https://news.mongabay.com/list/activism/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:52:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.3 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/activism/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/on-the-front-lines-of-conservation-in-sumatra-rangers-safeguard-batutegi-forest/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/on-the-front-lines-of-conservation-in-sumatra-rangers-safeguard-batutegi-forest/#respond 07 Aug 2026 02:21:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=325509 - Batutegi faces persistent pressures from forest encroachment and the need to balance conservation with local livelihoods.
- Experts say protecting Batutegi will require sustained collaboration with local communities, alongside long-term conservation and forest management efforts.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/on-the-front-lines-of-conservation-in-sumatra-rangers-safeguard-batutegi-forest/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-325509 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/dona-oscarina-master-ceramicist-documented-the-knowledge-of-the-tiquie/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/dona-oscarina-master-ceramicist-documented-the-knowledge-of-the-tiquie/#respond 04 Aug 2026 08:41:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=324719 - As the first woman to serve as an Indigenous Environmental Management Agent on the Tiquié River, she helped bring women’s agricultural knowledge into environmental monitoring.
- She documented crop cycles, rainfall, river levels, and community life, while cultivating 18 varieties of cassava and preserving knowledge of ceramics, medicinal plants, and ritual practice.
- Through teaching, research, publications, and international forums, she worked to ensure that younger generations could continue applying and expanding this knowledge.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/dona-oscarina-master-ceramicist-documented-the-knowledge-of-the-tiquie/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324719 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/kenyans-protesting-nuclear-facility-face-terrorism-investigation/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/kenyans-protesting-nuclear-facility-face-terrorism-investigation/#respond 04 Aug 2026 04:04:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=325270 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/08/kenyans-protesting-nuclear-facility-face-terrorism-investigation/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-325270 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/report-indonesian-authorities-weaponize-laws-to-silence-environmental-and-indigenous-defenders/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/report-indonesian-authorities-weaponize-laws-to-silence-environmental-and-indigenous-defenders/#respond 30 Jul 2026 11:26:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=324914 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/report-indonesian-authorities-weaponize-laws-to-silence-environmental-and-indigenous-defenders/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324914 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/brazil-court-orders-recognition-of-indigenous-land-and-apology-for-historic-atrocities/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/brazil-court-orders-recognition-of-indigenous-land-and-apology-for-historic-atrocities/#respond 29 Jul 2026 13:15:11 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=324775 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/brazil-court-orders-recognition-of-indigenous-land-and-apology-for-historic-atrocities/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324775 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/father-robert-athickal-asked-children-to-protect-the-living-world/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/father-robert-athickal-asked-children-to-protect-the-living-world/#respond 27 Jul 2026 12:32:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=324535 - Tarumitra trained generations of young people to restore degraded land, protect native species, practice organic farming, and organize around environmental problems.
- Athickal combined Jesuit teaching with Indian philosophy, arguing that humans had moral obligations toward animals, plants, rivers, soils, and other forms of life.
- By trusting students with real responsibility, he showed how modest, local action could grow into a movement involving hundreds of thousands of young people.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/father-robert-athickal-asked-children-to-protect-the-living-world/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324535 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-leaders-push-for-stronger-voice-at-un-as-climate-threats-grow/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-leaders-push-for-stronger-voice-at-un-as-climate-threats-grow/#respond 23 Jul 2026 17:50:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=325328 - Delegates at the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) argued that Indigenous Peoples need direct participation in international decision-making, independent accreditation, and greater resources to influence policies that affect their communities.
