‘Oceans’ reveals worst polluted beaches in the UK
UK beaches are riddled with plastic pollution. Toilet paper company Oceans has discovered the top worst affected beaches and are campaigning to spread awareness. There are 5000 pieces of plastic & 150 plastic bottles for each mile on UK beaches, while 88% of the sea's surface is polluted by...
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Greenpeace ranks European countries’ private jet activity
We’re well-accustomed to hearing about American billionaire celebrities and their carbon-spewing private jets lately, but which European countries are facilitating the most private jet departures? Greenpeace investigates. You might think that because the general public now knows how emission-heavy private jets are, those privileged enough to charter them would be...
BP’s oil spill highlights the human impact of environmental crises
Thirteen years after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, those who helped clean it up are suffering from mental and physical illness. The disruption of their daily lives should disrupt ours, too. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill unleashed an environmental catastrophe, causing irreparable damage to ecosystems and communities. A...
This year’s G7 summit explained
G7 countries are economic, political heavyweights with the power to tackle urgent global issues. If you look back at past G7 Summit agendas, you’ll see many of the same themes: reducing inequality, promoting women’s equality, and advancing global security among them. This year, the to-do list for the leaders of seven...
Paris’ River Seine will soon be safe to swim in once again
After a century-long ban, Paris authorities have announced that the River Seine will be clean enough to swim in by the end of the year. At least two 2024 Olympic swimming races will be held in the river. How did the city clean up its act? I will never forget...
Could flooding the Sahara be a feasible solution to climate change?
It may sound far-fetched, but creating a sea in place of the Sahara Desert has been a topic of discussion for centuries. Inspired by a massive flood that created the Mediterranean Sea as we know it, could we see a Sahara Sea project come to life in the future? In...
Hundreds killed in DRC floods and landslides
More than 400 people have been died and about 5,000 are missing after intense flooding and landslides hit the DRC last week. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been prone to floods and landslides for many years, with the frequency and severity of these natural disasters increasing in recent years due to climate change. The nation is currently facing devastating floods which have killed more than 400 people, displacing thousands...
Ocean pollution is boosting Sargassum seaweed in the Atlantic
Regions in the Caribbean have seen tons of orange-brown algae called Sargassum washing up on coastlines over spring and summer, in an ‘invasion’ that is getting more severe each year. Is that a bad thing? At face value, the great span of Atlantic Ocean between Florida and West Africa looks as if it would be completely empty. Perhaps it would be, if not for the presence of a specific type of...
Brazil’s Amazon deforestation fell by 68% in April under Lula da Silva
Taking the reins from Jair Bolsonaro in January, Lula da Silva has thus far honoured his pledge to tackle Brazil’s astronomical deforestation problem. In April, the rate of such activity was down 68% on the previous year. In the run-up to Brazil’s elections last October, several ecological experts suggested the future of the Amazon rainforest relied solely on who would become president. Jair Bolsonaro’s contentious stint of three years had brought...
New Zealand unveils its biggest emissions reduction plan in history
Set to involve transitioning from coal to renewable electricity at the country’s major steel plant, the project will – according to the government – be equivalent to taking 300,000 cars off the road. As we inch closer towards the 1.5°C temperature threshold, countries across the globe are finding themselves hard-pressed to adapt, and fast. New Zealand, which has long been considered a ‘safe haven from the climate...
