Category: Oceans and Environment News

Coral crusaders: Costa Rica’s young divers learn to protect their seas

In Puerto Viejo, scuba diving was once just for tourists, but a centre is training young people with few opportunities to care for the ocean on their doorstep “I put fresh almond leaves in your underwater masks as anti-fogging – a way to avoid using chemicals. You can remove them once in the water, just […]

McKinsey: fundamental transformation of global economy needed for net zero

$9tn of annual investment required to avoid most catastrophic climate impacts, consultancy says Reaching net zero climate emissions by 2050 will require a “fundamental transformation of the global economy”, according to a report by McKinsey, one of the world’s most influential consulting firms. It estimates that $9.2tn will need to be invested every year for […]

Nanoplastic pollution found at both of Earth’s poles for first time

Tiny particles including tyre dust found in ice cores stretching back 50 years, showing global plastic contamination Nanoplastic pollution has been detected in polar regions for the first time, indicating that the tiny particles are now pervasive around the world. The nanoparticles are smaller and more toxic than microplastics, which have already been found across […]

Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists

Study calls for cap on production and release as pollution threatens global ecosystems upon which life depends The cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet now threatens the stability of global ecosystems upon which humanity depends, scientists have said. Plastics are of particularly high concern, they said, along with 350,000 synthetic chemicals including pesticides, […]

Dirty greenwashing: watchdog targets fashion brands over misleading claims

Companies may have to change how they advertise or face court if in breach of consumer protection law Fashion brands that make misleading claims about their environmental credentials face a crackdown by the competition watchdog as it targets greenwashing. Brands could be forced to change the way they advertise or face court action if they […]

UK rivers choked by a ‘chemical cocktail’ of sewage and waste, MPs find

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee report into the water quality of rivers has found that ‘rivers in England are a mess’ and a ‘chemical cocktail’ of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic is polluting the waters of many of the country’s rivers. In the report released on 12 January 2022, the Environmental Audit Committee […]