(57) Malaysia rated one of the world’s worst for plastic pollution.
Dozens of laborers and factory operators sit hand-cuffed in rows on the pavement at an industrial park in Malaysia. They’ve been detained in a government raid on unlicensed plastic recyclers as the country seeks to curb a growing illicit industry. “It’s illegal,” said Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia’s Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate […]
(56) ‘Black carbon’ rated as second largest cause of global warming.
Black carbon, a component of particulate matter, is especially dangerous to human health because of its tiny size. But black carbon not only has impacts on human health, it also affects visibility, harms ecosystems, reduces agricultural productivity and exacerbates global warming. Because black carbon absorbs solar energy, it warms the atmosphere. When it falls to […]
(55) People Have Made Enough Plastic To Cover Argentina, New Study Says.
Scientists have conducted the world’s first tally of how much plastic we’ve made and where all of it went. And they’re absolutely horrified. “We all knew there was a rapid and extreme increase in plastic production from 1950 until now, but actually quantifying the cumulative number for all plastic ever made was quite shocking,” Jenna […]
(54) How plastic-eating bacteria actually work.
Scientists recently discovered a strain of bacteria that can literally eat the plastic used to make bottles, and have now improved it to make it work faster. The effects are modest – it’s not a complete solution to plastic pollution – but it does show how bacteria could help create more environmentally friendly recycling. In […]
(53) A Chinese ban on rubbish imports is shaking up the global junk trade.
China’s recent crackdown on the import of plastic waste will result in millions of tons of displaced plastic trash, according to new research. The ban will force countries like the US to find new ways to deal with their own trash. Since 1988, nearly half of the planet’s plastic trash — like single-use soda bottles, […]
(52) Five Facts that show how urgently we need to save our oceans.
1. 90% of the large fishes from our oceans have disappeared in the last 50 years. As overfishing, pollution and warming seas is on rise.2. We are taking seafood equivalent to the human weight of China out of the ocean every year. That’s 80 to 90 million tonnes.3. By 2040, there could be no sea […]
(51) Egypt factory turns plastic into fibre, offering alternative to cotton.
An Egyptian factory uses recycled plastic bottles to produce polyester fiber as a cheaper alternative to cotton, after the country’s cotton crop witnessed many hiccups. Egypt’s most famous export, the silky soft cotton prized by makers of luxury bedding and clothing, has become scarce after its production fell over the years. According to the manufacturers, […]
(50) The Wasteshark drone eliminates public pollution from oceans.
The Danish company RanMarine Technology has developed an aquadrone that sucks up garbage from the water. It’s called the WasteShark, and it can “eat” up to 200 liters of trash in one trip. Capable of swimming for up to 16 hours, the WasteShark scans its immediate environment as it works, collecting data to send back […]
(49) Plogging: The eco-friendly workout trend that’s sweeping the globe.
A new international workout trend has made it possible to get in shape and care for the environment at the same time. Groups of people around the world are picking up trash while out running, an activity known as “plogging”, a combination of jogging and the Swedish word for pick up, plocka upp. Started in […]
(48) U.N. report: 90% percent of plastic never recycled
Just one example from the U.N. report: Each year, consumers world-wide use an estimated 5 trillion plastic bags. That’s a rate of about 10 million per minute. If all of those bags were tied together, a year’s worth would wrap around the Earth seven times. In real-world terms, that 90.5 percent statistic adds up to […]