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Articles on Natural resources

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A paddler launches a canoe on Bass Lake in central Ontario on Canada Day, 2021. Could humble Canada be heading towards superpower status in the decades to come? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill

Canada, a superpower? Here’s how the country might one day fit the bill

In 1776, with a population of 2.5 million, few imagined that within two centuries, the U.S. would become the dominant superpower. It’s not inconceivable that Canada could do the same by 2223.
Maria Elena Paredes, coordinator of the Community Vigilance Committee for the Ashéninka community of Sawawo Hito 40, points to satellite images showing deforestation. Reynaldo Vela/USAID

Indigenous defenders stand between illegal roads and survival of the Amazon rainforest – Brazil’s election could be a turning point

Illegal roads have brought deforestation, fire and other environmental damage to the Amazon. The results of the 2022 presidential runoff could have a major impact for the future.
Image of Earth’s city lights, created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. NASA/Newsmakers via Getty Images

What the controversial 1972 ‘Limits to Growth’ report got right: Our choices today shape future conditions for life on Earth

A 1972 report warned that unchecked consumption could crater the world economy by 2100. Fifty years and much debate later, can humanity innovate quickly enough to avoid that fate?
Tourism-driven development is threatening one of Puerto Rico’s greatest draws: its rural coastlines. R9 Studios FL/Flickr

Coastal gentrification in Puerto Rico is displacing people and damaging mangroves and wetlands

Puerto Rico’s tourism industry is booming as nations lift COVID-19 travel restrictions, but development is displacing people who have lived along its coastlines for years.
Alain Libondo (17) left, and Nsinku Zihindula (25), hammering at solid rock to find cassiterite and coltan at Szibira, South Kivu. Photo by Tom Stoddart via Getty Images

What coltan mining in the DRC costs people and the environment

Coltan is indispensable to the making of modern electronic devices but its mining causes human and environmental disasters in the DR Congo.
An abandoned forest road that has become impassable due to the washout of the culvert fill. The beaver dam has also contributed to road erosion. (Forest Hydrology Laboratory of Université Laval)

How Québec’s abandoned logging roads are damaging lakes, rivers and streams — and putting wildlife at risk

By mismanaging its forestry road system, Québec and the forestry companies operating in public forests have made significant savings, to the detriment of protecting aquatic environments.
Alberta’s approach to fiscal management involves a nauseating cycle of big spending followed by massive cuts — almost entirely due to the outsized influence of oil and gas revenues. The rollercoaster at the West Edmonton Mall is seen in this photo. (Jerry Bowley/Flickr)

Alberta budget means Albertans are trapped on a relentless fiscal rollercoaster ride

Every time Alberta’s energy-based economy goes into a tailspin, it’s because the price of oil has declined precipitously, and when it booms, it’s because the price has soared.
Afghanistan has mineral resources that include precious gems and minerals such as copper and rare earth elements. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Afghanistan has vast mineral wealth but faces steep challenges to tap it

Afghanistan has vast mineral resources that have long attracted interest from outside countries, but a lack of infrastructure and political instability means they’re unlikely to aid its economy now.
Coastal areas in West Africa are under intense pressure from demographic growth, economic expansion and ongoing climate change. IRD

Interdisciplinary approaches to coastal vulnerability: the pathway to coastal sustainability

Around the world, fragile coastal ecosystems are under intense pressure, and understanding and managing their complex interactions requires an integrated and interdisciplinary approach.
Part of Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland is seen in June 2017. Tourism is critically important for many areas of rural Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

Rural vs. urban Canada: No ‘one size fits all’ COVID-19 recovery

Misconceptions of rural realities can have serious implications. Better use of data can help avoid this and lead to policies that will help rural communities recover in the post-pandemic.

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