Researchers found blood-lead levels in sparrows were a predictable indicator of blood-lead levels in children – showing how humans and nature are inextricably linked.
The Sapref oil refinery (seen in 2014) has been sold to the state-owned Central Energy Fund for R1, or a few US cents.
L C Swart/Shutterstock
South Africa’s state-owned Central Energy Fund has paid five US cents, or one rand, for a huge oil refinery that isn’t in working condition. The public may have to foot the bill to clear up oil leaks.
Sargassum washes ashore in large, smelly mats. Clearing it away isn’t easy.
Lhote/Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Farah Nibbs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A leading driver of this seaweed invasion is pollution, carried down rivers and into the Atlantic Ocean from the continents.
Acid Mine Drainage in Gauteng, South Africa, has polluted the water and soil in Soweto.
Courtesy Professor Craig Sheridan, University of the Witwatersrand
Modern pharmaceuticals have saved millions of lives, however, there is growing concern that these same drugs may pose a real ecological concern for human and non-human life alike.
States are once again turning to desalination to secure freshwater supplies. The problem is, they’re often choosing the wrong spot for ecosystems and fisheries
Gypsy and Traveller communities have long suffered from inadequate housing solutions.
Raymond Orton/Alamy
Among the poisons found in 36% of the frogs tested, rodenticide was detected for the first time. Pesticides are considered a threat to hundreds of amphibian species.
Ian Myles, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
From synthetic fabrics to car exhaust to wildfires, exposure to environmental pollutants push the skin microbiome to adapt in ways that reduce its ability to protect the skin.
The first dedicated scientific surveys have confirmed the presence of blue whales in Seychelles.
Lake Koocanusa is seen in June 2021, northeast of Libby, Mont. Mining and other environmental pollutants present serious risks to North America’s fresh water.
(Hunter D'Antuono/Flathead Beacon via AP)
Microplastics are created when everyday products – including clothes, food and beverage packaging, home furnishings, plastic bags, toys and toiletries – degrade.
Heavy industry and dense urban populations both contribute to high levels of effluent containing toxic forever chemicals that don’t biodegrade.
Shaun Jeffers/Shutterstock
Plastic tax would work better than a ban in Lagos, Nigeria.
So much ocean plastic originates from sources on land, but once floating in the sea it poses a risk to marine wildlife and habitats.
Rich Carey/Shutterstock
As it travels around the ocean, plastic litter can harm wildlife and marine habitats in many ways. This study highlights five key hotspots where floating plastic poses the biggest risk.
Human influence on the climate started even before the Industrial Revolution.
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Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Scientists have been debating the start of the Anthropocene Epoch for 15 years. I was part of those discussions, and I agree with the vote rejecting it.