The Green Planet Monitor

Ocean’s Eleventh Hour

SNOWBALL EARTH Long before the explosion of multicellular life in Earth’s oceans, a half billion years ago, those oceans were covered in ice hundreds of meters thick. Beneath that ice, darkness reigned, and photosynthetic organisms fell silent (there were no animals back then). Snowball Earth [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9vcGVuZ2VvbG9neS5vcmcvaGlzdG9yaWNhbGdlb2xvZ3kvY2FzZS1zdHVkaWVzL3Nub3diYWxsLWVhcnRoLw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782], is how geologists describe the planet back then. Joe Kirschvink [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ3BzLmNhbHRlY2guZWR1L3Blb3BsZS9qb3NlcGgtam9lLWtpcnNjaHZpbms%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782], a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, pioneered the concept in the early 1990s. Viewed from the moon during the Cryogenian and early Ediacaran periods of the Neoproterozoic Era of Earth time, between about 720 and 640 million years ago, Earth would have glistened like a snowball. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] Two pan-planetary glaciation events have been documented — the Sturtian, between about 720 and 660 million years ago (mya), and the Marinoan, between about 645 and 640 mya. [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/chronostratchart2020-01-scaled.jpg] Take a close look at the top right of this chart Last week, the Canadian geologist who popularized Joe Kirschvink’s idea, helping to overcome widespread skepticism, gave a talk at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario. Having earned a geology degree from McMaster University in 1964, Paul Hoffman [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9lcHMuaGFydmFyZC5lZHUvcGVvcGxlL3BhdWwtZi1ob2ZmbWFuLw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] worked for the Geological Survey of Canada for a while, studying Proterozoic geology across Canada’s north, then moved on to the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, at the University of Victoria. Hoffman is now Sturgis Hooper Professor Emeritus of Geology at Harvard University. I interviewed Paul Hoffman back in the early 1990s, for my Earth Chronicles [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ3JlZW5wbGFuZXRtb25pdG9yLm5ldC9wb2RjYXN0L2VhcnRoLWluLW1vdGlvbi8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] series. At the time, Proterozoic carbonates and the involvement of plate tectonics in Earth’s early history were his areas of specialty. Hoffman was aware of Joe Kirschvink’s Snowball Earth idea, but never dug down into the details. In the course of geology fieldwork in northern Namibia, studying the relative proportion of carbon isotopes in sedimentary rock, his interest grew enormously. When I heard Paul Hoffman would be giving a talk at Mac about Snowball Earth, I registered. Hoffman’s mid-June presentation to a roomful of Mac grads — reviewing evidence for Snowball Earth from the fields of geochemistry, paleoclimatology, biology, and molecular phylogeny; outlining how life may have radiated from that exceptionally chilling experience (“the early Ediacaran fossil record (635-575 Ma) is understudied outside China”) — was both engaging and intellectually challenging. Afterward, Hoffman accompanied me to the studios of CFMU, where we sat down for a talk about Snowball Earth. Listen to our conversation in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvb2NlYW5zLWVsZXZlbnRoLWhvdXIv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782]. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] Listen to our complete conversation here:   [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/dsc_0890.jpg] California tide pool (David Kattenburg) Then there’s the status of Earth’s oceans today. Largely liquid, they’re in a worrisome state. Seventy percent of Earth’s surface is covered in ocean. Currently pegged at 8.4 billion – and growing – human populations have wreaked havoc on them, contaminating them with chemical substances of all sorts, monumental volumes of plastic, and megatons of terrestrial sediment. A third of the CO2 humans have pumped into the atmosphere over the course of the last 200 years, burning fossil fuels, has ended up in the oceans, acidifying them. Acidification pushes ocean carbonate chemistry out of long-established equilibrium, disrupting the ability of shell-forming plankton — the base of marine trophic chains — to build their shells.  