World Leaders Gather at COP16 to Address Biodiversity Crisis
The urgency of the biodiversity crisis is undeniable. Habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate and, according to The Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit, nearly a million species face extinction. This pressing issue underscored the importance of holding the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), a biennial conference run by the United Nations (UN).
Exploitation of the Deep Sea, The Last Untouched Ecosystem on Earth
The need for alternative metals used as raw materials to build clean car batteries is dire, the likes of which will help to fuel the green revolution. Yet their extraction has caused discourse, as some of the largest caches of such metals lie 300 kilometers below on the deep ocean floor.
The Svalbard Seed Vault: Humanity’s Ultimate Safeguard
In the high arctic tundra of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a steel facility holds the food insurance policy for all of humanity: 1,214,827 seed samples from almost every country in the world. Although it sounds like something out of an 80’s science fiction movie, this operation is no fiction. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is made possible through international cooperation to ensure the world is prepared for catastrophe. As of the facility’s 15th anniversary in February of 2023, it holds over 13,000 years of agricultural history.