By Christopher Thompson Plastic pollution poses serious health risks to wildlife globally, affecting a wide range of species including whales, turtles, fish and birds. On World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated on 11 May, two UN wildlife treaties and conservationists around the world are calling for urgent action to stop plastic pollution by highlighting its negative […]

By Christopher Thompson Choosing a safe but effective sunscreen is becoming a pain in the brain. While we spent decades happily applying the sunscreen of our choice, the chemical ingredients that manufacturers used to fight the sun have been under attack. The latest salvo: a study by the US Food and Drug Administration showing that […]

By Ryan Johnson We all know how important the environment is — the majority of us would like to do more to help save the planet, but it can be hard to change habits or find the time. What if we told you there are plenty of ways you can be more eco-friendly without expending […]

By Ryan Johnson They will have to overcome the challenges of America’s convenient single-stream recycling system Nobody wants to spend hours picking through a steady stream of garbage; this is why many recycling operations rely on automated systems to separate plastic containers, glass bottles, aluminum cans and mixed paper. But these systems have an imperfect […]

By Ryan Johnson Are water crystals bad for the environment? –Terry Gilmour This is an excellent question, and something an environmentally conscious gardener might wonder. With changing rainfall patterns, drought and an increasing average temperature in Australia many people are looking for ways to save water in their garden, and adding water crystals to your […]

By Christopher Thompson U.N. negotiations seek deal on trade in plastic waste * Norway proposal would require importer’s prior consent * U.S. is a leading major plastics exporter, but not in treaty By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, May 7 – Countries are nearing agreement to tighten controls on trade in plastic waste, which would make it […]

By Ryan Johnson Most of our political evils may be traced to our commercial ones.” – James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 1786 When the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in 1787, foremost among their concerns was addressing the growing tendency among states to tax or inhibit their neighbors’ commercial trade. New […]

By Christopher Thompson From native species to Indigenous land management and water efficiency: Australia’s role in the extinction crisis A devastating new UN report shows the planet is in serious danger from the accelerating decline of the Earth’s natural life-support systems. Here we look at 10 of the key points from the report – and […]

By Ryan Johnson Whether conditions worsen or improve depends strongly on decisions by President Trump and his EPA administrator Air pollution kills. In the United States, 1 of every 25 deaths occurs prematurely because of exposure to outdoor air pollution. It kills more Americans than all transportation accidents and gun shootings combined. More than diabetes […]

By Ryan Johnson Nobody, it seemed, had thought to look before. When two Austrian scientists discovered last year that it’s likely most people have plastic inside their bodies, it wasn’t because they had invented some new, complicated scientific method. It was because they were the first to check. Their approach was simple. They asked eight […]