At the same time, ninety percent of anthropogenic, CO2-generated atmospheric heat has been absorbed by Earth’s oceans, both heating [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL2Vudmlyb25tZW50LzIwMjYvanVsLzAxL29jZWFuLXN1cmZhY2UtdGVtcGVyYXR1cmVzLWhpdC1hLXJlY29yZC1oaWdoLWZvci1qdW5l&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] and expanding them. The rate of sea level rise has reportedly doubled over the past fifty years, threatening coastal communities around the world. Over a third of humanity lives within a hundred kilometers of the coast, mere meters above the ocean’s fast rising surface. Alongside changes in the physical structure and chemistry of Earth’s oceans, the animals and plants that call them home are taking a hammering. Impacts on coastal salt marshes, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and coral reefs — among the most productive, carbon-storing ecosystems on Earth — and on iconic marine mammals in both coastal and pelagic zones, are easy to observe. Much less easy to monitor are the extraordinary communities of free-floating plant and animal plankton, and soft-bodied benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms inhabiting the depths of Earth’s open oceans, especially along submarine ridges and seamounts, on abyssal plains, and at the bottom of incomprehensibly deep trenches. Research continues to highlight [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL2Vudmlyb25tZW50LzIwMjYvanVuLzI2L21hcmluZS1leHBlZGl0aW9uLXVuY292ZXJzLTMxLW5ldy1zcGVjaWVzLXR3by13ZWVrcy1icmF6aWw%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] the extraordinary lives of creatures few if any humans have ever observed. Their ability to thrive, unbeknownst to humans, is astonishing. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] If Earth’s ocean creatures are in trouble, so are humans. But ocean experts are hopeful. Oceans need to be managed more effectively. The GPM spoke about this with Rafael Gonzalez-Quiros, joint coordinator of a group of ocean experts, and co-author of the UN-affiliated Third World Ocean Assessment [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudW4ub3JnL3JlZ3VsYXJwcm9jZXNzL3dvYTM%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782]. Listen to our conversation in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvb2NlYW5zLWVsZXZlbnRoLWhvdXIv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782]. Listen to our complete conversation with Rafael Gonzalez-Quiros here: Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9782] [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-post-id=9782]

Earth in Motion

LOVE OF ROCK By David Kattenburg Between the winter of 1992 and spring 1994, backpack on my back and vintage, analog Nagra III reel-to-reel tape recorder over my shoulder, I traveled across Canada – twice — visiting places and interviewing people from Prince Edward Island to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Out of this audio-recording adventure, thirty-two hour-length docs emerged, exploring planet Earth, global ecology, and sustainable human development. The Earth Chronicles, the series was called. Together with co-producer Peter Hutton, I raised an astonishing $120,000 for the radio project (equivalent to about $220,000 dollars today). Producing The Earth Chronicles was a task of epic proportions. In a room at the Yellow Brick House, on Strathcona Street South, countless hours were spent listening back to all these voices, recorded on dozens and dozens of reels of quarter-inch tape; wax pencil and razor blade in hand, slicing, splicing and assembling voice sequences; lengths of magnetic tape around my neck, over my shoulder and knees, and piled up neatly across the floor. Across town, in the production studio of 93.3 CFMU, McMaster University Radio, thirty-two editions of the Earth Chronicles got mixed down, all perfectly narrationless — voicescapes. Here’s one of the first editions in the Earth Chronicles series, ‘Earth in Motion’. It features the voices of some of Canada’s most eminent geologists and Earth system scientists (William Fyfe [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudXdvLmNhL2VhcnRoL25ld3MvQXJjaGl2ZS8yMDEzL3dpbGxpYW1fc19meWZlXzE5MjdfMjAxMy5odG1s&feed-stats-url-post-id=9764], Digby McLaren [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9yb2NrLmdlb3NvY2lldHkub3JnL25ldC9kb2N1bWVudHMvZ3NhL21lbW9yaWFscy92MzYvTWNMYXJlbi5wZGY%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9764], Paul Hoffman [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9lcHMuaGFydmFyZC5lZHUvcGVvcGxlL3BhdWwtZi1ob2ZmbWFuLw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9764]), and a host of other geologists and humble rock lovers. ‘Earth in Motion’ also features a singer-songwriter named Shawn O’Halloran. Shawn was one of Hamilton’s most talented artists. ‘Tectonics’ is one of fourteen songs he wrote for The Earth Chronicles, and performed, on guitar, accompanied by veteran Hamilton-area percussionist (and CFMU jazz host) Paul Panchezak. Shawn O’Halloran passed away in 2019, way before his time. Listen to ‘Earth in Motion’. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvZWFydGgtaW4tbW90aW9uLw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9764]. [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-post-id=9764]

