Rio Closes Its Massive Jardim Gramacho Dump
One of the world’s largest open-air landfills, a vast, seaside mountain of trash where thousands of people have made a living sorting through the debris by hand, will close this weekend after 34 years in tainting service.
Pacific bluefin tuna transport Fukushima-derived radionuclides from Japan to California
Across the vast Pacific, the mighty bluefin tuna carried radioactive contamination that leaked from Japan’s crippled nuclear plant to the shores of the United States 6,000 miles away, the first time a huge migrating fish has been shown to carry radioactivity such a distance…
What Causes Beach Closures?
In addition to disrupting a day at the beach, water pollution poses a serious health threat to beachgoers. The pollution that causes beach closures and illness in humans comes from many different places on land, but ultimately gets into the water primarily through one of two pathways, discrete point sources and diffuse non-point sources.
Water at California Beaches Cleanest in Years
Nearly every beach in the Bay Area, and throughout the California state, had dramatically lower levels of bacteria and pollution than last year, according to an annual survey of 650 West Coast beaches by Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica environmental group.
Flotsam from 2011 Japan tsunami reaches Alaska
It’s been more than a year since a massive quake devastated northeast Japan, and the debris believed to be from that disaster is now washing up more than 4,000 miles away, on Alaska’s shores.
Sustainable Earth: Oceans
Scientists ask Rio+20 leaders to protect the bounty of the Seven Seas for future generations.
Number of English Beaches Gaining Blue Flag Awards Rises
The number of England’s beaches gaining Blue Flag awards for cleanliness has increased in 2012. But about 30% of the beaches might not reach tougher water quality standards being introduced next year.
Living Planet Report 2012: Looks At Ecological State Of The Earth
Twenty years on from the Rio Earth summit, the environment of the planet is getting worse not better, according to a report from WWF. Humans are currently using the equivalent of one and a half Earths to support our activities. This and other startling findings were revealed tuesday with the release of World Wildlife Fund’s 2012 Living Planet Report.
Green growth Is Not Just For Rich Nations: World Bank
The World Bank urged global governments to heed the environment when pursuing prosperity, rejecting what it called a myth that green growth is a luxury most countries cannot afford.