Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is a global concern. An estimated eight million tonnes of plastic enters the marine environment every year, wreaking havoc on the planet, ocean-life, and even humans. Just last month, scientists evaluated the internal exposure of plastic particles in human blood for the first time. A study​ analysing blood…

In the food and beverage space plastic is a cheap, functional and convenient material that keeps our food safe and prevents spoilage. But the problem is, most of the plastic ever made still exists. “Plastic is versatile is inexpensive is durable it protects food. It's fantastic. But we didn’t think…

The Alfred Wegener Institute has released the findings from an international review study, showing that large amounts of plastic debris have now made it into the waters of the Arctic Ocean. The results were published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. Sadly, the researchers have found that the Arctic…

President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the province on Wednesday, criss-crossing from one affected area to the other, visibly affected by the destruction.  While this was happening, the province’s health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, said that more than 250 deaths had been linked to the four days of driving rain and consequent…

Please enable cookies. You are unable to access iol.co.za Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word…

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) has adopted a resolution calling for a legally binding treaty to combat all levels of plastic pollution on our planet. The assembly took place online in Nairobi from February 28th through March 3rd, 2022. The theme for the assembly was “Strengthening Actions for Nature to…

The world is set to get a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. Nearly 200 countries have agreed to start negotiations on an international agreement to take action on the “plastic crisis”. United Nations (UN) members are tasked with developing an over-arching framework for reducing plastic waste across the world.…

The proliferation of plastic has grown astronomically, from more than 2 million tons produced in 1950 to nearly 400 million tons produced in 2017, according to the U.N. More than 12 million tons of plastic waste flow into the world's oceans each year, the intergovernmental organization said, adding that that…

Officials from 175 countries agreed yesterday to craft a global treaty over the next two years with the aim of ending plastic pollution. The final treaty could be a game-changer for lands and oceans awash in plastic bottles and packaging. Castoff plastics choke and entangle animals, are ingested by people…

World leaders concluded the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly on Wednesday with a promise to the world: By 2024, delegates will broker a binding, international treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics — including its production and design. “We made history today,” Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s minister of climate…