Ecology

Australia Takes Stand on Single-Use Plastic Bags
Single-use plastic bags are going out of style in Australia, but shoppers aren’t thrilled by the reduction. Two major retailers, Big W and Coles, have officially ended the use of plastic shopping bags from their stores. The move effectively outlaws…

Neonicotinoid Pesticides Have Been Found in Wild Turkeys
Neonicotinoid pesticides have commonly been linked to the plight of honeybees. But a new study from the University of Guelph finds that honeybees aren’t the only non-pest creatures that are coming into contact with the pesticides. Neonicotinoids, sometimes called neonics,…

Against All Odds, Mountain Gorilla Numbers Are on the Rise
The news coming out of East Africa’s Virunga Mountains these days would have made the late (and legendary) conservationist Dian Fossey very happy. According to the most recent census, the mountain gorillas introduced to the world in Gorillas in the…

US Forest Service Allows Nestlé to Continue Taking Water from California National Forest
The U.S. Forest Service has offered Nestlé Waters North America a three-year permit on water rights in the San Bernardino National Forest, allowing the company to continue to take millions of gallons of water from the site. Under the proposed…

World’s First Beluga Whale Sanctuary Will Welcome New Arrivals
In 2019, two beluga whales, named Little Grey and Little White, will be transported from the Changfeng Ocean World aquarium in Shanghai to the world’s first whale sanctuary in a protected bay in Iceland. Established by the SEA LIFE Trust…

Wineries Around the World Grapple With Climate Change
In our rapidly changing climate—where weather patterns are less predictable, and drought and heatwaves have become longer and more intense—the world’s wine producers can be particularly hit hard. Vintners in South Africa, France, Australia, California and more find themselves grappling…

A Massive Five-Ton Plastic Waste Whale Rises Up from the Bruges Canals (VIDEO)
Near the statue of Jan Van Eyck, Skyscraper (the Bruges Whale) rises up from the Bruges canals. The gigantic sculpture is more than just a representation of a whale; the animal is made of waste, collected from the plastic soup…



