By Ryan Johnson Here’s a novel approach to reversing global warming: Let’s put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. No, seriously. Returning the atmosphere to a preindustrial level of methane by converting it to CO2 is the subject of a new research paper out of Stanford. Researchers at Stanford University this week proposed a new […]

By Christopher Thompson How we talk about climate change is rapidly shifting as the ramifications of unchecked carbon pollution become ever clearer. The Guardian sped that shift along last week, when it updated its style guide to encourage reporters to refer to climate change as a “climate emergency, crisis or breakdown” and using “global heating” […]

By Ryan Johnson A new report from the Center for International Environmental Law has examined the environmental impact of plastic production and incineration. It found that the plastic lifecycle will add 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere this year, equal to the emissions from 189 500 megawatt coal-fired power plants. Emissions […]

By Christopher Thompson Hudson River Park has gotten about half of its tenants to sign onto an agreement to scrap single-use plastics. Manhattan’s west side park has launched a program aimed to reduce single-use plastics. The Hudson River Park Trust announced a new plan — “Park Over Plastic” — to reduce plastic pollution in the […]

By Ryan Johnson Government confirms ban on sale and use of items from April next year Plastic straws and drink stirrers, and cotton buds with plastic stems will be banned from sale and use in England from next April, the government has confirmed. The move, which has been in the offing for more than a […]

By Christopher Thompson After the release of alarming new figures showing the extent of plastic pollution on Italian beaches, and the sad news that another whale has washed up in Italy with a stomach full of plastic, we look at what Italy is doing to clean up its coastline. Environmental campaigners in Italy raised the […]

By Christopher Thompson Adidas is using plastic recovered from the seas to make shoes, jerseys and football kits With eight million tonnes of plastic dumped annually into the sea, the world is faced with the grim prospect of more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050. To avert this environmental calamity, several voluntary groups […]

By Ryan Johnson Malaysia, which has become the dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste, will send back non-recyclable plastic scrap to the developed countries that sent it there, its environment minister said on Tuesday. Malaysia last year became the leading alternative destination for plastic scrap after China banned imports of such waste, disrupting the […]

By Ryan Johnson New research suggests that, due to global warming, storm-related deaths in developing nations could increase by as much as 52 percent. Weeks after the deadly cyclone Idai tore through Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, the human toll is still being tallied. Entire communities remain submerged, more than a thousand people lost their lives—more […]

By Christopher Thompson They may not be cute, but the work they do for our soil keeps humans in business. But their numbers are in steep decline If earthworms had feathers, wings or fur, or eyes that looked mournful – or eyes at all – perhaps they would fare better in the public’s affections. This […]