Pollution

‘Catastrophic’ global decline due to dams, mining, diverting water and pollution threatens humans and ecosystems, study warns

Jumping into the future head first, blindfolded, handcuffed, and in darkness

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking.

Scientists express concern over health impacts, with another study finding particles in arteries

Companies knew for decades recycling was not viable but promoted it regardless, Center for Climate Integrity study finds

Plastic waste in aquatic environments may be severely disrupting the reproductive behavior of marine animals. 

Exclusive: UK climate campaign group Possible calls for ‘polluter pays’ tax based on vehicle size

The world’s first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting environmental hazard annually – a figure that has increased by 6.8 per cent in the last ten years.

Guardian investigation finds 98% of Europeans breathing highly damaging polluted air linked to 400,000 deaths a year

Plastic debris is thought to be widespread in freshwater ecosystems globally1. However, a lack of comprehensive and comparable data makes rigorous assessment of its distribution challenging2,3. Here we present a standardized cross-national survey that assesses the abundance and type of plastic debris (>250 μm) in freshwater ecosystems. We sample surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes, with the aim to identify factors associated with an increased observation of plastics. We find plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs, suggesting that these ecosystems play a key role in the plastic-pollution cycle. Our results indicate that two types of lakes are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas and large lakes and reservoirs with elevated deposition areas, long water-retention times and high levels of anthropogenic influence. Plastic concentrations vary

Emmanuel Macron’s government is at least doing the bare minimum to avert the planetary crisis – and putting the UK to shame, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Unearthly skies and unhealthy air resulting from Canadian wildfires may persist for days.

Going beyond climate disruption, the report by the Earth Commission group of scientists presents disturbing evidence that our planet faces growing crises of water availability, nutrient loading, ecosystem maintenance and aerosol pollution. These pose threats to the stability of life-support systems and worsen social equality.

In early May, a groundbreaking study from the University of California, San Francisco of 171 pregnant women found more than 9 in 10 had measurable amounts of 19 different chemicals and pesticides in their bodies. Researchers said many of those substances pass through the placenta and into developing fetuses, adding evidence to a National Institutes of Health report that warned babies are born "pre-polluted" with chemicals.

With the Montreal Protocol, life on Earth dodged a bullet we didn’t even know was headed our way.

This report examines the economic and business models needed to address the impacts of the plastics economy.

Recent leaks from oil sands tailings ponds have contaminated water, sowing mistrust among local First Nations people

Those with higher levels of PFAS in their blood had 40% lower chance of conceiving within a year of trying

Tiny plastic particles can travel worldwide, ending up in urban, rural, and remote areas. They take an even faster transport pathway than oceanic currents: the atmosphere.

Microplastic pollution reduces energy production in a microscopic creature found in freshwater worldwide, new research shows. Paramecium bursaria contain algae that live inside their cells and provide energy by photosynthesis. The results of a NEW STUDY showed a 50% decline in net photosynthesis—a major impact on the algae's ability to produce energy and release oxygen