Planet Experts

We unite – through media – the world’s leading scientists, advocates and innovators to expose environmental threats and advance sustainable solutions.

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Beautiful But Devastating

These are superglacial lakes -- pools of meltwater that from atop glaciers. While beautiful, they are harbingers of climate change's devastating effects. The water in these mini lakes -- which form only when the temperature is above freezing -- holds heat from the sun, causing more ice to melt. Eventually, the meltwater drips through the ice sheet and lubricates the bedrock below, accelerating the glacier's slide into the ocean. This process has already started in the Arctic, which is where these lakes were photographed. Scientists have previously thought that certain, super-frigid parts of Antarctica were resistant to climate change, but the discovery of superglacial lakes there changes everything. It now looks like Antarctica could plunge into a warming pattern similar to what we have seen in the Arctic. Not good -- especially when you consider there's far more ice down south. (Photo: NASA)

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There is no sugarcoating it: Elephants could become extinct by the end of the next decade. Their numbers have dropped by 62% over the last ten years. But with 400,000 of these majestic beasts still lumbering through forests and grasslands in Asia and Africa, there is hope. The price of ivory has crashed thanks to a worldwide effort. Some elephant populations are stable and even growing. But without our help, this species is doomed to extinction. Their fate is literally in our hands. Please support one of the many organizations working to stop poachers and to conserve elephant habitat.

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Confused by what you see? This is how Venus may have looked at some point in the distant past. Scientists now think Venus had a very Earth-like climate that could sustain life for up to two billion years of its early history. The surface was covered with land and water-filled oceans, and strong storm clouds shielded the powerful sun, resulting in a climate that was actually a few degrees cooler than Earth's. Eventually, the oceans evaporated, filling the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which led to a runaway greenhouse effect. Today, Venus is a planet of fire and brimstone, with temperatures reaching 864 degrees Fahrenheit. The suffocating, carbon-dioxide atmosphere is 90 times thicker than Earth's, trapping all that heat on what has become a sizzling inferno of a planet.

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Lion populations have decreased by 42% over the last decade. During the same period, lions have disappeared from about 80% of their historic range. With human-wildlife conflict on the rise throughout Africa, groups like Ewaso Lions work with local communities to prevent lion attacks using alternative methods, like collecting data on wild prey locations and high conflict zones, reinforcing livestock enclosures and mapping lion movements with GPS collars. In the last year, these strategies have prevented 26 retaliatory lion killings, enabling the birth of 44 cubs across northern Kenya

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Electric vehicle charge points to outnumber petrol stations by 2020, say Nissan

Business Green: Analysis by the car manufacturer marks end of the decade as a potential tipping point for the mass take up of electric vehicles

Weekly Win: Electric vehicles surging popularity in the UK. 

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“All the glaciers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are retreating from their most extended positions thousands of years ago. And the only scientific explanation for their retreat is a change in climate. There’s no doubt at all, and the loss of glacial volume is accelerating.”

Matt Nolan, University of Alaska Fairbanks, speaking about Alaska’s shrinking glaciers

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You have to check out photographer Ole Jørgen Linden. He has the uncanny ability to transform wildlife into fine art. Follow him on Instagram!

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Could South Africa’s Great White Sharks Be Heading Toward Extinction?

"If the situation stays the same, South Africa’s great white sharks are heading for possible extinction. We have come to the conclusion that South Africa’s white sharks faced a rapid decline in the last generation, and that their numbers might already be too low to ensure their survival.” - Sara Andreotti, Stellenbosch University

Catch the full story on Planet Experts!

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WOW! Check out these ridiculous Milky Way photos shot on the world’s largest salt flat in Bolivia by Russian photographer Daniel Kordan.

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Want to see some shooting stars? We suggest finding a dark sky and looking up. The annual Perseid meteor shower has already begun and will continue through August 24, with peak viewing occurring on August 11 and August 12, when sky gazers could see more than 200 #meteors per hour! Scientists are saying this year's shower could be especially exciting, so get out there!

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This ‪#‎InternationalTigerDay‬, let's spread some hope for tigers by sharing this video. Together, we can double wild tiger numbers by 2022, the next Chinese Year of the Tiger. ‪#‎ThumbsUpForTigers‬ WWF Rainforest Action Network International Fund for Animal Welfare - IFAW Leonardo DiCaprio Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai Born Free USA

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Palm Oil Is Totally Sustainable

Big news: Palm oil can be grown sustainably on a global level, according to a new report. Researchers concluded that there is enough suitable land – categorized by climatic, soil and topographical criteria – that palm oil could be produced with minimal environmental impacts.

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Photo: oneVilliage Initiative / Flickr

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I have long believed that public lands are an equalizer in America, where access to public lands ensures that you don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy the great outdoors or to introduce your children to hunting, fishing and hiking. This land grab idea is just as ludicrous as denying climate change, just as detached from reality, and similarly comes at the expense of our public health and protection of our public lands and resources.

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), on HR330, a bill that seeks to significantly curtail the President’s ability to create national monuments and parks.

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EPA Acknowledges Aviation’s Effect on Climate Change, But No New Rules

If commercial aviation were a country, it would be the seventh leading emitter of carbon, directly behind Germany, according to our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity. The EPA has finally acknowledged the aviation industry's effect on #climatechange, but have yet to institute new rules to curb emissions.

Catch the full story on PlanetExperts.com!

Photo: Aero Pixels