Ecology
Wetherspoons Bans Plastic Straws
JD Wetherspoons has announced it will stop using plastic straws across its 900 pubs in the UK and Ireland by the end of this year, in a bid to curb plastic pollution. Instead it will switch to biodegradeable paper straws,…
Reports: France to Invest €20bn in Clean Energy Transition Plan
Emmanuel Macron’s government has this week provided further details on its plan to establish France as a green economic leader, unveiling proposals to invest €20bn in a range of clean technologies. The proposals were yesterday presented by Prime Minister Edouard…
Zero Waste Scotland Publishes Carbon Report as Recycling Rate Climbs
Scotland’s national household recycling rate reached 45.5% in 2016, with one council, East Renfrewshire, becoming the first Scottish council to break through the 60% mark, according to figures published today. The news comes on the same day that Zero Waste…
Biodegradable Material Could Replace Most Plastic Used To Wrap & Preserve Food
The world produces about 300 million tons of plastic every year, of which about 10% will end up in the ocean. In the US, about 30 million tons winds up in landfills, and half of that is plastic packaging used…
Even With Huge Carbon Emissions Reductions World’s Periglacial Zones (Home To Permafrost) To Disappear By 2100, Research Finds
The world’s periglacial zones, home to essentially all of the world’s permafrost, will “almost completely disappear” by the year 2100 even in the most optimistic of scenarios concerning greenhouse gas emissions reductions, according to a new study. In other words,…
14 States On Track to Meet Paris Targets
Fourteen states and Puerto Rico are on track to meet and potentially exceed their portion of the U.S. commitment under the Paris agreement. The report shows that the member states of the U.S. Climate Alliance (USCA), which has grown to…
Air Pollution Exposure & Kidney Disease Linked By New Study
Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of experiencing a decline in kidney function and developing kidney disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The study found that the effects of…