pollution

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'It's Hard to Imagine a Clearer Example of Greenwashing'

Companies including Dow, ExxonMobil, Shell, found to clean up 0.1% of the plastic they produce

(Newser) - In 2019, leading oil and chemical companies joined together to form the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), vowing to divert more than 15 million tons of plastic from the environment by the end of 2023. Weeks into 2023, the alliance gave up the goal as "too ambitious."...

Saving Nature Will Require a Societal 'Transformation'

World Wildlife Fund calls for revamping food, energy, finance systems amid wildlife destruction

(Newser) - Enough is enough, says the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report , released Wednesday, calling on governments and companies to "act rapidly to eliminate activities with negative impacts on biodiversity and climate" before it's too late. The report describes a 73% decline in the average size of monitored...

This Is the Filthiest City in America
This Is the
Filthiest City
in America
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 30, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

This Is the Filthiest City in America

California's San Bernardino claims dubious honor, while Virginia's Lynchburg is the cleanest, according to LawnStarter

(Newser) - If cleanliness is next to godliness, a bunch of US cities need to find religion. LawnStarter took a look at more than 300 major US metropolitan areas to figure out which ones are sparkling clean and which ones need some tidying up, factoring in nearly two dozen metrics in four...

SCOTUS Puts Brakes on EPA's 'Good Neighbor' Pollution Plan

5-4 ruling goes against Biden administration, blue states' attempt to rein in upwind air pollution

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is putting the Environmental Protection Agency's air pollution-fighting "good neighbor" plan on hold while legal challenges continue, the conservative-led court's latest blow to federal regulations. The justices in a 5-4 vote on Thursday rejected arguments by the Biden administration and Democratic-controlled states that the...

With Olympic Water Sports Looming, Bad News on Seine

River in Paris has levels of E. coli bacteria that are beyond limits determined to be safe for humans

(Newser) - Water in the Seine had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday. Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris,...

Munich Airport Shuts Down After a Most Sticky Situation

Police detained 6 climate activists who glued themselves to runway access roads

(Newser) - German authorities closed down Munich Airport temporarily on Saturday after six climate activists broke through a security fence and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways, officials and local media reported. The activists from the group Last Generation were protesting flying, the most polluting form of transportation, said the...

Here's Our Trash Can for Most Plastic

2K truckloads of plastic end up in the ocean every day, but not everyone shares the burden

(Newser) - Now that we know which companies are tied to the most identifiable branded plastic in the ocean (hello, Coke and Pepsi), here's a friendly reminder of how much of it ends up clogging up our waterways every day. CNN reports that an estimated 2,000 truckloads of plastic make...

One Big Company Is Tied to 11% of Branded Plastic Waste
One Big Company Is Tied to
11% of Branded Plastic Waste
in case you missed it
Apr 28, 2024 4:10 PM CDT

One Big Company Is Tied to 11% of Branded Plastic Waste

That would be Coca-Cola, though PepsiCo isn't too far behind

(Newser) - More than 50% of plastic pollution around the world can't be traced to a company, as the elements have erased all branding. But of the pollution that remains branded, more than half can be traced to 56 companies, and more than 10% to just one, according to a new...

EPA Cracks Down Hard on Coal Power Plants

New rules, applauded by climate groups, tell plants to capture emissions or close

(Newser) - Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency, per the AP . New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants are the Biden administration's most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming...

'Tide' of Plastic Pellets Washes Up in Spain
Spain Faces 'Tide' of Nurdles
Jan 10, 2024 11:25 AM CST

Spain Faces 'Tide' of Nurdles

The tiny plastic pellets spilled off of Portugal prompts environmental emergency

(Newser) - Volunteers on the northern coast of Spain are painstakingly picking up what could amount to hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic pellets after millions spilled from a cargo ship, raising concerns of an environmental disaster. Up to six containers carrying tires, tomato sauce, plastic wrap, and some 55,000 pounds...

12 Richest People Cause More Pollution Than 2M Homes

New Oxfam report points the finger at the 1% for more carbon emissions than poorest 2/3 of world

(Newser) - If you're feeling guilty that you haven't yet bought an EV or installed solar panels on your roof to cut down on your portion of greenhouse gases, you're (somewhat) off the hook—you can blame the 1% for a lot of that pollution. A new Oxfam International...

QR Codes Set to Replace Confusing Recycling Symbols

Recycling scans on packaging will give more detailed info by location

(Newser) - What you can recycle depends on where you live, making the labels on paper, glass, metal, and plastic confusing. The Consumer Brand's Association (CBA) aims to remedy that using pretty simple technology. Axios reports that the group is working with brands to add QR codes to their packaging that...

Earth Has Breached Its 'Safe Operating Space for Humanity'

Planet's climate, biodiversity, and other key measurments 'are all out of whack'

(Newser) - Earth is exceeding its "safe operating space for humanity" in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said. Earth's climate, biodiversity, land, fresh water, nutrient pollution, and "novel" chemicals (human-made compounds...

Company Will Pay After Ship Sullies US Waters

The Star Maia dumped oily bilge water without properly processing it, lied about it

(Newser) - A foreign shipping company that sullied US waters will pay for doing so. US officials on Tuesday said the Germany- and Singapore-based Zeaborn Ship Management would pay a $2 million fine for dumping oily bilge water—which USA Today describes as "a mix of filthy water, lubricants, grease, cleaning...

They Grow Pot Illegally, Leave Behind an 'Eyesore'

Oregon Legislature passes bill to make landowners responsible for messy aftermath of illicit grows

(Newser) - Oregon has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land, then leave behind pollution, garbage, and a drained water table. Now, a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature...

Mussels Excreting Microplastics May Help Clean the Ocean

The way some bivalves excrete substances could make it easier to clear them out

(Newser) - In fighting one of the most elusive pollutants in our oceans, scientists have found an unexpected ally: the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Science reports that this hungry little filter-feeding mollusk isn't just impervious to the trillions of microplastics littering the Earth's oceans; it may hold a solution to...

This Was Beijing on Friday
This Was Beijing on Friday
Mar 10, 2023 11:30 AM CST

This Was Beijing on Friday

Chinese capital all but disappears amid a dust storm and heavy pollution

(Newser) - Skyscrapers in Beijing disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China’s capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday. Concentrations of the tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring...

Famous 'Crying Indian' Ad Is Being Retired

Anti-pollution spot from 1970s has been acquired by Native American group

(Newser) - Since its debut in 1971, an anti-pollution ad showing a man in Native American attire shed a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter taking over a once unblemished landscape has become an indelible piece of TV pop culture. It's been referenced over the decades since on...

This Whale Sucks In an Astounding Amount of Microplastics

Blue whales, as well as other baleens, are ingesting millions of the tiny particles daily

(Newser) - Baleen whales —which include blue whales and humpbacks—are a type of whale that uses special filters instead of teeth to collect and eat small prey like krill and fish. Now, in a research first, scientists examining the consumption habits of these marine mammals have found they're...

This Is a 'Wake-Up Call' on Danger of Air Pollution
This Is a 'Wake-Up Call'
on Danger of Air Pollution
NEW STUDY
Sep 13, 2022 11:50 AM CDT

This Is a 'Wake-Up Call' on Danger of Air Pollution

Researchers discover how fine particulate matter triggers gene mutations to form lung cancer

(Newser) - For some of us, cells in our lungs mutate with age. These mutations seem perfectly healthy—until they come up against air pollution. The result is rapid changes in the cells that turn them cancerous, which could explain why people who've never smoked still develop lung cancer, according to...

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