droughts and devastating wildfires.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet amid this backdrop, new research consistently shows nature is a powerful climate ally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the final weeks of the year, Conservation News is reflecting on some of our most noteworthy stories about how nature helps combat climate change \u2014 from new research into climate-fighting farms, to ambitious restoration projects that capture carbon and support livelihoods. <\/span>
\n Here are some highlights:\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

A long line of Maasai pastoralists thrived for generations in Kenya\u2019s Chyulu Hills \u2014 until an increase in unsustainable agriculture and climate-driven droughts pushed the region to the brink.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

In response, Conservation International and partners launched a forest carbon project to generate funds to prevent deforestation and support the livelihoods and well-being of local communities. Today, that project prevents the release of 580,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually \u2014 that\u2019s the equivalent of taking 830,000 gas-powered cars off the road over the past six years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a project for local people, by local people,\u201d said Seif Hamisi, who leads Conservation International\u2019s initiatives in Kenya. \u201cIt\u2019s producing measurable benefits for nature and the climate, but perhaps most strikingly for the health and well-being of families that are facing the impacts of a changing climate.\u201d<\/span>
\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\/\u00a9 Ami Vitale<\/span><\/p>\n

Around the world, planting crops and grazing livestock often means cutting down trees \u2014 with disastrous impacts on the climate. But are forests and farms really at odds?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A groundbreaking new study from Conservation International says no. The world\u2019s agricultural lands hold vast, previously untapped potential for storing potentially climate-warming carbon \u2014 in fact, they could trap as much carbon as the global emissions of all cars combined.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven adding just a few trees per hectare could have a massive impact when applied across the 2.6 billion hectares identified in our study,\u201d said Starry Sprenkle-Hyppolite, who heads Conservation International\u2019s forest restoration science.\u00a0<\/span>
\n \u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to understand why people want to plant trees. Earth\u2019s forests are absolutely vital to staving off a climate crisis and protecting nature. But what about grasslands? Stretching across 40 percent of the planet, grasslands hold more than a third of the world\u2019s land-based carbon. Yet, in some cases, grasslands are disappearing faster than forests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIronically, some grasslands are being threatened by inappropriate climate actions, like planting trees where they don’t belong,\u201d said Conservation International scientist Heidi-Jayne Hawkins. \u201cThat\u2019s a problem for all grassy ecosystems. (Our study) asked, what can we do that’s really a win for people, biodiversity and climate?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\n \u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\"\"\/\u00a9 Trond Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n

Years-long droughts, extreme floods, devastating wildfires: Extreme weather is just one example of the grim toll climate change is taking in some countries. Around the world, more than 3 billion people have been affected by it over the past 20 years \u2014 but those impacts are very unevenly distributed, a Conservation International study says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople living in developing countries are suffering far more from the effects of climate change,\u201d said Camila Donatti, the study\u2019s lead author. \u201cIt\u2019s not because they face a greater number of extreme events \u2014 it\u2019s because they have fewer resources to prevent or recover from them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\n \u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

The Eastern Himalayas are home to roughly 12 percent of the world\u2019s biodiversity and 1 billion people. The region is also one of the fastest-warming places on Earth due to climate change. For the people who live there, these changes are devastating \u2014 threatening their farms, fisheries and access to clean water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conservation International and local partners are aiming to build the largest conservation effort in South Asia \u2014 one that will plant 1 billion trees and protect 1 million hectares across India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in the power and resilience of the local communities in the Eastern Himalayas,\u201d said Saurav Malhotra, Conservation International\u2019s lead in the region. \u201cBy blending modern conservation with time-honored traditions, we can help rebuild a landscape where both nature and communities can flourish once again.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
\n \u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\"\"\/\u00a9 Abhimanu Chehri<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

Sadly, when humans and elephants come into contact, the results can be deadly \u2014 for both sides. In India alone, one report found that 400 people \u2014 and 100 elephants \u2014 die from such encounters every year. Unfortunately for both species, these run-ins are increasingly common. So a new study that finds that climate change could lead to even greater human-elephant conflict in the future is even more troubling. Yet that future is not set in stone, the study authors say. By better understanding where conflict is likely to occur, we can better prepare for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ci_42213818\"\/
\u00a9 Jonathan Irish<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates<\/a>. Also, please consider supporting our critical work<\/a>.
<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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