Guardian Science Weekly

The destruction of Gran Chaco, forgotten sister of the Amazon rainforest

Loading player...
From deep inside Gran Chaco, a dry tropical forest in Argentina one and a half times the size of California, comes a wake-up call for the world’s forests. We’ve lost more than a fifth of this incredibly biodiverse region since 1985. And it’s just one of many precious carbon-trapping ecosystems being lost to unrelenting deforestation. Six months ago in Glasgow, world leaders at Cop26 pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. While destruction continues apace in Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, other countries such as Indonesia offer glimmers of hope. Madeleine Finlay speaks to biodiversity reporter Patrick Greenfield about what his trip to Gran Chaco showed him, what’s at stake around the world, and what’s needed to turn things around. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
19 May 2022 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Is BMI working? Cop31 latest, the science of great conversation

Madeleine Finlay and co-host Ian Sample discuss the three science stories you need to know about this week, including an alternative to BMI for diagnosing obesity which could ‘prevent misdiagnosis for millions’. Also on the agenda: an update from this year’s Cop climate conference in Turkey, and a study that…
12 Nov 23 min

Why we get Sad and what helps

As the nights draw in, many of us can experience low mood. But for a small proportion of people a more intense depression develops through the winter months. It’s a phenomenon that since the 1980s has been labelled seasonal affective disorder, or Sad, and can be debilitating for sufferers. To…
10 Nov 16 min

‘Ferritin face’: can you really diagnose low iron from a selfie?

Social media is awash with claims iron deficiency can be identified in the mirror by dark circles, breaking hair and dry skin. But is ‘ferritin face’ real? Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample why so many of us struggle to keep our iron levels up, how we can actually diagnose low…
5 Nov 21 min

How a scientist went from hero to traitor in a US water crisis

When the water in Flint, Michigan, became contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, Dr Siddhartha Roy, then a third year PhD student, was part of the team of scientists who publicly contradicted state and federal claims that it was safe. He became a local hero until a new piece of…
3 Nov 18 min
All episodes