Richest countries 'exporting extinction', and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week

Developed nations are fuelling habitat loss and harming biodiversity in other countries by importing agricultural products, according to a Princeton University study published in Nature.

Some of these nations are destroying 15 times more biodiversity internationally than within their own borders.

The researchers examined the impacts of 24 nations on over 7,500 forest-dependent species, integrating economic trade data, satellite-derived deforestation maps and species range information spanning from 2001 to 2015.

“By combining satellite imagery with economic and biodiversity data, we are now able to measure and map exactly where countries impact species around the world for the first time,” said lead researcher Alex Wiebe.

Professor David Wilcove, who co-authored the paper, highlighted the need for collaboration between importing and exporting countries to advance habitat conservation and ensure more sustainable trade practices: "All nations stand to benefit by promoting habitat protection and sustainable agriculture because biodiversity benefits all nations."

US President Donald Trump has signalled the nation's return to plastic straws, with an executive order that bans the federal use of paper straws, the BBC reports.

This order reverses the move by the previous US government under Joe Biden to replace plastic straws with paper due to the mounting plastic pollution problem.

Only 17% of peatlands are within protected areas, despite the fact that they store 600 billion tonnes of carbon, which is more than all of the world's forest biomass combined, according to a study published in Conservation Letters.

$250 million has been raised for Los Angeles' fire victims on GoFundMe - more money than was collected on the fundraising platform for all other natural disasters worldwide last year, The Guardian reports. Over a million donors in all 50 US states and 160 countries worldwide have contributed to the fund.

Pink wildfire suppressants like those used in the LA fires are a “major” source of pollution that causes heavy-metal levels to spike in the environment, according to new research published by the American Chemical Society. The products also contain metal levels up to 3,000 times above drinking water limits.

Last year, deforestation in Colombia fell to its lowest level in 23 years, the nation's Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told Reuters.

Climate change is increasing temperatures in the four West African countries that produce about 70% of the world’s cacao, a study from Climate Central found. This could raise global chocolate prices and impact local economies.

A heatwave in southern Brazil has forced schools in the region to delay their return to classes due to a lack of adequate ventilation and water supplies for students and teachers.

The Norwegian parliament has voted to build hydropower plants on protected rivers if the societal benefit is “significant” and the environmental consequences “acceptable”, The Guardian reports. This bill has received backlash from environmental campaigners who say local nature will pay the price.

Climate change solutions represent a $3 trillion investment opportunity in Africa but the continent is experiencing a significant gap in private sector financing. A new platform to grow private investment in climate adaptation in Africa, launched by the World Economic Forum and the Global Center on Adaptation, has already secured a $1 billion commitment.