Papua New Guinea Coastal Mine Waste Dumping: The Ramu Mine Case

The dumping of mine tailings waste into the shallow coastal marine environment is currently before the National Court of Papua New Guinea, in a case that will have far-reaching implications. At stake are the pristine waters of the Bismarck Sea and the livelihoods of thousands of coastal inhabitants on one hand, and the future of mine waste disposal on the other.

European Coastal Pollution Harms Ecosystems, Study Finds

The bodies of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), which live in estuaries or along coastlines where industrial activities take place, are highly contaminated. This is the result of a European study, involving Spanish participation, which warns of the danger to all the other species that share their ecosystem from ports throughout Europe, even in the Mediterranean.

Sustainable Surf Craft, a Project by Kevin Cunningham

Inspired by the beauty of nature yet distressed by the large amounts of man-made debris in the oceans washing up on the beaches where he rides, surfer and artist Kevin Cunningham, embarked on a series of surfboards making, that reclaim trash that washes up onto the shore. It is a dichotomy between the natural and unnatural.

Waste Land, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Deservedly nominated at this year’s Oscars as Best Documentary Feature, Lucy Walker’s life-affirming film Waste Land, travels to the squalor of Rio de Janeiro, which boasts the largest landfill site in the world.

Dirty Secrets Behind Jeans: China blighted by industrial pollution

A Greenpeace report has called on the Chinese textile industry to clean up its processes after finding high levels of pollution in the southern industrial towns of Xintang the “jeans capital of the world” and Gurao.Toxic runoff from China’s textile industry has made its way into rivers and other waterways. Many are now heavily polluted with chemicals used for dying, printing, bleaching and washing.