NEWS / BLOGS
We’re Literally Eating and Drinking Plastic. Fossil Fuels Are To Blame.
The plastics industry sees fracking as a huge opportunity for their profit margins. But plastic has already entered our food and water supply and our bodies—one more reason we need to move off fossil fuels before the problem gets even worse.
07.30.18
Care about plastic pollution? Then it’s time to work to start moving away from fossil fuels.
Plastic is a serious problem, and it’s time we addressed it at its source: fossil fuel production. Plastics are increasingly fueled by fracking in the U.S.—the extreme method of extracting fossil fuels that is polluting our air and our water, and exacerbating climate change. Fracking provides the cheap raw materials for plastics production, which has lead industry publication Plastics News to say fracking “represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” More fracking equals more profit in plastics (which equals, you guessed it…more plastics.)
It is so pervasive in our environment that it’s become commonplace to digest it through the microplastics present in our food and water.
Plastic in Water, Salt…Even Beer?
Everyone drinks water, and whether you drink tap water or bottled water, you are very likely ingesting some level of plastic pollution. A recent study by Orb Media tested 159 drinking water samples from cities and towns around the world, and 83 percent of those samples contained microplastic fibers. That means food prepared with plastic-contaminated water becomes contaminated as well.
Bottled water samples fared even worse than tap water—unsurprising because it is manufactured with plastic. Another recent study by the same organization found 90 percent of bottled water analyzed from around the world contained plastic microfibers. A single bottle of Nestlé Pure Life had concentrations of microfiber plastics up to 10,000 pieces per liter. The type of plastic used to make bottle caps was the most common type of microplastic fiber found in bottled water.
See full article at source: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/were-literally-eating-and-drinking-plastic-fossil-fuels-are-blame
Ocean acidification to hit levels not seen in 14 million years
New research led by Cardiff University has shown that under a 'business-as-usual' scenario of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, ocean acidification is likely to hit unprecedented levels.
Ocean acidification occurs when CO2 from the atmosphere is absorbed by seawater, resulting in more acidic water with a lower pH.
Around a third of the CO2 released by burning coal, oil and gas gets dissolved into the oceans. Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed around 525 billion tons of CO2, equivalent to around 22 million tons per day.
The rapid influx of CO2 in to the oceans is severely threatening marine life, with the shells of some animals already dissolving in the more acidic seawater.
In their new study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the researchers set out to reconstruct levels of ocean acidity and atmospheric CO2 levels over the past 22 million years.
See full article at: https://phys.org/news/2018-07-ocean-acidification-million-years.html#jCp
PLANET OR PLASTIC? How India’s Fishermen Turn Ocean Plastic Into Roads
In an innovative project, fishermen in Kerala collect ocean plastic for recycling, cleaning the ocean in the process.
BY MAANVI SINGH
PUBLISHED MAY 23, 2018
This story is part of Planet or Plastic?—our multiyear effort to raise awareness about the global plastic waste crisis. Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge.
KOLLAM, INDIAKadalamma—Mother Sea—that’s what Xavier Peter calls the Arabian Sea. His own mother gave him life, but Kadalamma gave him purpose, a livelihood. She has provided for him, offering up enough fish to feed his family and sell at the market. And she has protected him, sparing him thrice from cyclones and once from a tsunami.
Xavier has been trawling for shrimp and fish off India’s southwestern coast for more than three decades, his whole adult life. But lately, when he casts out his nets, he often comes up with more plastic than fish.
“Pulling the nets out of the water is extra effort, with all this plastic tangled in them,” he says. “It’s a bit like trying to draw water from a well—your bucket is somehow being weighed back down.”
See full article at source: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/fishermen-kerala-india-recycle-plastic-pollution-culture/?beta=true
A fisherman in Kerala, India, repairs nets on a beach. Plastic pollution can damage and clog nets, but now fishermen are fighting back.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK BIENEWALD, GETTY IMAGES
IMPACTS OF SUNSCREENS ON CORAL REEFS
FUNDED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SWEDEN AND THE FONDATION POUR LA RECHERCHE SUR LA BIODIVERSITE
AUTHOR: ELIZABETH WOOD
This document responds to Goal 3(5) of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Plan of Action 2016-2018, which seeks to review issues relating to the impact of sunscreens on coral reefs.
