Planting more trees

(CNN) Spring is in full swing, and like the weather, so are the thunderous weather-themed proverbs. As we start April, you may have not heard these next two weather proverbs, but they still ring true today. "If it thunders on All Fools' Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay," and "The first thunder of the year awakens all the frogs." The thunder and frogs -- called "spring peepers" -- officially sound the trumpets of spring. These lesser-known proverbs proclaim the beginning of the season and the effects that April's first thunderstorms have on farmers across the world, pointing to the possibilities of a prosperous growing season. It turns out proverbs like these two hold a lot of weight and are many times accurate. Here is why and where to use them. Read More For those keeping score at home, the lion's roar was definitely heard this March with record snowfall in Colorado and Wyoming, tornado outbreaks in the southeastern United … [Read more...] about It’s no joke — thunder wakes the peepers and brings good crops of corn and hay

This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The Earth’s climate has always been a work in progress. In the 4.5 billion years the planet has been spinning around the sun, ice ages have come and gone, interrupted by epochs of intense heat. The highest mountain range in Texas was once an underwater reef. Camels wandered in evergreen forests in the Arctic. Then a few million years later, 400 feet of ice formed over what is now New York City. But amid this geologic mayhem, humans have gotten lucky. For the past 10,000 years, virtually the entire stretch of human civilization, people have lived in what scientists call “a Goldilocks climate” — not too hot, not too cold, just right. Related Stories Why Obama's Climate Plan Failed. And How Biden's Could Succeed For These Young Evangelical Activists, Facing the Climate Crisis Is an Act of Faith Related Stories The 10 Most Bizarre … [Read more...] about Now Is Our Last Best Chance to Confront the Climate Crisis

Video Player Close LUSAKA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Although two-thirds of Zambia's population live in rural areas and depend on agriculture as their mainstay, most of the foods produced go to waste. This is due to lack of markets as well as lack of knowledge on how to preserve the foods. However, a local firm is determined to change the status quo. Apart from promoting the consumption of indigenous foods, the company is determined to promote the indigenous foods to the outside world, including China. The firm believes that indigenous foods have not only high nutrient contents but medicinal values as well despite being frowned upon by people. "Any country that has a very low opinion of local foods is a very poor country. God gave us the local foods because he knows the value they contain and it is therefore important that we start appreciating our indigenous foods," said Sylvia Banda, Managing Director of Sylva Food Solutions, a subsidiary of Sylva Professional Catering, a … [Read more...] about Feature: Zambian firm determined to promote indigenous foods in foreign markets

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on calls from young people that her Government isn't acting fast enough on climate change. OPINION: We’ve all heard the predictions. As global warming continues, future generations will face more uncertain weather and a range of ever-more-frequent related disasters. Storms will become more intense. Between storms, warmer weather will make forests and farms drier and more prone to drought and wildfire. Sea level will rise and marine industries will become more uncertain as ocean waters warm and acidify. It all sounds pretty scary. Future generations will need to be prepared, resourceful and resilient. But will it also be more expensive for them? READ MORE: 23-million-year-old leaves hint trees might 'breathe' easier in high-carbon air Climate Explained: What caused major climate change in the past? That fuggy feeling: how high carbon dioxide affects our brains Drive your way into a cleaner future and your … [Read more...] about Kids will pay – literally – for our delay cutting carbon emissions

SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, Caqueta, Colombia (Reuters) - The dirt tracks winding through southern Colombia's tangled jungle often mark the beginning of the end for besieged patches of rainforest in this part of the Amazon. Across San Vicente del Caguan, one of the country's most deforested regions, illegal and informal roads fan out in an ever-expanding network, bringing visitors, commercial interests and farmers and ranchers who clear and burn the land. The result is the steady decay of Colombia's Amazon. A Reuters map of the region shows a lattice of lines that crisscross one another and creep southward into the forest and fan out on all sides. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/329ehRE) The destruction, which is striking on the ground, is significant enough to be visible from the sky. Patches of deforestation appear at the furthest extent of the roads, according to the map, which underlines the impact of unplanned roadbuilding by combining satellite imagery and local … [Read more...] about Road to ruin: informal byways sow seeds of destruction in Colombia’s Amazon