UK microbead ban comes into effect
One of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads came into force on Tuesday in the UK. The ban targets rinse-off products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. The UK’s environment minister Thérèse...
Tagged: oceans
Plastic pollution is devastating our environment
More than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been created by humans since large-scale production began in the early 1950s. Much of it now resides in the natural environment or landfills, according to a...
More microplastics in seas than stars in our galaxy
The UN’s environment agency has launched an unprecedented global campaign urging everyone to stop using microplastics and disposable plastics before they cause irreversible damage to the world’s seas and oceans. “Plastic pollution is surfing...
All oceans low on oxygen
The ongoing global change is causing ocean temperatures to rise and ocean circulation to change. As a result, less oxygen is dissolved in surface waters and transported into the deep sea. This reduction of...
Mealworms eat their way through Styrofoam, plastic pollution
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered that the common mealworm can safely biodegrade various types of plastic. These plastic-hungry worms could solve the world’s growing waste problem. The tiny mealworm can subsist on a...
Microplastic pollution – a global and local problem
The Global Environmental Society is thrilled to host member Gabriele Kull from Expedition Plastik at the upcoming Green Drinks event on Monday 28 September, where she will show a short excerpt from her documentary...
First massive ocean clean-up set for 2016
The world’s first system to clean up plastic pollution from the world’s oceans could be deployed as early as 2016. It would become the longest floating structure in world history. Boyan Slat, founder and...
Swimming in a sea of plastic
Over five trillion tonnes of plastic particles weighing nearly 260,000 tonnes are afloat in the world’s oceans, according to a new study. Large plastic pieces are often found on coastlines, while microplastics are mostly...
Oceans need better legal protection
Climate change, pollution and overfishing are taking our oceans to the brink of disaster. To prevent further, irreversible exploitation of this natural resource, the oceans should be granted ‘common heritage of mankind’ status under...
Greenland’s fastest glacier moving even faster
Researchers from the University of Washington and the Germany Space Agency have determined that the Jakobshavn Isbræ glacier is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at record speeds. Summer speeds...
