A sand shortage? The world is running out of a crucial — but under-appreciated — commodity

An insatiable global appetite for sand, one of the world’s most important but least appreciated commodities, is unlikely to let up anytime soon. The problem, however, is that this resource is slipping away.
Japan rocked by ‘aftershock’ from devastating 9.0-magnitude quake that hit in 2011

A powerful earthquake that hit Japan on Saturday was an aftershock of the devastating 9.0 magnitude quake that struck the same area almost 10 years ago…
How travelers help to protect the Outer Islands of the Seychelles

There are few places in the world as beautiful, or as vulnerable as the Outer Islands of Seychelles.
How Bali’s pristine beaches have turned into garbage dumps as the deserted tourist island struggles without any visitors

The once-popular Kuta and Jimbaran beaches are now deserted and strewn with washed-up bottles, bags and plastic, leaving them looking more like a tip than an idyllic tourist destination.
Rebuild or Leave ‘Paradise’: Climate Change Dilemma Facing a Nicaraguan Coastal Town

Two major November hurricanes slammed into the same part of Nicaraguan coast, laying waste to the Miskito village of Haulover. Faced with a future of intensifying storms, the residents must now consider whether to abandon their way of life by the ocean and move inland.
The world’s largest wetlands are on fire. That’s a disaster for all of us

South America’s Pantanal region has been hit by the worst wildfires in decades. The blazes have already consumed about 28% of the vast floodplain that stretches across parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. They are still not completely under control.
New Atlantic marine sanctuary will be one of world’s largest

The waters around one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, are set to become the fourth largest completely protected marine area in the world, and the largest in the Atlantic.
We packed long underwear and never wore it’: Arctic scientists shocked at warming

Areas that were previously accessible at that time of the year only with an ice-breaking ship had become open, wavy water.
New research identifies ‘triple trouble’ for mangrove coasts

The study found that mangrove forests, their large biodiversity and the coastal protection they provide are under pressure from three distinct threats—sea-level rise, lack of mud and squeezed habitats.