opinion
Future 500
There’s no denying that climate is a polarizing political issue. Here are 10 ideas on how environmentalists can beat the power brokers and save the planet.
Restaurant employees — often low-wage earners with no employer-provided health insurance — were deemed "essential workers" during the pandemic. (Paul Sableman/Creative Commons)
The George Washington University
Throughout this pandemic we’ve seen a vast amount of people be affected in different ways. But COVID-19 has especially exposed the discrepancies facing people from marginalized groups.
Photographed in the forests of Palawan, a Philippine pangolin pup nudges its mother, rolled up in a protective ball. (Gregg Yan/Creative Commons)
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | The George Washington University
Pressuring governments to issue bans and closures of wet markets could prevent the emergence of infectious disease. But it does not solve the widespread issue of bushmeat circulation between hunters and their families.
(Deepti Bansal Gage/George Washington University)
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | GW Law School
Environmentalism is a relatively recent concept in the Western world, creating challenges when confronting our growing environmental issues. Looking to other, non-western cultures and leaders, may help develop enduring solutions.
Ecosystem destruction, such as this pollution from a gold mine, is a primary driver of zoonotic disease reproduction and transmission. Natural ecosystems act as a buffer zone, preventing spillover of certain pathogens from animals to people.
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Cornell University
While much about the future remains uncertain, we do know this is not the last pandemic we'll face. And if we want to prevent future pandemics, we need to focus on the impact of humans on our environment.
The road ahead for both COVID-19 and climate change is stormy, but with science and facts by our side we can find solutions to both.
Founder and Chief Executive, Planet Forward
How can we apply the lessons we are learning now to the next looming threat — climate change — recognizing that it will, by necessity, take a back seat until the current health emergency and economic crisis subside?
A recent investigation into the devastating desert locust outbreak spreading across East Africa has led me to some troublesome conclusions on the problematic nature of media coverage on Africa in the United States. (Adam Matan/Creative Commons)
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | The George Washington University
A recent investigation into the devastating locust outbreak spreading across East Africa has led me to some troublesome conclusions on the problematic nature of media coverage on Africa in the United States.
A baby calf found while trekking in Ladakh, India. (Max Twining-Ward)
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | The George Washington University
I let my mind wander down the endless paths of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. What I’ve realized is that all this worrying is doing far more harm than what I could be doing if I was doing anything but worrying.
(Reed Hutton/Middlebury College)
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Middlebury College
How can we integrate everyone in outdoor recreation? It starts with positive changes in leadership — both coaches and role models.
Cal State LA
A longtime opponent of environmental advocacy, the personal politics of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro have made him an international liability.