Search Results for: Pollution

Data from Eight Countries Offers First Real-World Assessment of Plastic Pollution in Rivers Worldwide — Finds Two-Thirds of River Trash is Plastic

Stuart Mitchell

A sweeping new study in the Journal of Environmental Management has amassed the largest-ever continuous dataset on plastic pollution in rivers globally, classifying 66% of the debris analyzed as macroplastic — or large, visible pieces of plastic like bottles, bags, straws and cutlery. Whereas much plastic pollution research relies on models and estimates to make their conclusions, this dataset draws on an unparalleled, locally-led global effort to count trash found in rivers. “We know that rivers worldwide are clogged with plastic — and that this plastic often ends up in…

CATF to EPA: Strong technical record and legal foundation require EPA to regulate carbon pollution from power plants under the Clean Air Act

Stuart Mitchell

Clean Air Task Force (CATF), along with partner organizations, submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to its proposed repeal of the carbon pollution standards for existing coal-fired and new gas-fired power plants.    “EPA has the responsibility – and the legal obligation – to reduce pollution that warms the planet and harms human health, which is exactly what the agency did when it finalized power plant carbon standards last year,” said Frank Sturges, attorney at CATF. “Eliminating these rules ignores the facts: pollution from power plants…

Road pollution ‘stressing’ ocean life with complex chemical cocktails, new study finds

Stuart Mitchell

Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny marine algae known as diatoms – single-celled plants that produce oxygen and support entire ocean ecosystems. The study focused on a species called Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that like others,…

Richest 1% in the Middle East and North Africa emit more than twice as much carbon pollution as the poorest half of the population — Oxfam

Stuart Mitchell

The richest 1 percent in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region were responsible for 26 percent of carbon emissions in 2022, while the poorest half of the population were responsible for only 10 percent of emissions, an Oxfam report released today has found. The report, Not Everyone is in the Same Boat; Climate and Inequality in the Middle East and North Africa, draws on research by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Oxfam and shows how those who contribute the least to the climate crisis suffer the consequences…

New Ocean Conservancy Report: 90% of States Lagging in Plastic Pollution Efforts

Stuart Mitchell

During last months Plastic Free July, Ocean Conservancy launched a new report, United States of Plastics, that analyzes state-level efforts to combat plastic pollution on a five-point scale. On average, U.S. states scored 1.5 stars, or “needs improvement,” with 44 out of 50 states and D.C. scoring below 3 stars. “Overall, the results are disappointing,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Plastics Policy, Dr. Anja Brandon. “Four in five Americans consider plastic pollution to be the most pressing issue facing our ocean, yet only six states ranked as ‘good’ or above…