Environmental groups are preparing for a fight against the proposal that would end a five-year fracking moratorium in central California The Trump administration has issued a plan to open more than a million acres in California to fracking, including areas close to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks. In its proposal, the government made a case that […]

Lawmakers in the US state of Hawaii are pushing for measures to defend the state’s shorelines, including the iconic Waikiki Beach, from rising sea levels caused by global warming. Surveys by the state show that sea levels could rise by up to 90 centimeters by the end of the century, which would inundate its beaches. […]

Like perms, gaucho pants, and bump-it clips, plastics appear to be trending downwards in the court of public opinion. Why? To be reductive, because the news about plastic is getting scarier, more of us are seeing it, and we lead an increasingly large portion of our lives on public forums (such as Instagram) that generate […]

These plastics can easily be disassembled to chemical building blocks. Recycling sounds great in principle (because it is), but a frustrating number of devils lurk in the details. For example, while some materials like aluminum can readily be melted down and turned right back into new aluminum cans, recovered plastics tend to be lower quality […]

A colony in Halley Bay lost more than 10,000 chicks in 2016 and hasn’t recovered. Some adults have relocated. The Antarctic’s second-largest colony of emperor penguins collapsed in 2016, with more than 10,000 chicks lost, and the population has not recovered, according to a new study. Many of the adults relocated nearby, satellite imagery shows, […]

We often feel forced to choose between the environment and the economy. Public debates can leave us thinking we have to decide whether to take action on climate change or support rural economies, and that we can’t possibly do both. Or, can we? What if we took a clear-eyed look at the choices in front […]

Rising sea levels could flood Hawaii’s famous Waikiki Beach and the city streets of Honolulu in the next 15 to 20 years. That information comes from a state climate commission. The commission also shared a video showing how flooding and erosion already affect many parts of Hawaii. That is not good news for a state […]

Microplastics have been found in some of the most remote aquatic ecosystems on earth, including in the deepest parts of the ocean. Now, scientists have discovered that these tiny pieces of plastic can also be carried by the wind into secluded terrestrial regions, such as the French Pyrenees. The research, led by scientists at the […]

McDonald’s is being called on to stop its roll out of paper straws in the UK and Ireland, amid claims that they “dissolve” in drinks. The fast food giant is switching from plastic to paper straws at their 1,361 restaurants after customer pressure. An online petition calling for a return to plastic straws has so […]

In a Comment in this issue of The Lancet Planetary Health, Jessica Bogard and colleagues discuss the role of fish and seafood in future sustainable diets. They highlight some of the benefits of consuming seafood as a major source of dietary protein, as well as the challenges involved in measuring its true sustainability. The UN […]