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From scientific discoveries to activist wins, here are the latest news stories that showcase the people who are taking on climate change and nature loss, and winning.

🌳 The immense climate benefit of reforesting pastures

Almost half of the world’s pasture for livestock would otherwise be covered in trees. New research shows that letting these pastures naturally return to forests could significantly lower emissions, without affecting protein production. Reducing livestock production by just 13% in some areas and letting native forests return could remove an amount of carbon equivalent to global fossil fuel emissions over the last three years. To make up the shortfall in food production, more livestock could be reared in sub-Saharan Africa and South America.

🛢️ Public support for making polluters pay

A new survey finds that the most popular answer to the question ‘who should pay for climate damage?’ is resoundingly ‘the people who caused it’. The public consensus that oil and gas companies should cough up for the harm they’ve done to the planet could help persuade policymakers not to put the burden on the average person, but make the smart choice to tax these hugely wealthy companies.

🔍 Cementing the role of citizens in tracking biodiversity

A study finds that drawing on the skills of local communities and Indigenous peoples is hugely important for monitoring progress towards biodiversity goals, playing a vital role in collecting 51% of the data we need. Some examples of this kind of work include local focus group discussions coming up with conservation-minded fishing laws in the Philippines, hunters in Finland counting the tracks of animals in the snow, and citizen scientists taking photos of baboon spiders in southern Africa.