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The planet is sliding into ecological debt (Photo: Royce Bair/flickr.com)

Earth Overshoot Day: Humans have exhausted natural resources for 2014

August 19th marks Earth Overshoot Day – the day humanity has used up the natural resources the world can supply in a year, according to data from Global Footprint Network, an international think tank. The date is calculated by contrasting the world’s demand on nature (ecological footprint) with the biocapacity – forests, pastures, cropland and

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Goal 2 focuses on agriculture (Photo: Jan Beniest/flickr)

UN working group adopts proposal for Sustainable Development Goals

The UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concluded its final session on Saturday, adopting the outcome document by acclamation. The proposal contains 17 goals and 169 targets which are to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, including 62 targets on means of implementation. After multiple readings and overnight negotiations, the delegates

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Glyphosate reduces the activity of earthworms (Photo: Will Merydith/flickr)

New study on the effects of glyphosate on soil organisms

Herbicides containing glyphosate can have negative side effects on soil organisms such as earthworms and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. Austrian scientists from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) investigated the effects in a model ecosystem using pots with soil, earthworms and

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Fewer pesticides in organic food (Photo: SalFalko/flickr)

New study: more antioxidants and fewer pesticides in organic crops

Organic food has more key antioxidants than conventionally-grown crops and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to new research from Newcastle University published on Tuesday in the British Journal of Nutrition. The study analysed 343 peer-reviewed studies, focussing on the compositional differences between organic and conventional crops. The researchers found that concentrations of

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