I helped put nature conservation on the global agenda. But now I fear for Earth’s future. Will the next generation save us from disaster? Climate change, conceptual illustration (Photo by SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images) This story by News Decoder...
Swiss citizens are burying cotton underpants and tea bags in their gardens and fields to help scientists assess the quality of soil in the Alpine nation. (Photo courtesy of Beweisstück Unterhose) This article, by high school student Luis Eberl, was produced out of...
Student reporter Luis Eberl of Realgymnasium Rämibühl in Zurich, Switzerland, interviewed scientist Marcel van der Heijden of the University of Zurich about an experiment to find ways to slow down or prevent soil deterioration caused by erosion, construction, pesticides and drought. The project invites citizens to test their own soil by planting tea bags and cotton underpants – two common household items – and then testing the level of deterioration. Eberl shows how scientists are engaging everyday people in climate change projects to demonstrate that individuals’ small actions can lead to global solutions.
Exercise: Interviewing an expert for a story is a great way to get information to readers that might not be reported elsewhere. Have students think of an issue that would be important to report and see if they can identify an expert who might be good to interview for a story on that issue.
Technology depends on rare earth minerals, but their extraction can harm our planet. Asteroids offer a plentiful source of valuable elements. In the future, mankind will go to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to mine for the vast wealth that is within the...
There’s a disconnect between the urgency of climate science and the indifference of governments, media and business to act. Are we too late? Firefighters at the scene of a wildfire in Tabara, Spain, 19 July 2022 (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) “I want you to...
There’s no shortage of good will to help Africans cope with the effects of global warming. But climate aid is often misdirected — or never reaches target. An irrigation project in Karamoja, Uganda (Photo by Nick Trombola) After an intense drought in early...