pollution

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

This Whale Sucks In an Astounding Amount of Microplastics

Blue whales, as well as other baleens, are ingesting millions of the tiny particles daily

(Newser) - Baleen whales —which include blue whales and humpbacks—are a type of whale that uses special filters instead of teeth to collect and eat small prey like krill and fish. Now, in a research first, scientists examining the consumption habits of these marine mammals have found they're...

This Is a &#39;Wake-Up Call&#39; on Danger of Air Pollution
This Is a 'Wake-Up Call'
on Danger of Air Pollution
NEW STUDY
Sep 13, 2022 11:50 AM CDT

This Is a 'Wake-Up Call' on Danger of Air Pollution

Researchers discover how fine particulate matter triggers gene mutations to form lung cancer

(Newser) - For some of us, cells in our lungs mutate with age. These mutations seem perfectly healthy—until they come up against air pollution. The result is rapid changes in the cells that turn them cancerous, which could explain why people who've never smoked still develop lung cancer, according to...

Some Elephants Are Pooping Out Plastic Forks
Some Elephants Are
Turning Into Plastic Polluters
new study
May 31, 2022 4:22 PM CDT

Some Elephants Are Turning Into Plastic Polluters

Some consume plastic in dumps then excrete it in forests, study finds

(Newser) - Much has been written about humans' consumption of microplastics . Ditto on the impacts of plastic waste on our oceans . Now comes a report on the plastics—items a heck of a lot bigger than microplastics—that elephants eat and how deep into otherwise unspoiled forests they end up depositing it....

Plastic Recycling Is a Hoax
Plastic Recycling Is a Hoax
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 14, 2022 6:30 AM CDT

Plastic Recycling Is a Hoax

Environmental groups say the plastics industry has been lying all along

(Newser) - Last year, Americans recycled at most 6% of their plastic waste, according to a report released Wednesday by a pair of environmental groups. It's a number that's even worse than it used to be. Every American produced an average 218 pounds of plastic waste in 2018, per Reuters,...

There's a Lot Less Trash in Lake Tahoe Now

It won't alter systemic problems in the lake, but it sure doesn't hurt

(Newser) - Lake Tahoe is now home to 25,000 fewer pounds of trash, thanks to Clean Up the Lake, a California nonprofit that recently finished clearing garbage to a depth of 25 feet along all 72 miles of the lake’s shores, per the Guardian. Over the course of a year,...

Not the Loch Ness Monster in Detroit, but Something Else Amazing

What may be first river otter seen in 100 years in Detroit River shows water pollution is decreasing

(Newser) - "As a PhD student in marine ecology, Eric Ste Marie knew what he saw was rare." That sighting in the Detroit River last month, as described by WXYZ , is now making headlines, and it may be the first of its kind in a century. Ste Marie, a 27-year-old...

Awful-Smelling Foam Is Invading This City

Toxic foam from polluted river has become the bane of Mosquera, a suburb of Bogota, Colombia

(Newser) - Playing in foam is usually fun—think bubble baths when you were a kid. But in the streets of one suburb of Bogota, Colombia, residents flee toxic clouds of the stuff wafting over from a nearby polluted river, bringing an unpleasant odor and suspected to be the cause of a...

Amid War in Ukraine, a New Looming Concern

Contamination of nation's water, air, and soil could take years to assess and clean up, experts warn

(Newser) - Death and destruction isn't all that's been left in the wake of Russia's unrelenting war on Ukraine. Contamination of the nation's water, air, and soil are also now a concern, and it's an issue that could take years to remedy. Fires, explosions, building collapses, and...

Blame for World's Plastic 'Deluge' Lands Squarely on US

We're the biggest contributor to the waste problem, per new NAS analysis commissioned by Congress

(Newser) - There's a "deluge" of plastic mucking up the Earth's oceans, with the United States serving as the biggest contributor to it. That's according to a new National Academy of Sciences report ordered by Congress that's imploring the US to come up with a plan to...

Manatees&#39; Die-Off Continues in Florida
Manatee Record in Florida
Is a Grim One
UPDATED
Nov 18, 2021 8:32 AM CST

Manatee Record in Florida Is a Grim One

Annual death toll for the marine creatures tops 1K, highest number since at least the '70s

(Newser) - Update: The manatee die-off continues in the Sunshine State, with a grim new record: For the first time, annual deaths of the marine mammal have exceeded 1,000. Per the AP , the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported on Wednesday that 1,003 manatees have died this year so...