Sunscreens contain organic (chemical) and/or inorganic (mineral) UV filters that absorb, reflect or scatter UV light. They also contain inactive ingredients such as antimicrobial preservatives, moisturisers and anti-oxidants. Sunscreen ingredients including chemical (benzophenone-3 and -4 (BP-3 or oxybenzone; BP-4), ethylhexyl methoxy cinnamate (EHMC), homosalate (HMS), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (DHHB)) and mineral (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) UV filters have been detected in coastal waters. UV filters reach coastal waters either directly as a consequence of washing off swimmers and/or indirectly from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Many of these components have also been found in marine biota including fish, molluscs and corals as well as in sediments.
See full article at source: https://www.icriforum.org/sites/default/files/ICRI_Sunscreen_0.pdf
Girl Scout Convinces Alaska Airlines to Bump Plastic Straws Off All Flights
By CHRIS MORRIS
May 21, 2018
Alaska Airlines is kicking plastic straws off of its planes.
The carrier has announced plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws and drink stirrers on all flights, following the pleas of a 16-year old Girl Scout.
Shelby O’Neil, a Girl Scout who founded ocean conservation group Jr. Ocean Guardians, reached out to Alaska Airlines last year, pointing out the negative environmental impact of the plastic straws, 22 million of which the carrier used last year. Officials at the airline say they were already considering making the change.
Starting this summer, all Alaska Airlines flights will replace the straws, stirrers and toothpicks with sustainable, marine-friendly options, including white birch and bamboo. The carrier is working with Seattle-based nonprofit Lonely Whale to support the switchover.
See full article at source: http://fortune.com/2018/05/21/alaska-airlines-bans-plastic-straws/
Galapagos Restricts Single-Use Plastics for Earth Day 2018
So far this year, approximately 22 tons of plastic trash have been collected in surface and submarine cleanups along the coasts of San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Floreana, and Santiago Islands in Galapagos. The pollution caused by this type of waste is not only visual but is also of serious environmental impact, affecting the wildlife species that inhabit the Archipelago.
Research studies have identified several types of microplastics inside animals or in their feces: birds like finches and marine animals like sea turtles confuse plastics with food, ingesting them. Over time, this can lead to the death of these species. At least 18 species have been recorded in the Archipelago as either being entangled by, or ingesting, plastic to date as well.
The transfer of marine garbage in the water currents and human behavior are considered the two most significant contributing factors to the plastic pollution problem in Galapagos. In light of this, Minister of the Governing Council of Galapagos Lorena Tapia has expressed her wish to implement regulations to restrict the consumption of single-use plastics in the insular region, and on Sunday, April 22, as part of the commemoration of Earth Day, the highest provincial authority announced Resolution No. 05-CGREG-2015 that restricts the use of certain plastics — including plastic straws, single-use plastic bags (t-shirt type), polythene containers (such as those used for takeout), and plastic bottles.
See full article at source: https://www.galapagos.org/newsroom/galapagos-sin-plasticos-2018/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=galapagos&utm_content=4&utm_campaign=GENEWSMAY18&source=GENEWSMAY18
Edinburgh inventor creates biodegradable water bottle to fight plastic problem
A Scottish entrepreneur has developed a new eco-friendly bottle that could help combat the growing mountain of plastic litter entering the world’s oceans.
A Scottish entrepreneur has developed a new eco-friendly bottle that could help combat the growing mountain of plastic litter entering the world’s oceans. Edinburgh-based chemistry graduate James Longcroft launched a not-for-profit bottled water firm two years ago, with the aim of ploughing all profits into a charity focused on providing clean drinking water to remote communities in Africa.
But the 27-year-old soon realised the product, although it was benefiting struggling villagers in some of the world’s poorest regions, was adding to an increasing blight on the environment. So last year he vowed to go plastic-free – his company, Choose Water, has sold no plastic bottles since. But that meant he had to find another way to continue funding the charitable works. After months of experiments at his kitchen table, he has now managed to create a novel bottle that he believes could revolutionise the industry.
See full article at source: https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/edinburgh-inventor-creates-biodegradable-water-bottle-to-fight-plastic-problem-1-4731899
Inventor James Longcroft on Granton Harbour Wall
Hawaii bans sunscreens deemed harmful to coral reefs
Hawaii has become the first US state to ban sunscreens deemed harmful to coral reefs.
Looking forward to a day exploring coral reefs in Hawaii? Make sure you're wearing the right, non-banned sunscreen.