- Alongside climate change, delegates highlighted emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, land degradation, and resource extraction, emphasizing that Indigenous knowledge and self-determination are essential for protecting rights, cultures, and the environment.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indigenous-leaders-push-for-stronger-voice-at-un-as-climate-threats-grow/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-325328 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/07/oil-has-harmed-the-nature-and-people-of-the-niger-delta-human-rights-may-save-it/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/07/oil-has-harmed-the-nature-and-people-of-the-niger-delta-human-rights-may-save-it/#respond 21 Jul 2026 23:06:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&p=323819 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/07/oil-has-harmed-the-nature-and-people-of-the-niger-delta-human-rights-may-save-it/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323819 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/activists-allege-cambodia-has-resumed-sea-sand-exports-to-singapore/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/activists-allege-cambodia-has-resumed-sea-sand-exports-to-singapore/#respond 21 Jul 2026 08:40:14 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=324184 - The allegations by Mother Nature Cambodia revive long-standing concerns over sand mining in Koh Kong province, where dredging has been linked to environmental damage and declining fisheries, and where a previous export scandal prompted the 2017 ban.
- Cambodia’s minister of mines defended sand mining as important for navigation and construction, while acknowledging environmental concerns, but did not address claims that exports to Singapore have resumed.
- The dispute comes as Mother Nature Cambodia continues to face pressure from the government, with several of its members imprisoned on charges widely viewed as retaliation for exposing environmental abuses.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/activists-allege-cambodia-has-resumed-sea-sand-exports-to-singapore/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324184 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/fighting-new-oil-blocks-in-the-congo-basin-interview-with-activist-pascal-mirindi/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/fighting-new-oil-blocks-in-the-congo-basin-interview-with-activist-pascal-mirindi/#respond 17 Jul 2026 15:49:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=323702 - In 2022, as the Congolese government promoted new oil blocks in eastern DRC, Mirindi and his friends created a movement to raise community awareness of the dangers of fossil fuel exploitation.
- In late 2024, the Congolese government initiated a green corridor extending from the eastern to the western side of the country, aiming to establish the “largest protected tropical forest in the world,” yet a few months later, the country launched new oil blocks covering 60% of the country’s surface.
- Mirindi spoke with Mongabay in June about his activism and the future of the DRC.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/fighting-new-oil-blocks-in-the-congo-basin-interview-with-activist-pascal-mirindi/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323702 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/war-heightens-isolation-of-irans-scientists/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/war-heightens-isolation-of-irans-scientists/#respond 16 Jul 2026 04:12:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=323665 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/war-heightens-isolation-of-irans-scientists/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323665 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/no-corporation-can-buy-the-right-to-destroy-interview-with-activist-raja-waseem-ahmed/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/no-corporation-can-buy-the-right-to-destroy-interview-with-activist-raja-waseem-ahmed/#respond 15 Jul 2026 19:09:17 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=323388 - Through the Kahoon Protection Committee, he led a legal battle against mega cement factories, ultimately prompting the Supreme Court of Pakistan to issue a historic ruling that banned the corporations from extracting local groundwater.
- His persistent advocacy against unchecked industrial expansion recently earned him the WWF-Pakistan Al-Mizan Award for Environmental Justice.
- Raja Waseem Ahmed spoke to Mongabay about his work and steps needed for using the judicial system to safeguard the region’s environment.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/no-corporation-can-buy-the-right-to-destroy-interview-with-activist-raja-waseem-ahmed/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323388 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/waste-women-environmental-justice-interview-with-nubian-activist-malasen-hamida/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/waste-women-environmental-justice-interview-with-nubian-activist-malasen-hamida/#respond 14 Jul 2026 18:30:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=323283 - Hamida founded the Mazingira Women Initiative, focusing on waste management, smart farming, land rights and women’s leadership.
- She spoke with Mongabay about the history of her people, who were brought to East Africa as soldiers in the King’s African Rifles and given 1,698 hectares, an area that has since diminished to 116 hectares.
- She says the fact that Mazingira is women-led is strategic: “If an environmental issue becomes a priority for a woman, she will ensure it works because she knows it is not for her alone. It is for the long-term well-being of the whole family.”
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/waste-women-environmental-justice-interview-with-nubian-activist-malasen-hamida/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323283 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/humans-relationship-with-nature-interview-with-ethnobotanist-pavel-partha/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/humans-relationship-with-nature-interview-with-ethnobotanist-pavel-partha/#respond 13 Jul 2026 22:56:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=323233 - Partha says development decisions should account for both ecological and social impacts, arguing that the two are inseparable.