Free Speech Suppressed — AI Embraced

At Columbia University, one of the US’s most prestigious academic institutions, the suppression of free speech and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence go hand in hand. On May 12, in front of the university’s closely guarded gates at Broadway and West 116th Street (one of the last places where Columbia students are free to stage loud, public protests), a small group of students and faculty gathered to protest what they believe is the uncritical integration of AI into Columbia teaching and learning systems. To whit: the creation of an academic program called ‘Claude for Education’, offering free student access to advanced models of ChatGPT and Gemini, and awards to faculty members who incorporate AI into their courses. Announced on May 5, Columbia’s in-house chatbot program effectively subsidizes corporate erosion of student reading and writing skills, while plagiarizing the intellectual property of university faculty, the protesters’ hand-out said. Students also oppose Columbia’s ‘AI Minor’ program, offered in the 2025 academic year, and a new ‘AI Masters’ program to be offered this coming Fall, both of which they say soft-pedal the ethical hazards of AI systems. Instead, critics say [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY29sdW1iaWFzcGVjdGF0b3IuY29tL29waW5pb24vMjAyNi8wMi8yMC90by1pbmNvbWluZy11bml2ZXJzaXR5LXByZXNpZGVudC1tbm9va2luLXBsZWFzZS1kb250LWxldC1hcnRpZmljaWFsLWludGVsbGlnZW5jZS1kZXZhbHVlLXRoZS1saWJlcmFsLWFydHMv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743], the two programs “capitalize” on the profitability of advanced AI platforms, while catering to the “rapid rise in industry demand” for AI-trained students. JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs are among the corporate heavyweights Columbia’s new AI-based programs are designed to serve, the protesters hand-out said. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] “We cannot trust Columbia to properly educate its masters students on the risks of this technology when the university is invoking the “projected value of the global AI market”,” the hand-out said. Citing Columbia University’s “historical collaboration with the military industrial complex” — including the development of atomic bomb technology at Columbia [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGh5c2ljcy5jb2x1bWJpYS5lZHUvY29udGVudC9tYW5oYXR0YW4tcHJvamVjdA%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743], and its involvement in the advancement of Cold War-era military theory — the hand-out also called on Columbia to disclose how much money it’s receiving from AI companies. Topping their complaints, on the eve of university commencement ceremonies, Columbia students were angered by the news that the names of graduating students would be read out, not by an esteemed, two-legged faculty member, but by an AI “robot.” “Class Day is the only time that every student is individually acknowledged by the administration,” the students rote in their protest flyer. “The switch needlessly removes human intention from a special Columbia tradition.” Of course, no tradition is more foundational — at Columbia, or any other academic institution — than the right to freely pursue scholarship, study, teach, and speak out on matters of public concern — especially contentious ones — without fear of reprisal. Since the start of Israel-USA’s genocidal war on Gaza, in October 2023, under pressure from the Trump Administration and the university’s “corporate-heavy” Board of Trustees [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9id29nLmNvbS8yMDI2LzA0L2NvbHVtYmlhcy1jdXJyZW50LWJvYXJkLW9mLXRydXN0ZWVzLWV4cGxhaW5lZC13aXRoLW1lbWJlci1wcm9maWxlcy8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743], Columbia has been among the country’s most free speech-averse campuses — banning protests against the Gaza genocide, calling in police to break up protest encampments, and suspending and expelling students. Based on feedback from 55,000 currently enrolled students at 251 US colleges and universities, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) places Columbia University second to last [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY29sdW1iaWFmcmVlc3BlZWNoLm9yZy9jYWxsLXRvLWFsdW1uaS8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] in