Feature Channels: Pollution

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A sound scientific basis exists for climate liability claims between individual countries, according to a Dartmouth study.

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New research published today in the peer-reviewed journal Science examines the potential for underwater noise pollution from seabed mining operations, which could affect the understudied species that live in the deep sea—the largest habitat on Earth.

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Many people are familiar with the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, but what is less well known is that occasionally, the protective ozone in the stratosphere over the Arctic is destroyed as well, thinning the ozone layer there. This last happened in the spring months of 2020, and before that, in the spring of 2011.

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear warfare to the forefront. But how would modern nuclear detonations impact the world today? A new study published today provides stark information on the global impact of nuclear war.

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Mayo Clinic recently joined the Better Climate Challenge, an initiative launched by the Department of Energy that encourages organizations to set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Roasting green chile is a cultural touchstone in New Mexico, but burning propane to roast the peppers leads to a seasonal emission of approximately 7,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of driving 1,700 cars for a year.

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Activities beyond campus – such as business air travel, student commutes and purchases of goods like lab equipment – account for more than 60% of Cornell University’s carbon emissions, according to new research that analyzed the university’s greenhouse gas consumption through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The National University of Singapore has established a new Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, supported by Temasek, with the aim of creating breakthrough technologies to make hydrogen commercially viable as a green energy source. The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the new centre will develop capabilities to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels as a source of energy and will also nurture talent for a sustainable hydrogen economy.

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Soils are impacted globally by several anthropogenic factors, including chemical pollutants.

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For climate change, June 2022 has been a busy month. It brought unprecedented flooding in Yellowstone National Park, a severe heat wave with life threatening temperatures in the southwestern U.S. and wildfires, which destroyed lives as well as property across the country.

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Only a fraction of the material that could be turned into new plastic is currently recycled.

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New research from two DePaul University alumnae delves into the environmental impact of popular children’s toys. The experience working on the research helped both graduates launch careers in sustainability.

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A global gathering of plastic experts is taking place in Portsmouth this autumn.

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A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai quantifies the cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to specific environmental factors, showing, for example, that air pollution heightens the risk of heart disease mortality by 17 percent.

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Along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, environmental factors such as air pollution are highly predictive of people’s chances of dying, especially from heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.

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Researchers in ACS’ Nano Letters report having created a light-activated fish robot that “swims” around quickly, picking up and removing microplastics from the environment.

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Residents of public housing throughout the United States experience higher levels of air pollution, according to an inter-institutional study led by a researcher from The University of Texas at El Paso that appeared in Scientific Reports, one of Nature’s portfolio of journals.

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Breathing in polluted air could lead to toxic particles being transported from lungs to brain, via the bloodstream – potentially contributing to brain disorders and neurological damage, a new study reveals.

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BRI is part of an international group of scientists who published a joint letter in Science, just prior to the next round of international negotiations on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This letter urges more attention to the diversity of contaminants that pollute the environment and adversely impact biodiversity.

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Environmental chemical pollution threatens biodiversity. However, the complexity of this pollution remains insufficiently recognised by decision-makers - this is what international researchers led by Gabriel Sigmund from the University of Vienna and Ksenia Groh from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) argue in the most recent issue of “Science”. Their letter appears shortly before the international negotiations on the “post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”. These will take place from 21st of June in Nairobi (Kenya).

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Environmental scientists, ecologists, and policy experts argue in a letter published today in Science that the proposed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework – a new international agreement to protect biodiversity – fails to account for the totality of chemical pollutants that threaten the health of ecosystems worldwide.

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A team of U.S. and Chinese scientists mapping oil pollution across the Earth’s oceans has found that more than 90% of chronic oil slicks come from human sources, a much higher proportion than previously estimated. Their research, published in Science, is a major update from previous investigations into marine oil pollution, which estimated that about half came from human sources and half from natural sources.

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Increasing frequency and size of wildfires in the United States over the past several decades affect everything from human life and health to air quality, biodiversity, and land use.

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A full day of dialogue and scientific presentations by national experts concerning problems and solutions associated with wastewater, nitrogen pollution, PFAS forever chemicals, treatment of drinking water, next generation clean water technologies and other topics will take place during the Clean Water Symposium.

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Farming practices reducing nitrate load in Mississippi River Basin

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Air pollution kills approximately 7 million people every year worldwide.

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For the first time, a University of Washington led team has uncovered that people living in China who have a higher socioeconomic status are actually more exposed to outdoor air pollution, also known as ambient air pollution. This finding runs contrary to existing studies conducted throughout North America, which have shown that higher pollution levels tend to be experienced among people with lower socioeconomic status.

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To prevent the worst outcomes from climate change, the U.S. will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in the next eight years. Scientists from around the nation have developed a blueprint for success.

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A new analysis by researchers at Masaryk University, the University of Toronto, and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has found most countries are not on track to remove their stocks of highly hazardous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by the 2028 deadline set forth in the Stockholm Convention, the global chemicals management treaty.