Articles by Mike DiGirolamo

Dahr Jamail was working in Alaska’s Denali National Park in the early 2000s when he decided to travel to Iraq to better cover the U.S.-led invasion of the region, on…

There’s “this myth [of] perfection within activism and I think that's something that sort of barricades lots of people, whether they consider themselves activists or not, from even engaging in…

A paper generated by the Merz Institute, an Aotearoa New Zealand-based research institute, and published in the journal Science Progress in 2023, hypothesizes that the environmental crises our planet faces…

Big philanthropic projects like the Protecting Our Planet Challenge usually capture the media spotlight, but how effective are these endeavors? Do they take into consideration the inextricable human rights considerations…

Deep cultural connection to land and nature are inherent to the human experience and a birthright, says Jay Griffiths, author of WILD: An Elemental Journey (2006). But what happens when…

Rewilding advocate Eoghan Daltun was unsatisfied with life in Dublin, so he sold his property and bought a farm on the Beara Peninsula of southwestern Ireland. His plan was simple:…

Raja Ampat on the Bird’s Head Peninsula of far northwestern New Guinea is often called the “crown jewel” of the region. This equatorial archipelago contains probably the world’s greatest concentration…

It’s common to hear the word “objective” used in relation to the work of journalists. However, its definition and application are hotly debated, with some experts arguing it’s either impossible…

Research published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications finds that just in the United States, trillions of dollars are wasted on things that do not improve the quality…

SYDNEY — As the world struggles to contain plastic pollution, eco-friendly alternatives to plastics have garnered attention in recent years. One example: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a naturally occurring bio-based polymer, have…

The head of research at online publication Our World in Data, Hannah Ritchie, joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss her new “radically hopeful” read, Not the End of the World:…

In 2015, independent journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown revealed that $700 million had appeared in the personal bank account of Malaysia’s then-prime minster, Najib Razak. The money had come from the…

In 2023, Mongabay launched the fourth season of its serial podcast, “Mongabay Explores,” highlighting the Congo Basin. The six-part series takes a close look at the second-largest rainforest in the…

On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, co-host Rachel Donald speaks with Laura Martin, an associate professor of environmental studies at Williams College in Massachusetts. Donald and Martin dive into…

“Our wildest dreams never included what we are doing now,” says conservationist Paul Rosolie in a new podcast interview with Mongabay. What began as a grassroots initiative of his and…

The Mongabay Newscast welcomes a new co-host, Rachel Donald, to discuss the most recent meeting of the United Nations Transitional Committee to establish the highly anticipated loss and damage fund:…

According to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined by 22% for the year ending July 31, 2023. Mongabay’s CEO and…

SYDNEY — In October last year, an Australian development planning body rejected Swiss-based mining giant Glencore’s proposed coal mine expansion on land connected to a significant massacre site for the…

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) makes the Congo Basin rainforest what it is today. As a key seed disperser, its dietary habits help construct the giant carbon-sequestering tree community…

Australia is the first country outside the United States to host the storied South by Southwest conference and film festival, which debuted in Austin, Texas, in 1987. In addition to…

The United Nations consistently champions global climate action, urging nations across the globe to adopt commitments to reducing emissions. The intergovernmental organization has proclaimed itself 95% or more “climate neutral”…

Journalist Gloria Dickie has been traveling the world documenting the status of every bear species, many of which she says face a “tough future.” Her chronicles of these charismatic ursine…

Designing roads with wildlife in mind is an idea whose time hasn’t come soon enough: nearly a million animals are killed on roads every day, just in the U.S., and…

What can corporations learn from the mistakes of traditional capitalism? Can profit models place the interests of the environment and the public first? Beth Thoren, the environmental action and initiatives…

How much does it cost to protect the Congo Rainforest? Where does the money come from? Who pays and how is that money used? What models of forest protection work?…

When it comes to the trajectory of Amazon deforestation, “we’re in a bad spot,” according to ecologist and conservation biologist Tim Killeen. With 30 years of experience living and working…

Conservation technologies like drones, remote sensing and machine learning have a massive role to play in aiding the work of conservation scientists and helping policymakers devise better-informed decisions about where…

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produces around 70% of the global supply of cobalt and it is also Africa’s leading producer of copper. Despite the billions of dollars in…

Costa Rica went from having one of the highest rates of deforestation in the 1980s to becoming the first nation to reverse tropical deforestation. While numerous factors led to this…

On this episode of the Mongabay Explores podcast, Terese Hart, a researcher with the ICCN (the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature); Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a wildlife veterinarian and founder…