land use change
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Alex Trembath, Vijaya Ramachandran: The Malthusians are back
Climate activists who worry that the world has too many people are joining an ugly tradition.
How satellites revolutionized the way we see—and protect—the natural world
The first satellite in NASA’s Landsat program launched 50 years ago. It’s since shown images of Amazon deforestation, tracked urban heat islands, and helped reveal other ways humans have changed the face of the planet.
Global satellite data show where agriculture is wiping out wildlands
We’re losing natural ecosystems like forests and grasslands at an alarming rate. But we often hear less about what’s taking the place of those wild habitats. Much of the substitution has come from corn, soybeans and other agricultural crops.
An encroaching desert intensifies Nigeria's farmer-herder crisis
How climate change and human activity are driving violence between farming and pastoralist communities.
Esri's newest mapping project shows how much Earth has changed in the
Esri is making these new land cover maps available for free to everyone—and they’re much more likely to be up-to-date than in the past.
Top Story
How corn ethanol for biofuel fed climate change
The Renewable Fuel Standard promised to pay farmers to fight climate change and boost U.S. energy independence. A new five-year study of its impact on land use suggests that it did neither—even while it fueled fertilizer use and water pollution.
Why climate change could put new conservation areas in jeopardy
A global initiative to protect 30 percent of the earth's land and oceans by 2030 is gaining momentum. But scientists warn that as the world warms, many conservation areas will become less suited to the types of ecosystems they were intended to protect.
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