A 2017 scientific study claimed having one fewer child was the most effective way to fight climate change – more impactful than going vegan or ditching your car. A small but growing number of people have consciously chosen not to have children to help the planet. Yet sacrifice may prove unnecessary. After half a century of population explosion and global overpopulation alarms, the problem now appears reversed: population decline. "We're not preparing for what's coming. Just as rapid population growth disrupted the world, the coming population drop will be equally – or more – swift and disruptive", warns Darrell Bricker, Ipsos researcher and co-author (with John Ibbitson) of Empty Planet.

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has warned this Monday that a significant portion of the water infrastructure investments planned in response to the drought episode that affected Catalonia between 2021 and 2024 are delayed or, in some cases, stalled, including the Tordera and Foix desalination plants. Likewise, the business organization has warned that European regulations require administrations to invest more in water purification and regeneration, which may necessitate future increases in investments in this area.

She dreams a lot, every day, and in order not to forget them, she tells George the dream right away, in her sweet voice, while she hasn't opened her eyes yet: “I was leaning against the balustrade of the terrace of a large, old, stately house. In front of me, a deep blue lake surrounded by majestic trees. I was wearing a long cream-colored dress that the warm late summer wind caressed my skin. You were wearing a tuxedo and waiting for me in a Riva boat at the dock; I took off my high heels and went down a ladder to the lake. You took my hand and, as soon as we set off, in the blink of an eye, we were in St. Mark's Square, at the Venice Film Festival. Doesn't that seem incredible to you, George?”

“Extractivism destroys everything and leaves nothing”, says Mercedes, forty years old, with a sign in her hands which reads “Water for life, not for mining”, as people arrive at the demonstration, in Plaza del Congreso in Buenos Aires, against the modification of the glacier law, promoted by Javier Milei's government. The deputies were discussing the modification of a 2010 text that prevented mining and hydrocarbon activity to protect the natural dynamics of ice and water quality in areas with glaciers and periglacial areas – frozen ground –. After twelve hours of debate, the law reform was approved with 137 votes in favor, 111 against, and three abstentions. “This only serves mining companies: it serves no Argentinian”, states Mercedes.Argentina has nearly 17,000 bodies of ice, covering almost 8,500 square kilometers (more than forty times the city of Buenos Aires). This was calculated by the Argentine Institute of Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences in the so-called National Inventory of Glaciers. "It is only 0.3% of Argentine territory," environmental lawyer Enrique Viale tells ARA. "It is a small surface area – he acknowledges – but mining is very voracious." Glaciers supply the hydrographic basins of a large part of the territory and constitute an important reserve of fresh water, suitable for human consumption. In this sense, both glaciers and periglacial areas are key to the balance of ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity.The 2010 law offered broad protection to all glaciers and the periglacial environment, cataloged as "strategic reserves" of water; but the modification aims to conserve only ice bodies that fulfill an "effective hydrological function". If previously any glacier was protected by default, with exceptions, from now on it will be necessary to prove that the glacier deserves protection. "I'm here for the water," says Camila, 26, in Congress Square, as she pushes her bicycle. Camila, moreover, acknowledged to ARA that she feels "anxiety" about what might happen with "the gamble," which is being played with our most essential resource. “I would advise many of these people who make ideological use of glaciers to inform themselves well about what the modification of the law entails”, Roberto Cacciola, president of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM), tells ARA. This businessman, who is dedicated to the extraction of gold and silver in the province of Santa Cruz, argues that, before intervening in territories, mining companies must pass several environmental impact studies and, if they do not, “the project is not carried out, period”. “Mining is a key economic activity –he adds–, not going any further, your mobile phone is full of metals and minerals”.Blank check to multinationals

One of the first measures Javier Milei approved upon becoming president was the regime of incentives for large investments (RIGI), with which it is intended to make Argentina an attractive country for large capitals, particularly in the mining sector, with tax benefits and deregulation. The majority of mining companies operating in the country are foreign, mainly from Canada, Australia, the United States, and China. “We are totally aligned with the national government,” says Cacciola, who argues that mining not only attracts investments but also brings jobs and prosperity to the territories.The other key point of the law modification is to give more decision-making power to the provinces: if until now the national government established environmental minimums for the whole country, now each provincial government will be able to define which areas are to be protected and in which mining activity is enabled. This, according to the government, reinforces the federal character of Argentina, but some experts, like Enrique Viale, warn that conflicts between jurisdictions may arise over access to water: “The mining lobby, which is one of the most powerful in the world, is responsible for silencing the consequences of its activity, because if people really knew them, there would be significant rejection”.In Congress Square, an eighty-year-old man carries a sign that says "Think like a glacier". "Glaciers, like mountains, are not dead beings, they are not a decoration, but they provide us with water and life". His name is Nilo Cayuqueos and he is of Mapuche origin. The Mapuche are one of the original communities historically in open conflict with public administration over land tenure and resource exploitation. "Mother Earth is wise, but Western culture has twisted everything for the benefit of money –he says–. It is fundamental that people become aware of what is at stake".