That Foam Is Toxic. They Entered It Anyway

Hindus flocked to India's Yamuna River for a religious festival this week

(Newser) - It sounds innocuous enough: traveling to a tributary of India's Ganges to bathe as part of a Hindu ritual. But as CNN reports, some sections of the Yamuna River were far from ripe for bathing in this week. What's being described as white toxic foam currently cover portions...

Venomous Sharks Prove London's River Is No Longer 'Dead'

Report finds River Thames is bustling with wildlife, despite pollution concerns

(Newser) - The Thames River was declared "biologically dead" in the late 1950s. But after decades of cleanup and conservation efforts and investments in sewage treatment, that's no longer the case. Indeed, the 215-mile waterway running through London is now home to hundreds of wildlife species, including seahorses, eels, seals,...

Leaf Blowers Are Multipronged Threat to Health and Environment
Put Down
the Leaf Blowers
opinion
Oct 25, 2021 6:40 PM CDT

Put Down the Leaf Blowers

Consider leaving the leaves alone, Margaret Renkl writes

(Newser) - A lot of crimes against nature are committed in the name of lawn care. Pesticides are involved. Other practices endanger insects, birds, and plants. But with its high levels of chemical emissions, deafening noise, and unhealthy pollution, Margaret Renkl writes in an opinion piece in the New York Times , the...

Landmark Climate Ruling Hits Shell With Major Directive

In case brought by activists, Hague District Court mandates 45% CO2 emissions reduction by 2030

(Newser) - A Dutch court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, in a landmark case brought by climate activist groups. The ruling Wednesday by the Hague District Court could set a precedent for similar cases against polluting multinationals around...

Islands of Waste Are Clogging European Rivers

Photos of garbage covering water in the Balkans cause outcry

(Newser) - Huge islands of waste are floating on some rivers in the Balkans, causing an environmental emergency and threatening a regional hydropower plant. Plastic bottles and bags, rusty barrels, and other garbage on Tuesday could be seen clogging the Drina river near the eastern Bosnian town of Visegrad, the AP reports....

US Marine Animals Are Drowning in Plastic—Literally

Report mentions 1.8K cases of animals consuming or being entangled in plastic since 2009

(Newser) - Plastic pollution is taking a disastrous toll on marine animals in the US, particularly those threatened with extinction, according to a new report . It tells of 1,792 cases in which 40 different species of animals consumed or were entangled in plastic since 2009. Of those, 88% involved animals that...

Trump Quashes Major Law: 'All of That Ends Today'

The president reinterprets an environmental policy dating back to Nixon

(Newser) - President Trump is rolling back a foundational Nixon-era environmental law that he says stifles infrastructure projects, but that is credited with ensuring decades of scrutiny of major projects and giving local communities a say, the AP reports. Trump was in Atlanta to announce changes Wednesday to the National Environmental Policy...

French Regulators: Ad for New E-Bike Stokes Feelings of &#39;Fear&#39;
New E-Bike Ad Made France
So Anxious It Was Banned
in case you missed it
Jul 11, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

New E-Bike Ad Made France So Anxious It Was Banned

Country's regulatory agency bans commercial for VanMoof's S3 for 'creating climate of anxiety'

(Newser) - If you feel a little wound up while watching the latest commercial for a Dutch e-bicycle, France's advertising regulatory agency gets it. The 45-second ad for VanMoof's $2,000 S3 e-bike that debuted last month features scenes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, with images of car accidents and smokestacks spewing...

Ancient Ice Tells of a Murderous King&#39;s Struggles
Ancient Ice Tells
of a Murderous
King's Struggles
in case you missed it
Apr 4, 2020 11:15 AM CDT

Ancient Ice Tells of a Murderous King's Struggles

Lead pollution sheds light on British turmoil in 12th century

(Newser) - Scientists say they've found evidence of key moments in British medieval history, including the assassination of an archbishop, nearly 1,000 miles away in the Swiss Alps. There was no sword buried in the snow. Rather, scientists analyzed lead pollution in laser-carved slivers of ice, each representing a period...

Exhibit on Ocean Pollution Leads to Big Shock for One Woman

German woman spots mixtape she lost 25 years ago—and it still works

(Newser) - If you're in your late 30s or older, you likely remember the unique joy that accompanied creating what we olds call a "mixtape." A German woman is now reliving that elation after she stumbled upon a mixtape she lost 25 years ago while on vacation in Spain....

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