its ‘Speech Code Ranking’, assigning it a ‘Yellow’ rating – “Abysmal.” Sixty-five percent of Columbia students told FIRE that they “self-censor” “at least 1-2 times a month.” FIRE identifies sixty Columbia faculty members, instructors and students who’ve been investigated, sanctioned, terminated, suspended or expelled by the administration for speaking out against the Gaza genocide. The suspension and expulsion of Columbia Masters students Catherine Curran-Groome, Aidan Parisi and Brandon Murphy was reported here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ3JlZW5wbGFuZXRtb25pdG9yLm5ldC9wb2RjYXN0L2l2b3J5LXRvd2VyLWJhbnMtZnJlZS1zcGVlY2gv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743]. Columbia’s commitment to free expression is steadfast and enduring [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wcmVzaWRlbnQuY29sdW1iaWEuZWR1L25ld3Mvb3VyLWVuZHVyaW5nLWNvbW1pdG1lbnQtZnJlZWRvbS1leHByZXNzaW9u&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743], Acting President Claire Shipman wrote in September 2025. Others are see things differently. [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY291bnRlcnB1bmNoLm9yZy8yMDI0LzA4LzE2L2NvbHVtYmlhLXVuaXZlcnNpdHl3aGVyZS10aGUtb25seS1pdnktaXMtcG9pc29uLw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] The pursuit and persecution of Columbia student protest leaders speak volumes about academic freedom and free speech on the West Harlem campus. With the apparent complicity [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9qYWNvYmluLmNvbS8yMDI2LzA1L3N0dWRlbnQtZGVwb3J0YXRpb25zLWNvbHVtYmlhLWtoYWxpbC1tYWhkYXdp&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] of Columbia authorities, ICE thugs have targeted Columbia students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both active in support of Palestine, and in opposition to US-Israeli genocide in Gaza. The Trump regime is seeking to deport both. Columbia University has not come to their defence — certainly not loudly. [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/img_2012.jpg] Columbia University students & faculty protest in front of university’s main gate (David Kattenburg) In the minds of some Columbia students, the administration’s jaundiced view on free speech and its passionate embrace of AI go hand in hand. Listen to them, and a few of their faculty supporters, in this edition of the GPM. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvZnJlZS1zcGVlY2gtc3VwcHJlc3NlZC1haS1lbWJyYWNlZC8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743]. [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/img_2019.jpg] Students perform protest songs against AI, in front of Columbia’s main gate (David Kattenburg) [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/img_2029.jpg] Students perform protest songs against AI, in front of Columbia’s main gate (David Kattenburg) Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] In this GPM edition, we also speak with Michael Harris, a professor of mathematics at Columbia University, specializing in number theory. The last time Michael and I sat down was in Leiden, in the Netherlands, in September 2025, at a conference of computer scientists and mathematicians. Among the outcomes of the Lorentz Center gathering — a declaration on the ethical principals of AI. The Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWlkZW5kZWNsYXJhdGlvbi5haS8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743], as it’s called, was published on June 2. Here are Michael’s thoughts [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYm9zdG9ucmV2aWV3Lm5ldC9hcnRpY2xlcy9rbm93bGVkZ2UtY29sbGFwc2Uv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9743] on the matter. Stay tuned for more on this. [http://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/img_1993.jpg] Michael Harris (David Kattenburg) [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-post-id=9743]

Smash And Grab

A CONVERSATION WITH NIKHIL PAL SINGH From Caracas to Minnesota, from Iran and Cuba to the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City, from the Persian Gulf to the waters of the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, Donald Trump and his henchmen are collapsing US foreign military and domestic policing operations into a single, unified domain of imperial impunity. A domain where anything goes; where Trump and his minions, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and US ‘Homeland Security’ chiefs, consider themselves free to carry out military/policing operations without restraint, largely immune from Congressional oversight, and beyond the reaches of international and domestic US law. Their preferred  modus: sudden, highly dramatic acts of violence and murder that can be parlayed into media spectacles, staged for instant transmission to the American public and the world on Donald Trump’s “Truth Social” platform. “Smash and grab” operations, American historian Nikhil Pal Singh calls these. In a recent article for the journal Equator [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXF1YXRvci5vcmcvYXJ0aWNsZXMvaG9tZWxhbmQtZW1waXJlLXRydW1wLUlDRQ%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9728], Singh unpacks the Trump regime’s core innovation: the expansion of the borders of US state power, collapsing foreign and domestic violence into a single domain of impunity. