FSC-certified forest management benefits large mammals compared to non-FSC
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07257-8
More than a quarter of the world’s tropical forests are exploited for timber1. Logging impacts biodiversity in these ecosystems, primarily through the creation of forest roads that facilitate hunting for wildlife over extensive areas. Forest management certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are expected to mitigate impacts on biodiversity, but so far very little is known about the effectiveness of FSC certification because of research design challenges, predominantly limited sample sizes. Here we provide this evidence by using 1.3?million camera-trap photos of 55 mammal species in 14 logging concessions in western equatorial Africa.

Paper; Satellite mapping reveals extensive industrial activity at sea
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06825-8


The world’s population increasingly relies on the ocean for food, energy production and global trade yet human activities at sea are not well quantified. We combine satellite imagery, vessel GPS data and deep-learning models to map industrial vessel activities and offshore energy infrastructure across the world’s coastal waters from 2017 to 2021. We find that 72–76% of the world’s industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked, with much of that fishing taking place around South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. We also find that 21–30% of transport and energy vessel activity is missing from public tracking systems. Globally, fishing decreased by 12?±?1% at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and had not recovered to pre-pandemic levels by 2021. By contrast, transport and energy vessel activities were relatively unaffected during the same period. Offshore wind is growing rapidly, with most wind turbines confined to small areas of the ocean but surpassing the number of oil structures in 2021. Our map of ocean industrialization reveals changes in some of the most extensive and economically important human activities at sea.

Yara; Company Website
https://yaramarine.com/
Shipping emissions have grown exponentially to exceed one billion tons of CO2 each year. Future generations depend on us to reverse this emissions growth to ensure a sustainable future on this planet. At Yara Marine Technologies, our stewardship is our greatest honor, and ensuring a healthy planet for future generations is our greatest privilege. ?That is why we drive the change towards a zero-emissions industry. In the Nordic countries, we have always been at the forefront, leading the way in uncharted waters. We are pioneers, finding new ways to protect our environment. We have the skillset to create new solutions and the conviction to see them realized.
company_website science shipping | permalink | 2023-07-07 13:20:20

Paper; Global mining footprint mapped from high-resolution satellite imagery
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00805-6


Mining is of major economic, environmental and societal consequence, yet knowledge and understanding of its global footprint is still limited. Here, we produce a global mining land use dataset via remote sensing analysis of high-resolution, publicly available satellite imagery. The dataset comprises 74,548 polygons, covering ~66,000?km2 of features like waste rock dumps, pits, water ponds, tailings dams, heap leach pads and processing/milling infrastructure.

New study reveals fine detail on location and scale of mining sites worldwide
https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/new-study-reveals-fine-detail-on-location-and-scale-of-mining-sites-worldwide/
We live at the center of a spiderweb of global mining supply chains. The vehicle that took you to the market, the rechargeable battery in your headphones, and the phone or computer you’re reading this article on right now — all required the extraction, processing, transport and sale of minerals that likely originated from points all over the planet. But measuring the cumulative impact of these supply chains, which can span multiple continents and involve dozens of entities, formal and informal, is a tricky business. A new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment may have just given a big boost to anyone looking for a clear picture of what those supply chains look like at their point of origin. Using high-resolution satellite data, researchers meticulously pored over images from across the globe, isolating and marking the boundaries of a combined 65,585 square kilometers (25,323 square miles) of mining sites. The data set, which includes large-scale mining operations as well as informal artisanal sites, is one of the most detailed ever created. And to make sure that others can build off their work, the study’s authors have made it available to the public for free.
data dataset gis map mining science | permalink | 2023-05-12 08:50:32

Article: A proposed universal definition of a Digital Product Passport Ecosystem (DPPE): Worldviews,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622051125
This paper contributes new knowledge and understanding about the role that Product Passports might play in advancing sustainable business practices towards a Circular Economy. The significance of this research is the proposed universal definition of a Digital Product Passport Ecosystem (DPPE) for international policy, industrial and technical communities. The novelty of this research lies in the systems thinking approach, coupled with systems engineering, to define and model a DPPE as a System of Systems to derive a definition. Stakeholder perspectives and requirements concerning Product Passports were synthesised using data and analysis from the European Commission's (EC) open consultation on the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI). Nine high-level capabilities of a DPPE have been identified, and each is explored by mapping a list of information requirements discussed within the consultation. It is shown that different Product Passport applications benefit (or detriment) different stakeholder groups.
bibliography dpp pdf science | permalink | 2023-04-25 16:05:48

PDF: the EJAtlas, Mapping the frontiers and front lines of global environmental justice
https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/1932/galley/2191/view/
This article highlights the need for collaborative research on ecological conflicts within a global perspective. As the social metabolism of our industrial economy increases, intensifying extractive activities and the production of waste, the related social and environmental impacts generate conflicts and resistance across the world. This expansion of global capitalism leads to greater disconnection between the diverse geographies of injustice along commodity chains. Yet, at the same time, through the globalization of governance processes and Environmental Justice (EJ) movements, local political ecologies are becoming increasingly transnational and interconnected.