New Zealand Oil Spill: Cleanup Costs Settlement

A Greek shipping company has agreed to pay the New Zealand government up to $31.5 million toward the cleanup costs of a cargo ship’s grounding on a reef near popular swimming and surfing beaches last year. But taxpayers will still be footing some of the bill.

Gujarat Beaches No Longer Pristine, India

Coastal tourism in Gujarat is proving to be a non-starter. More than the economic downturn, the main reason for this is the gross mismanagement of numerous beaches dotting the state’s huge coastline of 1,600 km.

San Francisco Plastic Bag Ban Gets Go-Ahead From Judge

Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson upheld a San Francisco ordinance that would ban most retail locations in the city from distributing plastic bags and begin charging customers a dime for each paper bag (or comparatively more expensive compostable plastic bag) they use.

The Fatal Shore, Awash in Plastic

A recent typhoon off Hong Kong washed half a dozen shipping containers overboard, and it wasn’t long before the cargo, 150 tons of tiny plastic beads, began washing up on the beaches. Local fish farmers also started finding the plastic in the stomachs of their fish…