Hawaii has become the first US state to ban sunscreens deemed harmful to coral reefs. Effective from Jan. 1, 2021, the bill was signed by state governor David Ige on Tuesday.
The legislature focuses on the environmental impacts of two chemicals found in some sunscreens, oxybenzone and octinoxate, and their effect on Hawaii's marine ecosystems — including coral reefs. The bill will prohibit the sale and distribution of sunscreen containing these chemicals without a prescription.
See full article at source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/hawaii-bans-sunscreens-deemed-harmful-054453351.html
By 2050 There Will Be More Pounds Of Plastic In Oceans Than Fish
By the year 2050 there will be more pounds of plastic in the ocean than there will be fish. But since we don’t live in the ocean why should we care? It’s actually pretty simple – the fish we eat comes from the ocean, and that fish is filled with plastic and many marine animals are dying from starvation because they are ingesting all that plastic. Even the microplastic is making its way up the food chain with dire consequences. But what’s more, we can’t even begin to clean it all up until we stop letting it get there to begin with. The oceans are too deep to dredge and microplastic is too small to get it all. Where do we even begin?
See full article at source: https://www.valuewalk.com/2018/04/ocean-garbage-plastic-2050/
New competition launched to tackle ocean plastics by reducing lost fishing gear
April 30, 2018
Circular Ocean has launched an innovation competition, designed to engage creative and technical communities to provide new ideas and solutions related to the re-use and recycling of end-of-life fishing nets in the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) region.
Circular Ocean, a three-year European project that seeks opportunities to recover and reuse of waste commercial fishing gear with a view to benefiting local economies, is inviting competition entries from individuals as well as multi-disciplinary teams of entrepreneurs, inventors, designers and students who would like to tackle marine plastics with ideas, solutions and product concepts.
See Full Article at Source here: https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/new-competition-launched-to-tackle-ocean-plastics-by-reducing-lost-fishing-gear
Plastic-eating enzyme could aid recycling
Tom Ravenscroft, 20 April 2018
Scientists have discovered an enzyme that can "digest" plastic and revolutionalise recycling, but environmentalists warn the "miracle" breakthrough should not make designers complacent about the need to reduce use of the material.
Image is by University of Portsmouth.
Scientists at the University of Portsmouth and from the US Department of Energy "inadvertently engineered" the enzyme that rapidly breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – the rigid plastic commonly used to make drinks bottles.
The teams were investigating the structure of a naturally occurring bacteria that breaks down PET, when they accidentally engineered the new more efficient enzyme.
See full article at source here: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/04/20/plastic-eating-enzyme-petase-recycling-news/
Why the death of coral reefs could be devastating for millions of humans
Coral reefs around the globe already are facing unprecedented damage because of warmer and more acidic oceans. It’s hardly a problem affecting just the marine life that depends on them or deep-sea divers who visit them.
A diver checks the bleached coral at Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Large parts of the reef could be dead within 20 years as climate change drives mass coral bleaching, scientists have warned. (The Ocean Agency/XL Catlin Seaview Survey/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)
If carbon dioxide emissions continue to fuel the planet’s rising temperature, the widespread loss of coral reefs by 2050 could have devastating consequences for tens of millions of people, according to new research published Wednesday in the scientific journal PLOS.
To better understand where those losses would hit hardest, an international group of researchers mapped places where people most need reefs for their livelihoods, particularly for fishing and tourism, as well as for shoreline protection. The researchers combined those maps with others showing where coral reefs are most under stress from warming seas and ocean acidification.
Countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines would bear the brunt of the damage, the scientists found. So would coastal communities in western Mexico and parts of Australia, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The problem would affect countries as massive as China and as small as the tiny island nation of Nauru in the South Pacific.
Read the full article at source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/09/why-the-death-of-coral-reefs-could-be-devastating-for-millions-of-humans/?utm_term=.8c03d476e0e8
You've got bottle: 7 brands who turn plastic waste into posh fashion
Eight million metric tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean each year. If we’re not careful by 2050 there will be more bits of plastic than fish. Forward thinking fashion brands are turning the waves of wasted plastic bottles into clothing, shoes and bags.
See full article and 7 awesome brands here: https://pebblemag.com/magazine/living/7-brands-who-turn-plastic-bottles-into-posh-fashion
The company turning 4 billion plastic bottles into clothes
Some 400,000 college students will accept diplomas this year while wearing gowns made entirely of plastic bottles.
