PPE kits add to plastic waste; how about turning them into fuel

Mostly, PPE mostly contain polypropylene, which can be converted into petrol by pyrolysis

We looked for South Africa’s ‘missing’ plastic litter. This is what we found

South Africa is ranked as the 11th worst offender in terms of land-based sources of litter entering the sea

Keeping up with viruses: Discoveries in 2022 to keep an eye on

Scientists have documented several new virus species, some of which can potentially threaten human health

Climate risk index shows threats to 90% of the world’s marine species

Urgent need to understand how climate change affects marine life to develop adaptation approaches

Plastic-free planet: Protecting sanitation workers & wastepickers, just transition discussed on Day 2 of INC-3

UN chief underlines role of plastics in fuelling climate crisis

Leaked UN report on biodiversity calls for 8 changes to save planet

These include positive actions for forests, agriculture, food systems, climate, health, fisheries, oceans and cities  

Plastic-free planet: Members struggle to reach consensus on rules of procedure

INC-2 decides Open-Ended Working Group; may delay negotiations

The heroic effort to save Florida’s coral reef from devastating ocean heat

As water temperatures spiked in Florida Keys, scientists, coral reef restoration groups and government agencies launched an emergency response to …

Microplastics, microbeads: What you did not know about self-care products

Bureau of Indian Standards in 2017 proposed a ban on raw materials not recognised safe for use in cosmetics from 2020. The status of the ban is&…

West Africa’s plastic waste could be fuelling the economy instead of polluting the ocean: Experts

World Environment Day 2023: Waste dumping is polluting the Jhelum in Kashmir with microplastics

Plastic waste is exposed to several environmental elements, breaking it down into microplastics and nanoplastics

Plastic-free planet: Geopolitics slows progress on Day 1 of Paris meet

No consensus on election of representatives left little time to discuss draft rules 

Draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021: Addressing the bigger problem

The draft proposes increasing thickness of carry bags made of virgin plastic to 120 microns from 50 microns; ban single-use plastic from 2022  

Plastic-free planet: Evolution of Global Plastics Treaty

UNEP gathered in Paris ahead of the INC-2 that can set the stage for negotiatons on the treaty

Global Eco Watch: Drying Sea of Galilee swells after years of drought

Down To Earth brings you the top happenings in the world of global ecology

More than 200 scientists from 19 countries want to tell us the Southern Ocean is in trouble

Annual extent of winter sea ice has stopped increasing and now we have had two years of record lows

Plastic-free planet: Discussions on elements finally begin at Day 3 of Paris meet

After a delay of close to 2 days, pulled off by the ‘no ambition coalition’, discussions on objectives, core obligations and …

Paper cups as bad as plastic ones for environment: Research

Bioplastic coating on paper packaging does not degrade effectively; contains at least as many chemicals as conventional plastic

Food wrappers overtake cigarette butts as beach litter: Report

A record 4,771,602 food wrappers picked up in a single day by 943,195 volunteers of environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy across …