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This March 13th marks exactly two years since, after losing the budget vote, the then President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, decided to call elections. The accounts for that fiscal year had an insurmountable obstacle: Hard Rock. On one hand, the PSC demanded that he unblock the project if he wanted their votes, but on the other hand, Comuns assured him that if the macro-casino went ahead, they would oppose it. An insurmountable dilemma. Aragonès maintained his commitment to the socialists, and Comuns kept their word and voted against the budget. President Aragonès called early elections and lost them in favor of Salvador Illa. Months later, Illa also needed the support of other parties to be invested as president, and once again, Hard Rock was the bargaining chip: one of the conditions set by Comuns and Republicans was that he eliminate the tax reductions that Artur Mas's government approved in 2014 to lure investors from the Seminole tribe of Florida, owners of Hard Rock. Instead of paying 55% of the taxes levied on gambling, they would only pay 10%.

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A year later, the Spanish government has definitively approved the first action plan for the sustainable management of mineral raw materials for the period 2026-2030, linked to a public investment of 414 million euros. This plan includes, among other things, the first mineral exploration program approved in fifty years, endowed with 182 million euros, whose main objective is to search for critical minerals, such as rare earth elements, both in new deposits and in spoil heaps or existing mines in Spain, as explained by Sara Aagesen, Ecologist in Action, at a press conference this Tuesday.

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Taking responsibility for a specific section of the coastal path, inspecting it regularly, and reporting any illegal closures or deterioration that impedes access. This is the mission that SOS Costa Brava wants to entrust to the future "godparents" of the coastal paths, a new role with which the environmental organization intends to strengthen the monitoring of these historic routes along the sea and guarantee the public's right to walk freely and without obstacles.

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Iberboard began removing the approximately 15,000 tons of waste that had accumulated at its Alcover plant in the Alt Camp region on Monday, as confirmed to ARA by company sources. This paper mill suspended operations in August 2014, leaving around one hundred workers in the area without jobs. In addition to accumulating tons of waste over the years, Iberboard also had numerous files for various environmental violations, such as dumping waste into the Francolí River and storing toxic waste for longer than legally permitted. The company made significant investments in machinery and also allocated resources to correct some of the identified deficiencies, such as noise pollution that disturbed residents, but ultimately filed for bankruptcy a year and a half ago. Since then, representatives from different departments of the Catalan government, such as the Catalan Waste Agency and the Catalan Water Agency, and the mayor of Alcover have met with company representatives and their lawyers to find a solution that would allow for the removal of the 15,000 tons of waste. The risk this poses in the event of a rise in the river level is a concern. Initially, the company was reluctant to take responsibility, but in October of last year, it finally committed to removing all the waste once it received authorization from the bankruptcy administrator. Approval was granted, and the company finally began waste collection in December. But on the first day, the engine of the excavator they had rented broke down, thwarting the anticipated start of the collection, which resumed today.

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Pregnancy is a very important stage in a woman's life. Many changes occur on different levels—physical, emotional, social, etc.—and, especially, self-care becomes crucial. Some aspects of this attention to personal well-being are within the control of the pregnant woman and her immediate environment, but others, in many cases, are beyond their reach. This is the case with the effects of climate change and pollution, especially relevant in urban contexts, which can affect pregnancy and early childhood, and which are of increasing concern to these groups.

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Now that we're entering one of the peak shopping seasons of the year, it's a good time to shed light on what happens to all the clothes we don't use. This Sunday, in the special report, you'll find the results of a Europe-wide investigation, in which an ARA contributor participated, tracing the surprising and often opaque routes of the clothes we discard. Using markers sewn onto various garments, a team of journalists reconstructed the journeys to major logistics hubs in countries like the United Arab Emirates and calculated the carbon footprint generated by this global system.

