Millions of future climate refugees may need protection, U.N. committee warns
Refugees fleeing their native countries due to the effects of the climate crisis in future years may not be forced to return if their lives are in danger, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in a ruling Monday.
The ‘Blob,’ a massive marine heat wave, led to an unprecedented seabird die-off
From 2015–2016, 62,000 dead common murres washed onto U.S. and Canadian Pacific coast beaches. All together, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the region’s total population was wiped out.
Malaysia sends back trash, says won’t be world’s waste bin
Shipments of unwanted rubbish have been rerouted to Southeast Asia since China banned the import of plastic waste in 2018, but Malaysia and other developing countries are fighting back.
Asia’s hunger for sand is harmful to farming and the environment
Singapore’s added construction plan (in brown), 01-2020. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care Singapore’s expansion has been a colossal undertaking. It is not merely a matter of coastal reclamation: Singapore is growing vertically as well as horizontally. This means that the nation’s market needs fine river sand—used for beaches and concrete—as well as coarse sea […]
Microplastics affect sand crabs’ mortality and reproduction
Sand crabs, a key species in beach ecosystems, were found to have increased adult mortality and decreased reproductive success when exposed to plastic microfibers, according to a new study.
Unsustainable sand mining is threatening lives along the Mekong River in Cambodia
Sand river mining in the Puna Tsang Chu, Punakha, Bhutan, January 2020. Photograph:Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care. As of 2011-2012, when investigative filmmaker Denis Delestrac and team, were first collecting and unveiling sand mining datas and information from the professionals involved, they found and reported that “the Sand business was estimated to be a […]
A great carbon reckoning comes to architecture
Practitioners have finally begun taking a more nuanced approach to the carbon emitted by new buildings. Are they too late?
Greenland’s Rapid Melt Will Mean More Flooding
The Greenland Ice Sheet is rapidly melting, having lost 3.8 trillion tons of ice between 1992 and 2018. Changes to the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are of considerable societal importance, as they directly impact global sea levels, which are a result of climate change.
Flooding in Venice could be preview of things to come for coastal cities
Venice has been racked by unprecedented flooding in recent months. Soon, other cities could see similar situations.