The Norway chapter of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Norway) is bringing a lawsuit against the Norwegian government for allowing mining of its seabed, claiming the country has not properly investigated the negative impacts. WWF-Norway said the decision to proceed with deep-sea mining breaches Norwegian law and sets a “dangerous precedent,” a press release from […]
It’s no secret that humans produce and use far too much plastic. The more than 400 million tons generated each year is polluting our planet and choking our oceans. The plastic crisis is so great that 80 percent of marine debris — from microplastics to fishing gear — is made from plastics, according to the […]
Researchers have found promising signs for a possible increase of Antarctic blue whales, based on surveys spanning from 2006 to 2021. A team of scientists analyzed data they collected from seven acoustic surveys conducted in the Antarctic region over the 15-year timespan. They used “sonobuoys” to detect marine sounds and ultimately gathered about 3,900 hours’ […]
Plastic — once seen as a marvel of modern science with uses from packaging to textiles — is now a scourge polluting our waterways, exposing us to PFAS “forever chemicals” and making its way into our bloodstreams in the form of microplastics. Plastic production doubled worldwide in the 20 years prior to 2019, according to […]
New research has found that the tropical Indian Ocean is warming at an unprecedented rate that could speed up this century if human-produced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not reduced right away. The accelerated temperature increase could have significant impacts on biodiversity — particularly coral reefs — as well as have wide-ranging socioeconomic effects. “The […]
A new study on plastic pollution in 84 countries has linked half of branded plastic pollution to only 56 firms, with about 24% of the branded plastic waste analyzed connected to only five companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria. A team of researchers analyzed plastic pollution data from the Break Free […]
A new study has found high concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids, or PFAA, in sea spray. In fact, researchers noted that the levels of PFAAs in sea spray aerosols were even higher than in seawater itself, and the researchers estimated that emissions of PFAAs from sea spray could be even greater than those in the atmosphere […]
More than 1,220 volunteers have cleaned up nearly 9.9 tons of marine litter from beaches in East Africa’s Seychelles islands, in what researchers called an impressive example of citizen science. The cleanup took place on 52 beaches across 10 islands from June 2019 to July 2023, a press release from University of Plymouth said. “This […]
By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes and Olivia Rosane This year marks the 54th year of Earth Day! What better way to celebrate than to explore opportunities to join others in helping combat the climate crisis and make our planet cleaner, greener and more sustainable? Here are a few suggestions to get you started. 1. Square Up […]