It's not a joke or a gimmick. It's a statement on how to keep trash out of landfills, said Jay Hertwig, VP of global branding for textile maker Unifi.
Unifi, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, produces 300 million pounds of polyester and nylon yarn annually.
"As a manufacturer, we asked ourselves what we could do to be more innovative and a socially responsible company," said Hertwig.
Repreve was the answer. It's the firm's flagship fiber brand made from recycled materials.
See original source here: http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/16/technology/plastic-bottles-fabric-repreve/index.html
A sperm whale that washed up on a beach in Spain had 64 pounds of plastic and waste in its stomach
El Valle Wildlife Center found 64 lbs of plastic waste on a young sperm whale.
When a young sperm whale washed up on a beach in southern Spain, scientists wanted to know what killed it. They now know: waste -- 64 pounds of it. Most of it plastic, but also ropes, pieces of net and other debris lodged in its stomach.
The discovery has prompted authorities in Murcia, Spain, to launch a campaign to clean up its beaches.
"The presence of plastic in the ocean and oceans is one of the greatest threats to the conservation of wildlife throughout the world, as many animals are trapped in the trash or ingest large quantities of plastics that end up causing their death," Murcia's general director of environment, Consuelo Rosauro said in a statement.
Read the full article at source: www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/health/sperm-whale-plastic-waste-trnd/index.html
Climate Change Indicators: Oceans
Covering about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, the world’s oceans have a two-way relationship with weather and climate. The oceans influence the weather on local to global scales, while changes in climate can fundamentally alter many properties of the oceans. This chapter examines how some of these important characteristics of the oceans have changed over time.
Read the full article at source: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/oceans
Most Ocean Plastic Pollution Carried by 10 Rivers
LONDON —
The equivalent of one garbage truck full of plastic waste is dumped into the world’s oceans every minute, equal to 8 million tons a year. New research suggests that 90 percent of that waste gets into the oceans through 10 major river systems.
“It seems that larger rivers preferentially transport plastic and these are rivers with a large population. You could reduce river plastic loads tremendously by focusing on these 10 rivers,” lead researcher Christian Schmidt of Germany’s Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, told VOA.
Two of the rivers are in Africa - the Nile and the Niger – while the remaining eight are in Asia – the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Yangtze, Haihe, Pearl, Mekong and Amur.
Read entire article at source: https://www.voanews.com/a/ninety-percent-of-ocean-plastic-pollution-carried-by-10-rivers-/4134909.html
Popularity of plastic takes toll on oceans, puts human health at risk
November 27, 2017 – Our love affair with plastic—from water bottles, shopping bags, and drinking straws, to consumer product packaging—is taking a toll on the world’s oceans, and damaging the health of people, marine birds, and animals. The filmmakers and scientists behind a new documentary exploring this problem recently joined Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health community members for a film screening and panel discussion. Experts offered solutions for policymakers, as well as steps ordinary citizens can take to reduce plastic pollution.
Read full article at source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/plastic-pollution-harms-oceans-health/
Washing fleeces damages oceans more than plastic bottles
Dame Ellen MacArthur and Stella McCartney launched a report that said the equivalent of one dustcart of textiles is wasted every second
Washing fleeces and other synthetic clothes is much more damaging for the ocean than microbeads in cosmetics, a report has found.
The government has pledged to ban microbeads, but clothes produce 16 times as many damaging tiny plastic fibres that end up in the sea.
Read full article at source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/washing-fleeces-damages-oceans-more-than-plastic-bottles-fv6v3rmqn
Overfishing is as big a threat to humanity as it is to our oceans
There has never been a more urgent time for seafood businesses and fishing nations to make a commitment to sustainability. The world’s oceans are in trouble, with marine life plummeting and the people who are dependent on the sea for income and food left increasingly vulnerable. Data shows populations of fish and other marine vertebrates, including marine mammals, reptiles and birds have halved since 1970.
Fourteen years ago when I was based with WWF in the Pacific – where most of Australia’s tuna is sourced – I saw first hand the stress that was being placed on the ocean ecosystems. Valuable fish stocks were declining as foreign fishing nations began eyeing the western and central Pacific’s tuna stocks as their next goldmine.
Read entire article at the Source: http://blog.msc.org/blog/2016/02/17/overfishing-is-as-big-a-threat-to-humanity-as-it-is-to-our-oceans/
