All articles
-
6 amazing plastic bans from around the world
Good news! Plastic bans across the world have been hitting the headlines lately. From the US to India and Morocco, governing bodies are taking control of the plastic pollution problem, bringing in either complete bans on plastic, or bans on specific forms like polystyrene. By Fiona Nicholls 1. Karnataka, India In March this year, the…
-
VICTORY in the heart of the Amazon!
I had barely had breakfast when I was surprised by some absolutely amazing news: the Brazilian environmental agency – IBAMA – announced it was cancelling the licence for the proposed São Luiz do Tapajós (SLT) megadam in the heart of the Amazon. Once my heart rate returned to normal, I started to call my colleagues and Munduruku…
-
It only takes 1 plastic bag to ruin your whole day.
On a recent trip to the Sunshine coast, my 10 year old son asked if we could go to the Aquarium. I’m not usually a party pooper but my first thought was not excitement but trepidation and then concern for the animals living in the facility. Underwater image of a turtle with plastic on his…
-
Fast fashion: Three tips to reduce your textile waste
Anyone who has recently walked past a clothing store knows: it’s sale time. The temptations are strong: an extra 50 per cent off, prospects of cheap chic, a risk of missing out on bargains. Fast fashion is popular. Hong Kongers love buying clothes and, apparently, throwing them away as well. Last year the region discarded 110,000…
-
Plastic pollution: five easy tips to reduce how much plastic you use
Plastic is ubiquitous. It’s in our clothing, our shoes, our phone, our furniture. We store food in it, we eat and drink from it, we sit on it, we brush our teeth with it. It comes in all colours, shapes and sizes. The reason plastic is ever-present? It’s cheap, it’s convenient, and it lasts. But plastic…
-
Why Pacific Islanders will lead the fight against climate change
Most of us know the story of coal miners and their caged canaries. When my seven-year-old daughter heard it, she was sad that the canaries had to give up their lives to warn the miners to get out. She asked me if miners still use canaries today and I reassured her: ‘No, we have come…
-
The scary things I’ve found as a turtle researcher – Dr Qamar Schuyler
I’ve spent a significant portion of the last 6 years forcing turtle poop through a sieve. Seriously. As a sea turtle researcher focused on understanding the what, why, and where of turtles eating harmful plastics, I’ve had to cut open hundreds of sea turtles stranded dead on beaches in Moreton Bay and the Queensland coast…