- He also warns that ongoing environmental destruction erases languages, cultural practices and traditional ecological knowledge alongside ecosystems.
- Partha spoke with Mongabay about his activism and how scientific research can support Indigenous communities facing environmental destruction.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/humans-relationship-with-nature-interview-with-ethnobotanist-pavel-partha/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-323233 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/war-reveals-the-isolation-of-irans-scientists/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/war-reveals-the-isolation-of-irans-scientists/#respond 06 Jul 2026 18:39:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322511 - For decades, international sanctions and the war have limited their access to funding, professional development, and global scientific collaboration.
- Beyond potential damage to wildlife populations and ecosystems, conservation efforts are often ignored during wartime.
- Even amid the war, the Iran-based AvayeBoom Bird Conservation Society has continued its work “reconnecting people with wetlands through birds” and protecting critical bird habitats like the Arjan wetland in the country’s southwest.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/war-reveals-the-isolation-of-irans-scientists/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322511 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/youth-biodiversity-conservation-efforts-face-serious-funding-challenges-report-finds/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/youth-biodiversity-conservation-efforts-face-serious-funding-challenges-report-finds/#respond 01 Jul 2026 18:42:40 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=322273 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/youth-biodiversity-conservation-efforts-face-serious-funding-challenges-report-finds/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322273 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sea-level-rise-is-ruining-coastal-bangladesh-with-salty-water-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sea-level-rise-is-ruining-coastal-bangladesh-with-salty-water-commentary/#respond 01 Jul 2026 17:10:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322217 - Though Bangladesh did very little to cause climate change, the nation is not without answers, including the government’s Delta Plan 2100, but it is not moving quickly enough to act on them in time to avoid the worst impacts, the author writes.
- “What has been missing is not knowledge or technology, but the institutional will to treat this like the emergency that it is,” the writer argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/sea-level-rise-is-ruining-coastal-bangladesh-with-salty-water-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322217 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-blueprint-for-building-a-fairer-world-without-breaking-the-planet/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-blueprint-for-building-a-fairer-world-without-breaking-the-planet/#respond 30 Jun 2026 21:05:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&p=321876 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-blueprint-for-building-a-fairer-world-without-breaking-the-planet/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321876 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/human-rights-abuse-allegations-continue-to-rise-in-the-mining-sector-report-finds/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/human-rights-abuse-allegations-continue-to-rise-in-the-mining-sector-report-finds/#respond 29 Jun 2026 18:41:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322054 - The Business and Human Rights Centre released the 2025 findings for its Transition Mineral Tracker, which monitors allegations of abuse by large-scale mining of bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, iron ore and zinc.
- The NGO reviewed 299 mining operations and their owners, counting 329 allegations of abuse, up from 156 the year before.
- The allegations increased in every region of the world, but nowhere has been worse than in South America, which has seen 447 allegations since 2010.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/human-rights-abuse-allegations-continue-to-rise-in-the-mining-sector-report-finds/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322054 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/vietnamese-environmental-lawyer-dang-dinh-bach-released-after-5-years-in-prison/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/vietnamese-environmental-lawyer-dang-dinh-bach-released-after-5-years-in-prison/#respond 26 Jun 2026 13:16:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=321930 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/vietnamese-environmental-lawyer-dang-dinh-bach-released-after-5-years-in-prison/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321930 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/africas-community-led-marine-organizations-on-which-30x30-depends/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/africas-community-led-marine-organizations-on-which-30x30-depends/#respond 17 Jun 2026 10:45:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321349 - At the heart of the discussions is ocean governance and the global push to meet the 30×30 target — protecting 30% of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans by 2030.
- But meeting that goal will depend not only on governments and international pledges, but also on community-led organizations doing the difficult work of conserving fragile marine ecosystems.