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McDonald's has presented its new economic, social, and environmental impact report for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, a document that outlines its contribution to the country's sustainable development and the progress made in corporate responsibility. According to the president of McDonald's Spain, Luis Quintiliano, this document "reflects, with concrete actions, the company's firm commitment to generating a positive impact from an economic, social, and environmental perspective." The executive emphasizes that the McDonald's model "demonstrates that it is possible to grow sustainably, hand in hand with employees, franchisees, suppliers, and customers."

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More than a thousand people, most of them linked to more than 150 civic organizations from different Catalan regionsOn October 5th, they staged a massive show of force through the streets of Lleida. They were organized by sixteen entities, including the Assemblea Pagesa de Catalunya (Catalan Farmers' Assembly). the Pueblos Vivos platformThe environmental group Ipcena and SOS Vall del Corb all took to the streets under a common slogan: "We defend the land." What did they mean by this? They explain it themselves. "We want a new rurality, one that isn't dependent on urbanism and territorial imbalance," says Víctor Altés, an agricultural engineer and member of Pobles Vius. The activists warn that the rural world is under attack. "When we say attack, we're referring to all these large-scale energy projects that have nothing to do with the needs of the land, but rather with a colonization of rural areas without even consulting the people who live there," Altés argues. The protesters lament that large companies and investment groups are assaulting rural areas surreptitiously and maliciously.

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Southwest of Pylos, Greece, lies the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea, in the so-called Calypso Trench. Specifically, 5,267 meters separate the surface from the deepest point. The landscape of an inhospitable desert sunk in the darkness of the sea would be the most predictable scenario, but researcher Miquel Canals' team has confirmed that there is human presence even at the deepest point in the Mediterranean. Remains of garbage bags, cans, and plastic bottles are some of the traces identified by a manned submarine that descended into the trench with the help of pioneering technology.

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Llançà is one of the hottest spots for real estate speculation on the Costa Brava. Much of the area is built on, and of what remains undeveloped, most It is developable land with the possibility of building, as mandated by the municipal urban planning plan (POUM), approved more than twenty years ago. One problematic area where regulations permit buildings is the pine forest on La Farella beach: one and a half hectares of trees, right in front of the sand, surrounded on both sides by villas and residential developments. This is the last green area right on the seafront along the municipal boundary, between Cap Ras, which is a protected area, and Punta d'en Feliu, towards Port de la Selva. In this pine forest, last July, the Llançà City Council approved the Urban Improvement Plan (PMU) granting permission to the private owner of the plot to build 62 apartments for hotel use.

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Barcelona Global has launched an initiative to make the metropolitan area an international benchmark in the fight against climate change. This Chapter Climate was held this Tuesday with a meeting that brought together around 100 business leaders and executives from different sectors, with the aim of activating a shared agenda and exchanging good practices between companies and institutions in the field of sustainability.

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Tracjusa, the renovated Juneda slurry treatment plant (Garrigues) that will use a new gasification system produced with solid fuels from urban waste, will begin operating in the first quarter of 2027. This was announced today by the managers of the GAP livestock cooperative, which with the Griñó Group is co-owned by another group that requires the combustion of domestic waste supplied by Griñó (up to a maximum of 45,000 tons per year).

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There's a saying in the agricultural sector that a bad year usually leads to a good harvest. This trend, more or less, has been maintained over time, and if you look at the historical record, you find a certain balance, and the numbers end up adding up. But the drought that has affected Catalonia over the last three years broke all rules and has led to disastrous figures. Catalan winegrowers, who in a normal year can harvest nearly 400 million kilos of grapes, settled for 357 million in 2022, and since then, their yields have continued to decline: 278 million in 2023 and 248 million in 2024. This means that last year, the yields were 38% less than normal. This year, fortunately, the situation has improved.

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The coypu on display from the Onyar River near Girona create a great deal of excitement among passersby crossing the city's bridges. They are in greater demand than the classic carp, which has also been cornered by the Ebro thornback, another much more abundant foreign species that can reach comparable sizes. The coypu have found in the lower reaches of the river that runs through Girona, with its calm waters, rich vegetation, and naturalized banks, a perfect ecosystem for reproducing and forming families. They can be seen on the riverbanks or swimming in the water, and they do not flee at the presence of humans.

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The unstoppable deforestation and the climate crisis threaten the great green lung that is still the Amazon rainforest and take her to the dreaded point of no return in recovery andpush towards savannization. That is to say, there is a danger that the rich diversity of vegetation and climate in the American region will become a vast expanse of semi-arid land filled with scrubland. In a new study published this Tuesday by the journal Nature Communication, an international team of researchers has found that there is another factor to consider when adding more concern about the future of the Amazon: rainfall.

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