More than half of U.S. beaches have fecal bacteria, environmentalists say
Half the beaches in the U.S. have at least one day per summer season in which it’s not safe to swim because of elevated bacteria levels in the water, according to new report.
Disposable plastic water bottles banned from San Francisco airport
In an effort to make SFO more environmentally friendly, the airport is adding plastic water bottles to its list of restricted food service items starting August 20. The airport, just south of San Francisco, set a goal three years ago of becoming the world’s first zero-waste airport by 2021.
This Irish teenager may have a solution for a plastic-free ocean
A teenager from Ireland may have found a way to rescue our oceans from the growing plastic pollution problem.
Non-lethal impacts of seabirds’ plastic ingestion
A new study of seabirds that had ingested plastic debris has revealed a range of non-lethal impacts on their health and physiology. While seabird deaths due to swallowing plastic debris or becoming entangled in it have received global attention, the non-lethal effects on seabirds that survive plastic ingestion are less well-known.
Sun, Sand And Sewage: Report Shows Many U.S. Beaches Unsafe For Swimming
A new analysis details widespread bacterial contamination at U.S. beaches, with more than half of the tested sites exceeding a federal safety threshold at least once in 2018. Nearly 60% of the more than 4,500 beaches sampled in 2018 had at least one day of unsafe bacteria levels.
Thirty years of unique data reveal what’s really killing coral reefs
Coral bleaching is not just due to a warming planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being enriched with reactive nitrogen from sources like improperly treated sewage, and fertilizers.
Flesh-eating bacteria kills a Memphis man who visited Florida waterways
A Tennessee man died Sunday after he became infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a type of flesh-eating bacteria, while vacationing in Okaloosa County, Florida. Vibrio causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government’s public health agency.
Plastic bans proliferate in 2019 as planet drowns in trash
As the world slowly wakes up to the scale of the plastic pollution problem, an increasing number of countries and cities are introducing bans on certain products. Not only can they help to prevent plastics from entering marine ecosystems, but they’re also addressing the myth that we can recycle our way out of the problem.
Great Pacific garbage patch: giant plastic trap put to sea again
Floating boom is designed to trap 1.8tn items of plastic without harming marine life – but broke apart last time