Plastic Island: How our throwaway culture is turning paradise into a graveyard

The distance from humanity yawns out in front of you when you stand on the pale sands of this tiny Pacific island. Midway Atoll is just about the furthest piece of land from civilization and its constant engine whir, data and jostle. Standing on the island’s remote shoreline brings a calm and humility — until you look down at your feet.

UN maritime agency to limit carbon emissions from international shipping

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki called on International Maritime Organization (IMO) members, in partnership with the maritime industry, to promote further progress on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships to contribute to the objective of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which enters into force on 4 November 2016…

Beach asphalt removal project underway; Gulf Islands National Seashore

The goal of the $10.85 million project, which began earlier in October, is to clean decades of debris from blacktopped roads and parking lots eroded by tropical storms and hurricanes. This work to remove small asphalt chunks from miles of gleaming white beachfront is expected to take years.

Here are South Africa’s Blue Flag beaches for 2016

South Africa has been awarded 58 Blue Flag status sites for 2016, with the most blue flag beaches in the southern hemisphere. 45 South African beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status for the 2016/17 season which opens officially on 1 November, along with five marinas and eight sustainable tourism boats.

Lebanese shun pricey, polluted beaches for trips abroad

In a country like Lebannon, stretching along the Mediterranean, finding a beach to relax in the summer, should not be a problem. But as private developers have gobbled up seafront land, and families complain of ever-more polluted waters, many Lebanese say it is cheaper and cleaner to fly abroad than go to the beach at home…