- Across Africa and around the world, thousands of grassroots groups are carrying out this work, often far from the spotlight, helping shape ocean conservation and blue economies that support local livelihoods. Mongabay spoke with representatives of four such organizations working across the continent from the Western Indian Ocean to Africa’s Atlantic coast.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/africas-community-led-marine-organizations-on-which-30x30-depends/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321349 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-bougainville-community-in-panguna-wants-justice-for-minings-toxic-legacy/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-bougainville-community-in-panguna-wants-justice-for-minings-toxic-legacy/#respond 16 Jun 2026 21:35:04 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&p=321261 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/the-bougainville-community-in-panguna-wants-justice-for-minings-toxic-legacy/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321261 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/peter-klopfer-the-scientist-whose-civil-rights-case-helped-bring-lemurs-to-duke/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/peter-klopfer-the-scientist-whose-civil-rights-case-helped-bring-lemurs-to-duke/#respond 16 Jun 2026 00:04:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321263 - A Quaker pacifist and civil-rights activist, he refused the Korean War draft, supported student protesters in North Carolina, and was arrested during a 1963 integration protest.
- His Supreme Court case, Klopfer v. North Carolina, extended the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial to state courts.
- The legal-defense fund created after his arrest helped connect him with John Buettner-Janusch, leading to the arrival of lemurs at Duke and the creation of what became the Duke Lemur Center.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/peter-klopfer-the-scientist-whose-civil-rights-case-helped-bring-lemurs-to-duke/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321263 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/flamingo-revolution-aims-to-stop-kushner-backed-resort-on-protected-albanian-delta/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/flamingo-revolution-aims-to-stop-kushner-backed-resort-on-protected-albanian-delta/#respond 12 Jun 2026 19:54:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321100 - The construction is linked to a luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, targeting one of the last intact river-delta wildernesses in the Mediterranean, where only 4% of deltas remain undisturbed.
- As Albania’s anti-corruption authority investigates and the EU warns the development could jeopardize the country’s 2030 membership bid, conservationists say the crisis exposes a pattern of broken promises around the celebrated Vjosa Wild River National Park.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/flamingo-revolution-aims-to-stop-kushner-backed-resort-on-protected-albanian-delta/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321100 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-ecuador-an-indigenous-community-goes-thirsty-despite-its-two-rivers/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-ecuador-an-indigenous-community-goes-thirsty-despite-its-two-rivers/#respond 12 Jun 2026 07:00:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321009 - Residents of Capirona say that, by 2021, the color of the Puní River started to change, turning brownish. Meanwhile, problems such as skin rashes, fungal infections and itching became frequent.
- In samples of mining ore collected by Ecuadorian authorities from an illegal mining camp on the banks of Puní, signs of mercury were found at levels far exceeding the permitted limit for this metal in agricultural soils.
- Industrial farming activity has also polluted the waters of the Shalkana River, another watercourse located within the community. Despite being surrounded by two rivers, residents of Capirona rely on two water tankers sent weekly by municipal authorities, which is enough for barely half of the families for just a few days.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-ecuador-an-indigenous-community-goes-thirsty-despite-its-two-rivers/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321009 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/southeast-asian-nations-chart-important-new-course-toward-environmental-justice-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/southeast-asian-nations-chart-important-new-course-toward-environmental-justice-commentary/#respond 11 Jun 2026 22:57:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321042 - This is an important commitment to environmental justice for the 680 million people who call this region home, a new op-ed by the former U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and the environment states, but it needs to begin implementation, he argues.
- “The next step — implementation — is even more crucial,” he writes. “The ASEAN region faces enormous environmental challenges, and too often governments have failed to protect the human rights of those who are on the frontlines of those challenges.”
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/southeast-asian-nations-chart-important-new-course-toward-environmental-justice-commentary/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321042 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-an-activist-network-built-pressure-without-political-power/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-an-activist-network-built-pressure-without-political-power/#respond 11 Jun 2026 14:44:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320946 - The book follows RAN’s early campaigns against Burger King, True Geothermal, the World Bank and Mitsubishi to show how the group linked distant forest destruction to everyday choices, public pressure and corporate reputation.
