What the emerging woolly mammoth tusk says about our planet
The internet is going crazy over a mammoth tusk found poking out of an Alaskan riverbank, but is its emergence a warning sign for humanity? Pessimism isn’t my forte, but when age old specimens previously hidden inside frost and within rocks suddenly become visible to the naked eye – the...
Current in Planet
What safe water at Gaza City’s beach means for Palestinians
Decades of tension has affected water quality at Gaza Beach, forcing locals to choose between protecting their physical wellbeing or enjoying life’s simple pleasures. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to 2.3 million Palestinians who have been confined to 362...
What is the 30×30 conservation initiative?
The 30x30 initiative aims to designate at least 30% of all land and oceans as ‘protected areas’ by 2030. The target was first created in 2019, with over seventy nations agreeing to participate. As you’re no doubt aware, our oceans are under serious threat as climate change becomes more severe. There...
Momentum building ahead of 2022 UN Ocean Conference
The President of the UN General Assembly has urged attendees to ‘arrive with demonstrable evidence of progress’ in providing solutions to the current ocean crisis. Documentaries such as ‘Seaspiracy’ and ‘A Plastic Ocean’ raised public alarm on the vitality of Earth’s oceans for humanity’s survival – a fact that marine...
Rethinking international trade routes vital to saving marine life
With demand for global freight on the rise, maritime trade is set to triple its capacity by 2050. What could this mean for the ocean’s largest animals? What a time to be alive, eh? Our blueberries are from Morocco, our prawns from Vietnam, and even our avocados travel across the...
Supreme Court limits the E.P.A’s power to control pollution
After stripping away constitutional protections for abortion and expanding gun rights, justices have issued yet another momentous ruling – one that jeopardises the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions. On Thursday, the US Supreme Court sharply limited the E.P.A’s ability to regulate carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, making...
Is reverting back to basics inevitable to save our planet?
Centuries of optimising our daily habits to save time, money, and effort has seen our planet pay the environmental cost. Can going back to old ways of life be the only way to reverse the damage? For centuries, humanity has chipped away at finding ways to make daily life easier. But as we’ve learned, easier doesn’t always mean better. The mass production of cars gave individuals independence and freedom, but led...
Recyclable and biodegradable Covid test kits are in the works
Award-winning design and innovation consultants at Morrama have developed a concept for Covid tests that are both recyclable and biodegradable. Last November, ocean-dwelling plastic waste deriving from the pandemic was estimated at being over 26,000 tonnes. That’s more than the weight of 2,000 double decker buses. No one is happy about this, but the immediate global need for items like single-use masks, rapid flow tests, and other essential medical supplies unfortunately...
Could olivine rocks help our carbon capture efforts?
As climate scientists search for feasible ways to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, a plentiful type of rock called olivine – and the process of chemical mineralisation – is providing an exciting lead. It’s looking increasingly likely that achieving our net zero goals will depend not only on green industry transitions, but also mobilising carbon capture methods to address our current mess. To date, the most effective means of locking...
Sea ice worryingly falls to record lows in the Antarctic Ocean
Preliminary data from satellites reveals Antarctica’s levels of sea ice have dropped to their lowest level in 40 years, when the first ever measurements were taken. What would hump day be at this point without a depressing dose of climate change news? This week, scientists have discovered that there is now the smallest ice coverage in the Antarctic Ocean since data started being measured in 1979. Using satellite imagery, the US National...
