The UK government is facing growing pressure to honor its election promises to ban harmful bee-killing pesticides, as ministers consider granting another year of emergency use for neonicotinoids in 2025. Despite a pledge from Labour leader Keir Starmer to ban these chemicals, the government is leaning toward approving the use of thiamethoxam, a pesticide linked… Continue reading UK government considers bee-killing pesticide approval, despite election promises
Our planet is getting hotter at an alarming rate. Climate change is one of the most serious global issues today. Its consequences affect every single human being on Earth. So it seems perfectly logical that scientific publications about global warming are written in the global language: English. And yet, it is precisely because it is written in English, that climate… Continue reading How language barriers influence global climate literacy
You may have bought a drink recently and noticed something odd: the once removable cap is now tethered to the bottle by a small strip of plastic. An EU directive was enacted in July, requiring that all single-use bottles have caps that remain attached. This is one of several policies designed to limit the amount of plastic litter –… Continue reading Why plastic bottles now have their caps attached
Scientists and engineers are developing new ways to destroy per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) efficiently and sustainably. This class of chemicals is known as “forever chemicals” because PFAS persist and accumulate in the environment, animals and our bodies. PFAS have been used for decades to make everything from firefighting foam, packaging, waterproof clothes and non-stick frying pan coatings.… Continue reading New technologies could help destroy persistent ‘forever chemicals’
Sharks off the coast of Brazil’s party city Rio de Janeiro have tested positive for cocaine. The predators were consuming the potent stimulant due to its continuous release from inadequate sewage treatment facilities and clandestine refining operations, scientists wrote in a study published in Science of The Total Environment. Some may also have attacked bricks… Continue reading Sharks in Rio de Janeiro test positive for cocaine
As the impact of climate change on communities increases, researchers are concerned about growing inequalities. The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the importance of one aspect that is too often neglected by local action on climate change: considering the question of inequalities. Studies show that the people, communities… Continue reading The fight against the climate crisis must not increase inequalities
Air pollution is an unseen menace that poses a major threat to human health and the climate. We have created the air quality stripes, a visual tool that captures global air pollution trends, to bring this hidden threat into sharp focus. Inspired by professor of climate science Ed Hawkins’ climate warming stripes, the air quality… Continue reading How air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850
In the spring of 2024, residents of the south Devon harbour town of Brixham kept falling ill. Their symptoms – including “awful stomach complaints, bad diarrhoea and severe headaches” – went on for weeks. A retired GP who ventured to the pub after finally recovering from the illness recalled that, when someone asked those present to “raise… Continue reading Britain’s ‘broken’ water system: a history of death, denial and stomach aches
Fashion has a notorious environmental footprint, accounting for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output. This is exacerbated by a fast fashion business model which encourages the frequent purchase of low-priced and non-durable items. Around 30% of online purchases are subsequently returned, much of which goes to landfill. In 2020, an estimated 2.6 million tonnes of returns were disposed of… Continue reading Fast fashion: why your online returns may end up in landfill – and what can be done about it
The idea that sending less emails would have a significant impact on the environment was popularised by the book ‘How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything.’ This, released in 2020, was by Professor Mike Berners-Lee, a respected authority on the topic. Professor Berners-Lee mentioned that every email creates something from 0.3 to 50… Continue reading Are emails bad for the planet?
