AUSTRALIA, Jan 03 (IPS) – The new Yangtze River Protection Law (YRPL), which came into effect on March 1, 2021, is China’s first legislation on a specific river basin. The Yangtze River is China’s longest and largest river system, stretching over 6,300 kilometres and has over 700 tributaries. With a drainage basin covering more than 1.8 million square kilometres, approximately one-fifth of China’s total land area, the river basin is home to over 40% of the country’s population.
Read the full story, “Why Does Yangtze River Have its Own Protection Law?”, on globalissues.org →

Beyond the Horizon: Raising a Generation to Protect the Blue Pacific
Rohingyas in Myanmar suffering ‘heartbreaking’ misery and cruelty
Land degradation is costing far more than restoring: UN deputy chief
As wars spread, the global food system unravels
One million children in Afghanistan face deadly malnutrition
Haiti ramps up the fight against gangs in the capital, but violence spreads elsewhere
Monkeys hunt small animals when fruit is scarce
Once upon a time, insects had 24 legs
Microbes might get freeze-dried on the moon’s south pole