Plastic Pollution

Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina will travel to Miami, Florida, on September 15, 2022, to participate in Smart City Expo USA. She will take part in a panel discussion on how cities can help achieve global climate goals and will meet with leaders…

A green sea turtle basking on one of the beaches in Hawaii. These marine species could serve as a potential bioindicator for plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean. Credit: J. Lynch/NIST With an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste escaping to our oceans each year, plastic pollution…

PADI has kicked off the second season of its “Dive Stories” podcast hosted by Ocean Allison, with a whole slew of guests talking about shark conservation, adaptive diving, plastic pollution and more. One of the episodes features award-winning shark photographers and conservationists Andy and Emma Casagrande, and another showcases PADI…

The impact of plastic pollution in lakes is less well researched than in the oceans. Chemicals leaking from plastic waste make bacteria grow faster in European lakes, according to research published Tuesday that authors said could provide a natural way to remove plastic pollution from freshwater ecosystems. Microplastics have been…

A freshwater lake in Norway, one of 29 European lakes that were part of the study. Credit: Samuel Woodman Scientists discovered that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and twigs. Their study included 29 European…

A freshwater lake in Norway, one of 29 European lakes that were part of the study. Credit: Samuel Woodman A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and…

Plastic pollution is causing irreparable damage to ecosystems, affecting human health, and contributing to the climate crisis. However, due to how ingrained plastics, especially single-use plastics, are into our economic activities, phasing them out will be an arduous challenge. This is evident as the bill creating a national policy that…

This story was published in partnership with InvestigateWest. On an overcast Saturday in Seattle, a group of volunteers combs a small section of the beach at Golden Gardens Park for trash. With 5-gallon buckets in hand, they slowly fan out and search a roughly rectangular zone marked by cones, passing…

Read this in The Manila Times digital edition. IN THE BAG A woman totes a reusable bag as she buys vegetables at a public market on Sunday, July 3, 2022. Ban Toxics group encouraged shoppers and vendors to abandon single use plastic bags and choose eco-friendly alternatives. PHOTO BY MIKE…

They called the sea lion Blonde Bomber. As Adam Ratner shared the plucky marine mammal's story with Salon, his voice welled up with affection. Blonde Bomber's story is just one among many in which a pinniped has nearly lost its life to plastic pollution, but it was clear that Blonde…