Plastics are hard to avoid in daily life.
European Parliament
Researchers unpack the vast impact of plastic on our society – from emerging health worries and pollution to recycling and plastic’s contributions to modern convenience.
Long-term exposure to air pollution was linked to cognitive decline in elderly people.
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Air pollution is bad for our heart and lung health – and a new study says it may be bad for brain health, too.
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If animals are dying from a human-induced threat, then surely we have a responsibility to help them.
Hazardous air quality is when fine dust levels are significantly elevated relative to Australian air quality standards.
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Even as the dust storm over NSW subsides, the unseen fine particles outside, or even inside your house, can still present a health risk.
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London’s low emission zone has started to reduce air pollution – but not enough to protect children’s lungs.
Thanks to their consumption of invertebrates, Melbourne platypus likely receive half the recommended human dose of anti-depressants every day.
Denise Illing
Pharmaceuticals were found in every invertebrate sampled from six Melbourne streams - including a waterway in a national park.
The Big Brown coal plant in Fairfield is among the Texas power stations that have been shut down.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
A study of the social cost of carbon emitted by the shrinking fleet of Texan coal plants suggests that closing more of them down would be good for the climate and public health.
A water bridge over the Klip River in Gauteng, South Africa.
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October 22, 2018
Rialet Pieters , North-West University ; Mayumi Ishizuka , Hokkaido University ; Nico J Smit , North-West University ; Ruan Gerber , North-West University ; Victor Wepener , North-West University ; Wihan Pheiffer , North-West University ; Yared Beyene , Hokkaido University , and Yoshinori Ikeneka , Hokkaido University
Harmful pesticides have been found in the widely consumed sharptooth catfish found in a river that runs through Johannesburg.
Torrefaction produces a substance that can be burned like coal.
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Biomass that’s been through a torrefaction process could do the same duty as coal, with far less water use and less pollution.
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The warming of the oceans means that the plants and organisms used as warning systems for pollution are being rendered ineffective.
Plastic bags, balloons, and rope fragments were among more than 100 pieces of plastic in the gut of a single turtle.
Qamar Schuyler
Autopsies of 1,000 turtles washed up on Australian beaches paint a grim picture of the impact of plastic debris. Even a single piece can be deadly, and on average 14 pieces equals a 50% fatality rate.
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New coal mining operations could threaten
South Africa’s Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.
The Latinoamericana Tower stands amid smog in Mexico City.
AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
Pollution is killing people in the developing world at an alarming rate. While there are many reasons for this, one looms large: China.
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Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, but over the last four centuries it has aged and darkened from pollution.
Many scientists believe it is impossible to ignore the human impact on the planet when defining the geological age we live in today.
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When it comes to the geological record, airbrushing out humans’ impact on the environment makes little sense.
California and the Trump administration are going different directions on mileage standards.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Law scholars from California unpack the legal questions raised by the Trump administration’s plan to roll back mileage standards and revoke California’s ability to set more stringent rules.
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The results of phytoremediation are remarkable.
Sea turtle eating a plastic bag.
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Plastic bags are commonly mistaken for food by sea animals. They require a lot of energy and resources to be made, and have caused floods in some countries.
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Tech fixes to environmental problems are guaranteed to grab attention, but real change for the planet requires community organising.
How much would you pay to make this disappear?
Emilian Robert Vicol
What would you pay to keep trash off your favorite beach, or pollution away from a national park? Economists can tease these values out of our travel choices and use the numbers to help make policy.