Ecology
Thailand to Ban Imports of Plastics and E-Waste
Thailand has joined Vietnam and Malaysia in cracking down on the world’s trash. Thailand will stop accepting more than 400 types of electronic waste (e-waste), including circuit boards, old TVs and radios, within six months, an environment ministry official told…
Trees Are Migrating West to Escape Climate Change
An individual tree has roots and, of course, it doesn’t move. But trees, as a species, do move over time. They migrate in response to environmental challenges, especially climate change. Surprisingly, they don’t all go to the Poles, where it…
Babies in Strollers Breathe Up to 60 Percent More Dangerous Air Pollution Than Adults
Parents might want to think twice before pushing their babies in strollers alongside busy streets. A study published Aug. 10 in Environment International by the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey found that babies…
Indonesia’s Deforestation Dropped 60 Percent in 2017
In the midst of the second-worst year for tropical tree cover loss in 2017, Indonesia saw an encouraging sign: a 60 percent drop in tree cover loss in primary forests compared with 2016. That’s the difference in carbon dioxide emissions…
Court Orders Monsanto to Pay $289 Million in Cancer Trial
Agrochemical company Monsanto has been ordered to pay $289 million to school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, who said the Bayer subsidiary’s chemical products gave him cancer. On Friday, a California jury ruled that the company acted with knowledge that risks of…
Gin-ius: You Can Now Sip Your Gin with an Edible Strawberry Flavoured Straw
A range of pre-mixed canned drinks now come with edible straws to cut down on plastic waste. Diageo’s Premix range, which includes Gordon’s Gin & Schweppes Tonic, Baileys & Iced Coffee Latte and Pimm’s & Lemonade, now comes with a…
Brazil Meets a Major Emissions Goal Two Years Ahead of Schedule
Brazil has just announced that it has cut 2017 greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation to levels far below its 2020 goal. The country originally aimed to reduce emissions from this source by 564 million tons in the Amazon and by…