Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Efforts by the plastics industry to thwart regulation come from a familiar playbook As the public wake up to the risk of “forever chemicals”, or PFAS, the industry is fighting back with a campaign researchers have compared with big tobacco’s battle against restrictions on smoking. New findings about its intense lobbying efforts are highly concerning and require a response from the environment secretary, Steve Reed. A recent consultation by the European Chemicals Agency, regarding proposals for comprehensive regulation of the substances, which take an enormous length of time to degrade, was inundated with responses from business. Varieties of these chemicals have been used in manufacturing and consumer goods since the 1950s. They protect equipment, remove grease and smooth skin – hence their appearance in kitchenware and cosmetics. But they can also leak into soil and water, and accumulate inside human tissues. Some have been linked to health problems including cancer and high cholesterol. Continue reading...

Using 22 years of LEMIS data, a recent study explores the dimensions of wildlife trade and obtain one of the most comprehensive overviews to date. The study reveals striking findings: between 2000 and 2022, the US traded almost 30,000 wild species and over 2.85 billion individuals, with over 50% of individuals from most taxa sourced directly from the wild. These findings are significant as the impact of trade on most of these species has never been assessed.

Alex Margo Arden says ‘symbolic damage’ helped force public conversation about climate crisis Protesters who targeted paintings to raise awareness of the climate crisis were using an “effective” tactic also used by the Suffragettes, according to an artist whose new show focuses on recent attacks on high-profile artworks. Alex Margo Arden, whose exhibition, Safety Curtain, opens this week at Auto Italia in east London, said the “symbolic damage” caused to the images, which were protected by glass, helped force a public conversation about the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Campaigners say pollution levels in street in Herne Hill were far higher when private schools were open Parents driving children to private schools is associated with a 27% increase in air pollution and congestion in a south London street, according to campaigners who are calling for private schools to make greater use of sustainable transport. The analysis by Solve the School Run found that nitrogen dioxide levels and fine particulates produced by vehicles in the street in Herne Hill were far higher when nearby private schools such as Dulwich college were open, compared with when only local state schools were open. Continue reading...