Pollution
Maximizing Value and Minimizing Waste in a Circular Plastics Economy
To minimize plastic waste and pollution, the United States should reject blanket bans and instead address root causes through innovation and the development of a circular plastics economy. Most Americans have...
Why Has Plastic Recycling Failed?
For decades, Americans have been encouraged to recycle plastic as part of the solution for saving the planet. But now, a new report from Greenpeace says that it just doesn’t...
Are Plastics Sustainable? Here’s What the Pandemic Can Teach Us.
Threats like pandemics and environmental crises often progress with non-linear trends—starting small and escalating exponentially—and are especially difficult to confront because they require us to interpret and react to change...
Hundreds of Fish Species Consume Plastic – What that Means for Our Food
Trillions of barely visible pieces of plastic are floating in the world’s oceans, from surface waters to the deep seas. These particles, known as microplastics, typically form when larger plastic...
Combatting Ocean Pollution is the Secret to Improved Economies and Health
Ocean pollution is widespread, worsening, and poses a clear and present danger to human health and wellbeing. But the extent of this danger has not been widely comprehended – until...
How Can Cities Be Greener? Ask Barcelona
The lockdowns and restrictions introduced to control the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in huge changes to urban life. Previously bustling city centres remain empty, shunned in favour of suburban...
Deadly Plastic: These Common Items are the Ones Killing the Most Marine Animals
, CSIRO; , CSIRO; , CSIRO, and , CSIRO How do we save whales and other marine animals from plastic in the ocean? Our new review shows reducing plastic pollution...
The World’s Plastic Crisis is Getting Out of Control and Recycling Isn’t Enough to Stop It
Plastic production and consumption has snowballed since large-scale production began in the 1950s. In 2020, an estimated 24 million to 34 million tonnes of plastic waste will enter the world’s...
The Mauritius Oil Spill: What’s at Stake for a Vital Trio of of Ecosystems
Sometimes bad things happen in the worst possible places – like the MV Wakashio running aground on shallow reefs off the south-east coast of Mauritius on July 25. The wreck...
“Its Body Looked Like a War Zone”: Air Pollution Could Wipe Out 80% of Bees in India
A three-year study out of India has discovered that even mild air pollution has the potential to wipe out 80% of giant Asian honey bees, a key pollinator in South...
How to Remove Abandoned Fishing Gear and Plastic Marine Debris That Pollute the Oceans
Fishing gear and plastic marine debris is a growing global issue. Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear — often called ghost gear — can contribute up to 76 per cent...
How Investing in Green Infrastructure Can Jump-Start the Post-Coronavirus Economy
COVID-19 has turned the world on its head. Many socio-economic benefits Canadians took for granted are now under threat, and the economic, infrastructure and environmental problems that we were once...