By Ryan Johnson Plastic makes up nearly 70% of all ocean litter, putting countless aquatic species at risk. But there is a tiny bit of hope—a teeny, tiny one to be precise: Scientists have discovered that microscopic marine microbes are eating away at the plastic, causing trash to slowly break down. To conduct the study, […]

By Christopher Thompson New documentary will premiere on HBO this June Leonardo DiCaprio highlights the various efforts around the world to curb climate change in the trailer for the new documentary Ice on Fire. The film was directed by Leila Conners and will premiere June 11th on HBO. DiCaprio produced the film and serves as […]

Average size of wild animals predicted to fall by a quarter in 100 years through extinctions Humanity’s ongoing destruction of wildlife will lead to a shrinking of nature, with the average body size of animals falling by a quarter, a study predicts. The researchers estimate that more than 1,000 larger species of mammals and birds […]

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 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 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 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 […]