Researchers have demonstrated a new eco-friendly plastic that decomposes in deep ocean conditions. In a deep-sea experiment, the microbially synthesized poly(d-lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) (LAHB) biodegraded, while conventional plastics such as a representative bio-based polylactide (PLA) persisted. Submerged 855 meters (~2,800 feet) underwater, LAHB films lost over 80% of their mass after 13 months as microbial biofilms actively […]
Talks to agree the first global treaty on combating plastic pollution are set to begin on Tuesday, and limiting plastic production is a key point of contention. Dozens of countries, campaign groups and researchers say that legally binding cuts to plastic production, which is running at about 460 million tonnes a year, are the only way to deal […]
The amount of discarded plastic found in dead seabirds in the UAE has been described as “very alarming” by a senior Greenpeace campaigner. Farah Al Hattab, lead plastics campaigner at Greenpeace Mena, said harm to creatures such as seabirds indicated “a much deeper environmental crisis”. The new research, released by Sharjah researchers, reported that about one in eight seabirds […]
Faced with the explosion of plastic consumption, scientists and institutions are warning: recycling will not be enough. Reducing andalternative options are needed to tackle plastic pollution, with plastics now present everywhere in the environment and even in our bodies. Every year, the world produces record quantities of plastic. In 2021, according to the OECD, more than […]
At the dawn of the millennium, a group of eminent scientists began compiling a list of the threats they felt were most likely to impact the world’s rocky shorelines over the coming quarter of a century. Published in 2002, it included forecasts that – among other things – pollution from oil spills would decrease, the […]
The European Commission plans to support large scale efforts to clean up forever chemicals as part of its upcoming water resilience strategy, acknowledging the widespread threat of water pollution and the need for technological innovation to address it. The European Commission is preparing to support a major clean-up initiative targeting water pollution by so-called “forever […]
Scientists in Abu Dhabi say stricter air quality controls, transitioning to renewable energy and monitoring vehicle emissions are behind a reduction in the levels of air pollution in parts of the Middle East. A study from Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi, using Nasa satellites, looking between 2003 and 2023, showed significant reductions after pollution levels increased during the first decade […]
