Industry is leaking huge amounts of microplastics, Swedish study shows
Millions of plastic pellets are leaking out into the environment from a manufacturing site in Stenungsund, according to a new Swedish study. Despite several international and national sets of regulatory frameworks, the leaking continues.
This Sardinian Town May Ban Towels to Save Popular Beach
La Pelosa-one of the Italian island’s more popular beaches—might be banning towels and large beach bags to preserve its sand dunes. The announcement was made earlier this week by Mayor Antonio Diana, who plans to enact strict measures to save the beach.
Scientists race to explore Antarctic marine life revealed by giant iceberg
British Antarctic Survey is trying to reach a newly revealed ecosystem that had been hidden for 120,000 years below the Larsen C ice shelf. Scientists say it is a race against time to explore these new ecosystems before they are transformed by exposure to the light.
High levels of microplastics found in Northwest Atlantic fish
A new study finds 73 percent of mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic had microplastics in their stomachs, one of the highest levels globally. These fish could spread microplastic pollution throughout the marine ecosystem, by carrying microplastics from the surface down to deeper waters. They are also prey for fish eaten by humans, meaning that microplastics could indirectly contaminate our food supply.
The Ship Breakers
After their useful life is over, more than 90 percent of the world’s ocean-going container ships end up on the shores of India, Pakistan, Indonesia, or Bangladesh, where labor is cheap, demand for steel is high, and environmental regulations are lax.
Factbox: Sifting Through U.S. Beach Sand Numbers
Here is a summary of what Florida and other coastal states and communities have been doing to protect and rebuild their shorelines based on to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) data.
Gone with the wind: storms deepen Florida’s beach sand crunch
Costs of so-called beach renourishments are a fraction of the total, measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, but the effort is crucial for Florida’s $67 billion tourism industry. And while sand needs are surging, there is not enough to go around.
Tropical cyclone Gita Batters the South Pacific
For nearly a week, Tropical Cyclone Gita has been battering and threatening small South Pacific islands. And the storm is not done.
Balearics launch pioneering plan to phase out emissions
The Balearic islands’ government has launched a pioneering plan to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.