Tag: Marine plastic pollution

  • Plastic waste in our oceans: The invasion we don’t see

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    By Christopher Thompson The recent death of a young sperm whale, filled with plastic, could be another warning sign of what is happening in our oceans, and how we need to intervene to protect our marine animals. Since the beginning of 2019, according to Greenpeace Italia, five sperm whales filled with plastic have washed ashore […]

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  • These tiny microbes are munching away at plastic waste in the ocean

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    By Ryan Johnson Plastic makes up nearly 70% of all ocean litter, putting countless aquatic species at risk. But there is a tiny bit of hope—a teeny, tiny one to be precise: Scientists have discovered that microscopic marine microbes are eating away at the plastic, causing trash to slowly break down. To conduct the study, […]

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  • Plastic straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers to be banned in England

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    By Ryan Johnson Government confirms ban on sale and use of items from April next year Plastic straws and drink stirrers, and cotton buds with plastic stems will be banned from sale and use in England from next April, the government has confirmed. The move, which has been in the offing for more than a […]

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  • What is Italy doing about the shocking level of plastic pollution on its coastline?

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    By Christopher Thompson After the release of alarming new figures showing the extent of plastic pollution on Italian beaches, and the sad news that another whale has washed up in Italy with a stomach full of plastic, we look at what Italy is doing to clean up its coastline. Environmental campaigners in Italy raised the […]

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  • Single-use plastics a serious climate change hazard, study warns

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    By Christopher Thompson Production must end now, says first ever estimate of plastic’s cradle-to-grave impact The proliferation of single-use plastic around the world is accelerating climate change and should be urgently halted, a report warns. Plastic production is expanding worldwide, fuelled in part by the fracking boom in the US. The report says plastic contributes […]

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  • Why plastic pollution is an environmental justice issue

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    Turtles, seabirds, seals, and whales are well-documented victims of out of control plastic pollution, but when was the last time you saw a video of a person suffering in the grips of the global plastics crisis? You’d be forgiven if you believed humans were somehow immune to this tragedy, as their stories are so rarely […]

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  • Experts chart the way plastic waste has conquered the seas

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    Plastic waste is becoming a pressing problem around the planet. Pieces of plastic large and small have contaminated practically every nook and cranny of Earth from the highest mountaintops to the lowest ocean depths. What with the daily news coverage of the scourge of plastic on the environment it might seem that plastic pollution is […]

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  • Marine plastic pollution costs the world up to $2.5tn a year, researchers find

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    Scientists warn that social and economic price of plastic waste to global society has been underestimated Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans costs society billions of dollars every year in damaged and lost resources, research has found. Fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities and global wellbeing are all negatively affected by plastic pollution, with an estimated 1-5% […]

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