By Ryan Johnson Japan plans to make it mandatory to charge for plastic shopping bags at supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores and department stores as the country combats marine pollution by plastic waste. Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada said at a press conference on Monday his ministry plans to introduce a new law banning the practice of […]

By Christopher Thompson Government’s recent ban on single-use petro-based plastics has been highlighted as an “urgent” measure the Caribbean should implement to tackle marine pollution,  a World Bank report said Thursday. Marine pollution threatens not only the region’s resistance to climate change, but also its economic prosperity and sustainable development, the report argues. According to […]

By Christopher Thompson Air pollution could affect “every organ” in the human body, a major global review has warned. Pollution is known to be harmful to the lungs and airways but a growing volume of research suggests it damages the whole body. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says nine out of 10 people globally breathe […]

In January 2013, a suffocating, poisonous haze hung over Beijing for four days. The record high levels of fine particulate matter in the air caused airports to close and thousands of coughing, choking citizens to seek hospital care. Although the particulate matter that filled the winter skies resulted from both human and natural emissions, a […]

Forty-three percent of Americans live in places where they’re breathing unsafe air, according to American Lung Association An increasing number of Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of smog or particulate air pollution – both of which are being made worse by climate change, according to a new report. Air quality in the US […]

Thanks to campaigns, initiatives, and a number of eye-opening documentaries, awareness of pollution – particularly in our oceans – is on the rise every day. There’s a concerted effort, especially among the younger generation, to tackle pollution and waste, as well as the impact it’s having on climate change. When most of us think of […]

Study creates blueprint to safeguard marine life and enable ocean recovery Academics have mapped out a network of sanctuaries they say are required to save the world’s oceans, protect wildlife and fight climate breakdown. The study, ahead of a historic vote at the UN, sets out the first detailed plan of how countries can protect […]

In a major step forward in the fight against marine plastic pollution, Nordic governments have become the first in the world to formally call for a global treaty to tackle the plastic crisis in our oceans. In a major step forward in the fight against marine plastic pollution, Nordic governments have become the first in […]

Marine biologists will tell you that fish species such as tuna and swordfish, known as the deep-water divers of the ocean for hunting at depths of 200 metres, are today repeatedly coming to surface view. The reason for the behavioural quirk is that warming sea temperatures have zapped oxygen out of waters even far out […]

From bags to bottles, some 13 million tonnes of plastic flow into our oceans every year, according to a UN report. On the one hand, the benefits of plastic are undeniable, as the material is cheap, lightweight and easy to make. This leads to global plastic production skyrocketing over the next 10 to 15 years, […]