- Benac shows how RAN combined decentralized organizing, nonviolent direct action, media spectacle, boycotts and long-term support for local and Indigenous-led campaigns.
- The interview explores what RAN’s history can teach today’s environmental movements about leverage, persistence, outside solidarity and the challenges that come when a radical network begins to win.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-an-activist-network-built-pressure-without-political-power/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320946 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-blueprint-for-effective-activism-10-years-after-defeating-a-dam-in-borneo-analysis/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-blueprint-for-effective-activism-10-years-after-defeating-a-dam-in-borneo-analysis/#respond 10 Jun 2026 18:59:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320891 - Ten years since Indigenous and local communities united with civil society organizations across the world to send that proposal down to a historic defeat, two leaders of one NGO that was key to the victory reflect on what helped the campaign succeed.
- “While the Baram victory cannot be automatically replicated — since each river, each community, each political configuration is its own — the structure of the campaign’s Indigenous-led physical resistance, rigorous independent science, and international solidarity infrastructure that amplifies without supplanting local leadership has been reactivated in varying forms and sites of victory across the world,” they write.
- This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-blueprint-for-effective-activism-10-years-after-defeating-a-dam-in-borneo-analysis/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320891 https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/climate-wayfinding-can-help-you-unpack-the-overwhelm-of-our-ecological-problems/ https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/climate-wayfinding-can-help-you-unpack-the-overwhelm-of-our-ecological-problems/#respond 09 Jun 2026 21:03:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&p=320690 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/06/climate-wayfinding-can-help-you-unpack-the-overwhelm-of-our-ecological-problems/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320690 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/sri-lanka-bans-single-use-plastic-bottles-at-government-events-charges-for-plastic-bags/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/sri-lanka-bans-single-use-plastic-bottles-at-government-events-charges-for-plastic-bags/#respond 08 Jun 2026 19:09:09 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320781 - The Indian Ocean island generates an estimated 250,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually, but only a small fraction is recycled, with much of the waste ending up in landfills, waterways and the ocean.
- Environmentalists say Sri Lanka has introduced several plastic bans over the years, but weak enforcement, poor recycling infrastructure, and consumer dependence on disposable products continue to undermine progress.
- Experts warn that lasting solutions will require stronger implementation, better waste management systems, a shift toward reusable alternatives and a circular economy.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/sri-lanka-bans-single-use-plastic-bottles-at-government-events-charges-for-plastic-bags/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320781 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/northern-thai-residents-march-for-action-on-polluted-rivers-this-is-an-emergency/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/northern-thai-residents-march-for-action-on-polluted-rivers-this-is-an-emergency/#respond 08 Jun 2026 04:19:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320710 - Health authorities in Thailand have found arsenic in two people living near the Kok River. Heavy metals have also been found in the water and fish of Kok and other rivers.
- A spokesperson for the Thai Prime Minister’s Office said the government established a working group to monitor the contamination problem in the Kok River and has been continuously coordinating with other countries.
- China, which imports rare earth oxides and compounds from Myanmar, also addressed the pollution of rivers in an online statement: “The Chinese government has always placed utmost importance on protecting the environment and ecosystem.”
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/northern-thai-residents-march-for-action-on-polluted-rivers-this-is-an-emergency/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320710 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rights-groups-renew-call-to-free-jailed-cambodian-environmental-activists/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rights-groups-renew-call-to-free-jailed-cambodian-environmental-activists/#respond 05 Jun 2026 02:51:38 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320620 - The activists were among 10 Mother Nature Cambodia members sentenced in 2024 to between six and eight years in prison for offenses including plotting against the government and insulting the king; a planned appeals hearing has now been postponed indefinitely.
- Supporters say the activists are being held in harsh conditions in prisons scattered across Cambodia, while repeated bail requests have been denied and families face significant financial and emotional burdens to visit them.
- The case has become a symbol of broader pressure on environmental defenders and civil society in Cambodia, with campaigners urging the government to free the activists ahead of the Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh later this year.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rights-groups-renew-call-to-free-jailed-cambodian-environmental-activists/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320620