Plastic levels in Swiss-French lake as high as world’s oceans
Founex, SwitzerlandReuters Lake Geneva, nestled at the foot of the Alps, has long been considered as a near-pristine body of water, but new research has found that its plastic pollution levels are as high as those in the oceans. Oceaneye, a Geneva-based non-profit that has for more than a decade been scouring the seas to […]
Essay: Plastic recycling is failing – here’s how the world must respond
CRESSIDA BOWYER, KEIRON ROBERTS and STEPHANIE NORTHEN – in an article first published on The Conversation – look at why new solutions are needed to deal with our plastic waste…
Plastic entering oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if left unchecked – research
Singapore Reuters Plastics entering the world’s oceans have surged by an “unprecedented” amount since 2005 and could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, according to research published on Wednesday. An estimated 171 trillion plastic particles were afloat in the oceans by 2019, according to peer-reviewed research led by the 5 Gyres […]
Countries split on plastics treaty focus as UN talks close
Washington DC, USReuters The first round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty ended on Friday with agreement to end plastic pollution but a split on whether goals and efforts should be global and mandatory, or voluntary and country-led. More than 2,000 delegates from 160 countries, meeting in Uruguay in the first of a planned […]
Explainer – Can the tide of plastic pollution be turned?
Thomson Reuters Foundation From drinks bottles to straws and cotton buds, the amount of plastic waste that flows into the world’s oceans and marine areas is expected to nearly triple by 2040, adding up to 37 million tonnes each year, the UN Environment Programme says. Just nine per cent of all the plastic waste ever […]
Essay: Plastic trash in the ocean is a global problem, and the US is the top source – a new report urges action
US scientists MATTHEW SAVOCA, ANNA ROBUCK and LAUREN KASHIWABARA – in an article published on The Conversation, explain why the US needs a national strategy to tackle plastic pollution…
World can’t recycle its way out of plastic crisis – experts
SingaporeReuters Recycling will not be able to contain a runaway global plastic waste crisis, experts said on Friday as they called on companies to reduce plastic production and shift more products into reusable and refillable packaging. Moving away from single-use plastics and towards systems that allow for it to be reused are among the solutions […]
Essay: The plastic recycling system is broken – here’s how we can fix it
UK academics ELENI IACOVIDOU and NORMAN EBNER say – in an article first published on The Conversation – that it’s time for a more transparent approach to how we deal with plastic waste…
Pollution at sea: Ocean Cleanup struggles to fulfill promise to scoop up plastic at sea
GLORIA DICKIE, of Reuters, reports on the progress of an ambitious attempt to clean-up the world’s oceans…
Philippine ‘river warriors’ fight tide of trash for cleaner future
Manila, PhilippinesReuters Each morning, a group of Filipinos rakes up piles of trash on the banks of one of the world’s most polluted rivers, filling sacks in an endless pursuit to clean a waterway that is also a major source of ocean plastics. These “river warriors” are a decade-old group of about 100 people who […]