The Daily Populous

In Italia le foreste occupano un terzo del territorio, e sono in aumento

Le aree boscate hanno infatti superato i 100 mila chilometri quadrati di estensione e occupano oltre un terzo del territorio nazionale.

A fotografare questa trasformazione è il rapporto Foreste in Comune, la prima indagine socioeconomica sul patrimonio forestale dei comuni italiani promossa da PEFC Italia.

Tuttavia, dietro questa espansione si nascondono anche dinamiche complesse, che non possono essere interpretate esclusivamente come un successo ambientale.

I boschi svolgono un ruolo fondamentale nell’assorbimento della CO₂, nella tutela delle risorse idriche, nella protezione dal dissesto idrogeologico e nella conservazione della biodiversità.

Emblematico il caso di Marcetelli, in provincia di Rieti, che con il 98,4% del territorio coperto da boschi è il comune più boscoso d’Italia.

Ancora più significativa è la situazione dei 495 comuni “iper-boscosi”, dove il bosco occupa oltre l’80% della superficie comunale.

La sfida dei prossimi anni sarà dunque trovare un equilibrio che mitighi un po’ questo dualismo tra abbandono agricolo/rinaturalizzazione e intensificazione agricola/degradazione ecologica. »

UK, France, Germany raise alarm about Chinese activities off eastern Taiwan

Authored by yahoo.com

TAIPEI, June 24 (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where ‌China has mounted coast guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.

Britain, France and Germany, like most countries, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

But like many Western countries, they have repeatedly voiced concern at Chinese pressure against Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. »

US Senate joins House in voting to halt Iran war, rebuking Trump

Authored by al-monitor.com

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress.

While likely to remain largely symbolic, the vote was a setback for Trump, who until recently had enjoyed near-unanimous support from Republican members of Congress.

Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said on Tuesday he expected Congress would review and vote on an eventual Iran peace deal. »

Did Trump's motorcade drive through newly painted reflecting pool?

Authored by snopes.com

Claim: U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade drove through the newly painted and sealed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Cheung added, "President Trump rides in the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial!".

For further reading, Snopes debunked a rumor that the Trump Organization was selling pieces of peeling paint from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. »

China says it has a right to target people overseas with new ethnic unity law

Authored by yahoo.com

The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, includes a clause saying people and groups beyond ‌the borders of the People's ⁠Republic of China can be held legally accountable for undermining "ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic separatism".

The overseas provision targets illegal acts and uses rule-of-law methods ‌to "guard against various unlawful acts involving ethnic affairs from outside the country", he added.

"It will not affect normal people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries, academic discussions, economic and trade cooperation, or other activities.". »