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9728] “Homeland empire,” US academic Nikhil Pal Singh calls this. Nikhil Pal Singh [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcy5ueXUuZWR1L2ZhY3VsdHkvbmlraGlsLXNpbmdoLmh0bWw%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9728] is Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis and History at NYU, focusing on the intersection of contemporary US history and political theory. Singh’s first book, Black is a Country: Race and the Unfinished Struggle for Democracy, was recognized as the best work of US civil rights history by the Organization of American Historians. Singh’s other works include Climbin’ Jacob’s Ladder: The Black Freedom Movement Writings of Jack O’Dell, Race and America’s Long War, and Reconstructing Democracy: Black Intellectuals in the American Century. Listen to our complete conversation with Nikhil Pal Singh. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvc21hc2gtYW5kLWdyYWIv&feed-stats-url-post-id=9728]. [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-post-id=9728]

Forests Not Forever

Forests are among planet Earth’s core biological systems. Covering about a quarter of its land surface, forest biomes regulate Earth’s climate, and host most of its biological diversity. Forests also provide humans with food, fiber, and energy. Their contribution to human cultural and psychic wellness, individually and collectively, is beyond calculation. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9idXkuc3RyaXBlLmNvbS9mWmVhRnVlRTY0WU1mZGU4d3k%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707] In response to the relentless decline of terrestrial forest cover, between 1995 and 1997, an International Arrangement on Forests [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3Jlc3RzLmRlc2EudW4ub3JnL2Fib3V0L2ludGVybmF0aW9uYWwtYXJyYW5nZW1lbnQtZm9yZXN0cw%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707] (IAF) was established within the United Nations, as a framework for the development of forest policy and cooperation. Out of the IAF, the UN Forum on Forests [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3Jlc3RzLmRlc2EudW4ub3JnL2ZvcnVtL3VuZmYyMQ%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707] (UNFF), the Collaborative Partnership on Forests [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFvLm9yZy9jb2xsYWJvcmF0aXZlLXBhcnRuZXJzaGlwLW9uLWZvcmVzdHMvYWJvdXQvZW4%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], the Forest Financing Facilitation Network [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFvLm9yZy9jb2xsYWJvcmF0aXZlLXBhcnRuZXJzaGlwLW9uLWZvcmVzdHMvaW5pdGlhdGl2ZXMvZm9yZXN0LWZpbmFuY2UtZmFjaWxpdGF0aW9uL2Vu&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030 [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2JkLmludC9kb2MvYy8zODg5L2YxMTkvNTc5NmFmY2I1Zjg2NjhhYTZhOTc5YTdjL3VuZmYtcG9zdC0yMDIwLWVuLnBkZg%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707] emerged. The Strategic Plan sets six Global Forest Goals [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3Jlc3RzLmRlc2EudW4ub3JnL2dsb2JhbC1mb3Jlc3QtZ29hbHM%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707]: to reverse forest cover loss, improve forest livelihoods, support the development of sustainable forest products, promote inclusive forest governance and cooperation across sectors, and to mobilize financial resources crucial to achieving these goals. The UNFF is the international community’s core venue for discussion on all matters forest-related. The UNFF is a commission of the Economic and Social Council [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9lY29zb2MudW4ub3JnL2Vu&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], one of the UN’s five principal arms. All UN members states belong to the Forest Forum. Annual sessions focus on forest protection policy, knowledge exchange, and the promotion of practical measures to conserve and expand Earth’s forested cover. Between May 11 and 15, the UNFF held its 21st session [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3Jlc3RzLmRlc2EudW4ub3JnL2ZvcnVtL3VuZmYyMQ%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707] in New York City. The GPM was there. The highlight of UNFF21 — this year’s Forest Goals Report [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFnZXMuYXNzZXR0eXBlLmNvbS9kb3dudG9lYXJ0aC8yMDI2LTA1LTEzL2JqZTV4emhtL2dsb2JhbF9mb3Jlc3RfZ29hbHNfcmVwb3J0XzIwMjYucGRm&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707]. The Global Forest Goals Report 2026 is less than optimistic. With less than five years to go till 2030 — target date for global sustainability goals established at the 1992 Rio Summit — Earth’s forests are in peril, it says. Global forest area has declined by more than 40 million hectares over the past decade, the report says. Financing for sustainable forest management remains far below estimated needs. At the same time, it says, countries are advancing reforms, expanding restoration efforts, strengthening forest governance, and scaling up cooperation. Listen to voices from this year’s session of the UN Forum on Forests. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvZm9yZXN0cy1ub3QtZm9yZXZlci8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707]. In order of appearance: UNFF21 chair, a Turkish forester, Ismail Belen [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbmIuaWlzZC5vcmcvbWVkaWEvaXNtYWlsLWJlbGVuLWNoYWlyLXVuZmYyMC11bmZmMjAtNW1heTIwMjU%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707]. Lok Bahadur Thapa [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudW4uaW50L25lcGFsL2ZyL3N0YWZmL2gtZS1tci1sb2stYmFoYWR1ci10aGFwYQ%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], Permanent Representative of Nepal, and President of the UN’s Economic and Social Council. Annaliena Baerbock [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXVyb3BhcmwuZXVyb3BhLmV1L25ld3MvZW4vcHJlc3Mtcm9vbS8yMDI2MDIwNUlQUjMzNjIyL3VuLWdlbmVyYWwtYXNzZW1ibHktcHJlc2lkZW50LWFubmFsZW5hLWJhZXJib2NrLXRoZS11bml0ZWQtbmF0aW9ucy1uZWVkLWV1cm9wZQ%3D%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], former German Foreign Minister, and President of the current, 80th Session of the United Nations. Bjorg Sandkjær [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudW4ub3JnL3NnL2VuL2NvbnRlbnQvc2cvcGVyc29ubmVsLWFwcG9pbnRtZW50cy8yMDI1LTAyLTA1L21zLWJqb3JnLXNhbmRramFlci1vZi1ub3J3YXktYXNzaXN0YW50LXNlY3JldGFyeS1nZW5lcmFsLWZvci1wb2xpY3ktY29vcmRpbmF0aW9uLXRoZS11bml0ZWQtbmF0aW9ucy1kZXBhcnRtZW50LW9mLWVjb25vbWljLWFuZC1zb2NpYWwtYWZmYWlycy0lMjh1bi1kZXNhJTI5&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], former Deputy Minister for International Development at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Sandkjær presented this year’s Forest Goals Report. On the sidelines of formal sessions, the GPM spoke with: Ana Paula Vargas [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJhemlsb2ZmaWNlLm9yZy9lbi9wb2RjYXN0cy93aG8tZmluYW5jZXMtdGhlLWRlc3RydWN0aW9uLW9mLXRoZS1hbWF6b24td2l0aC1hbmEtcGF1bGEtdmFyZ2Fz&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], a consultant for Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. David Flood (Zonzei Maiingun) [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaWxpbmF0aW9uaG9vZC5jYS9sZWFkZXJzaGlwLXRlYW0vZGF2aWQtZmxvb2Q%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], a member of Matachewan First Nation, an Ojibway band in Treaty 9 territory, northeast Ontario, and General Manager of Wahkohtowin Development [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2Foa29odG93aW4uY29tL2Fib3V0LXdhaGtvaHRvd2lu&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], a social enterprise jointly operated by three First Nations. Listen to our complete conversation with David here:   The GPM also spoke with Juliette Biao [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3Jlc3RzLmRlc2EudW4ub3JnL2Fib3V0L2ludGVybmF0aW9uYWwtYXJyYW5nZW1lbnQtZm9yZXN0cy91bmZmLXNlY3JldGFyaWF0L21lZXQtdGhlLWRpcmVjdG9y&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707], Secretary General and Director of the UN Forum on Forests. As West Africa’s first female forester, Biao helped resolve forest-related conflicts in the international park separating Burkina Faso, Niger, and her home country, Benin. Since 2022, Biao has served as the Director of the Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests. Ms. Biao is a dual national — of Benin and Canada. Listen to all these voices in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above, or go here [https://www.greenplanetmonitor.net/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0LnNob3cvdGhlZ3JlZW5ibHVlc3Nob3cvZm9yZXN0cy1ub3QtZm9yZXZlci8%3D&feed-stats-url-post-id=9707]. 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