/newsroom/taxonomy/term/11188/all en /newsroom/channels/news/second-chance-protect-wetlands-330885 <p>Wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. A new study, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05572-6"><i>Nature</i></a><i>,</i> has found that the loss of wetland areas around the globe since 1700 has likely been overestimated. This is good news overall, however, the global picture hides significant variations, with several regions and distinct wetland types under significant levels of pressure. For instance, temperate river floodplains have been highly impacted while remote boreal-arctic peatlands remain comparatively unharmed.</p> Thu, 06 May 2021 13:53:49 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 263706 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/enhancing-and-protecting-canadas-carbon-stocks-essential-insufficient-meet-ghg-emission-targets-344081 <p>Enhancing carbon storage in natural ecosystems could put a small but significant dent in Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but an aggressive commitment to reducing human-caused emissions remains critically important, according to a new expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), co-authored by ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Professor <b><a href="/geography/people-0/chmura" target="_blank">Gail L. Chmura</a></b> in the Department of Geography.</p> Tue, 06 Dec 2022 16:21:21 +0000 claire.loewen@mcgill.ca 288560 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/experts-cop-26-united-nations-climate-change-conference-334505 <p>The twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be hosted by the United Kingdom, in partnership with Italy. The summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC. More than 190 world leaders will participate, along with tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks. (<a href="https://www.un.org/en/un-climate-change-conference-cop-26" target="_blank">United Nations</a>)</p> Mon, 01 Nov 2021 14:19:26 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 282996 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/advancing-agriculture-threatens-livelihoods-forest-dependent-people-334386 <div> <p><i>Satellite images reveal where forest-dependent people live inside the forests of the South American Gran Chaco, and how deforestation for cattle ranching leads to an erosion of their resource base. (Background photo: Google Earth<sup>TM </sup>/ Inset photo: I. Gasparri).</i></p></div> Tue, 26 Oct 2021 14:31:46 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 282072 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/global-sand-and-gravel-extraction-conflicts-half-un-sustainable-development-goals-332577 <p><i>Sediment mining in the </i><i>Goyain River in northern Bangladesh</i><i>. The sand taken from these beds is used for buildings and infrastructure in nearby towns and cities CREDIT: Jim Best</i></p> Mon, 23 Aug 2021 19:38:07 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 273222 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/over-260000-kilometres-rivers-risk-due-proposed-hydro-dams-332371 <p>Over 260,000 kilometres of river could potentially be severed by planned hydroelectric developments according to ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ researchers. The Amazon, the Congo, and the Irrawaddy are just a few of the rivers at risk of losing their free-flowing status if the proposed construction of new hydropower dams takes place.</p> Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:29:17 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 272178 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/most-rivers-run-dry-now-and-then-331517 <p>A new study led by researchers from <a href="/newsroom/">ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ</a> and <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> found that between 51-60% of the 64 million kilometres of rivers and streams on Earth that they investigated stop flowing periodically, or run dry for part of the year. It is the first-ever empirically grounded effort to quantify the global distribution of non-perennial rivers and streams.</p> Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:45:00 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 269864 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/using-artificial-intelligence-manage-extreme-weather-events-327770 <p>Can combining deep learning (DL)— a subfield of artificial intelligence— with social network analysis (SNA), make social media contributions about extreme weather events a useful tool for crisis managers, first responders and government scientists? An interdisciplinary team of ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ researchers has brought these tools to the forefront in an effort to understand and manage extreme weather events.</p> Mon, 18 Jan 2021 14:17:59 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 256259 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/reduction-wetland-areas-will-affect-afrotropical-migratory-waterbirds-330768 <p>Migratory waterbirds are particularly exposed to the effects of climate change at their breeding areas in the High Arctic and in Africa, according to a new study published in <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international/article/climate-change-exposure-of-waterbird-species-in-the-africaneurasian-flyways/9292D944ABCEBC7641208AAE7A2BE440"><i>Bird Conservation International</i></a>.</p> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:04:04 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 262351 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/experts-apple-users-can-say-no-being-tracked-new-software-update-330714 <p>Apple rolled out a software update for its mobile devices that gives users the option of stopping apps from tracking their location and sharing other identifying information with third parties. Services such as Facebook and others currently have the ability to track users on mobile devices in order to learn more about them to target advertisements and other location-based services to them. In some instances, the tracking is in place even if the user is not actively using the app in question.</p> Wed, 28 Apr 2021 15:09:36 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 261899 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/new-study-nature-just-one-third-worlds-longest-rivers-remain-free-flowing-296950 <p> Tue, 07 May 2019 13:46:21 +0000 cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca 161354 at /newsroom