ocean
A Roadblock For Plastic
Water means life. Think of diverse organisms, lush vegetation… and, don’t you dare to forget the plastic, almost an indispensable part of the water inventory nowadays. We have long been accustomed to bottles, bags and other unwanted, floating guests, so…
UNEP head Responds to Questions on Global Plastics Agreement
Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme does a Q&A on the deliberations by Member States on a global agreement on plastic pollution at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly Do you have a specific agenda for what will…
Eleven Additional Governments Commit to New Plastics Economy
Eleven new governments have announced today at the One Ocean Summit that they will join the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, the Global Commitment has united governments…
Rare Coral Reef Discovered Near Tahiti by a UNESCO Mission
A scientific research mission supported by UNESCO has discovered one of the largest coral reefs in the world off the coast of Tahiti. The pristine condition of, and extensive area covered by, the rose-shaped corals make this a highly valuable…
Another Wake-Up Call: Sea Ice Loss is Speeding Up
Last week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed the highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic, 38C, on 20 June 2020. This warming is causing previously permanently frozen permafrost below ground to thaw. The Arctic is now amongst the fastest-warming regions on…
From Birth to Ban: A History of the Plastic Shopping Bag
A novelty in the 1970s, plastic shopping bags are now an omnipresent product found in every corner of the world. Produced at a rate of up to one trillion bags per year, they are showing up in the darkest depths…
Why Are Coral Reefs Dying?
Beneath the ocean surface, an expansive network of dynamic skeletal-like invertebrates harbours at least 25 percent of all known marine species. Both hard and soft corals provide the basis for functioning coral reefs, which are some of the planet’s most…