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Water Pollution Effect on Humans (10 Problems and How The Affect Us). (

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Water Pollution Effect on Humans (10 Problems and How The Affect Us). (

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Something related to how Water Pollution affects humans.

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Heres a Britannica article about Deforestation
-Colin

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deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues in global land use. Estimates of deforestation traditionally are based on the area of forest cleared for human use, including removal of the trees for wood products and for croplands and grazing lands. In the practice of clear-cutting, all the trees are removed from the land, which completely destroys the forest. In some cases, however, even partial logging and accidental fires thin out the trees enough to change the forest structure dramatically.

History

Conversion of forests to land used for other purposes has a long history. Earth's croplands, which cover about 49 million square km (18.9 million square miles), are mostly deforested land. Most present-day croplands receive enough rain and are warm enough to have once supported forests of one kind or another. Only about 1 million square km (390,000 square miles) of cropland are in areas that would have been cool boreal forests, as in Scandinavia and northern Canada. Much of the remainder was once moist subtropical or tropical forest or, in eastern North America, western Europe, and eastern China, temperate forest.

The extent to which forests have become Earth's grazing lands is much more difficult to assess. Cattle or sheep pastures in North America or Europe are easy to identify, and they support large numbers of animals. At least 2 million square km (772,204 square miles) of such forests have been cleared for grazing lands. Less certain are the humid tropical forests and some drier tropical woodlands that have been cleared for grazing. These often support only very low numbers of domestic grazing animals, but they may still be considered grazing lands by national authorities. Almost half the world is made up of " drylands"-areas too dry to support large numbers of trees-and most are considered grazing lands. There, goats, sheep, and cattle may harm what few trees are able to grow.

Although most of the areas cleared for crops and grazing represent permanent and continuing deforestation, deforestation can be transient. About half of eastern North America lay deforested in the 1870s, almost all of it having been deforested at least once since European colonization in the early 1600s. Since the 1870s the region's forest cover has increased, though most of the trees are relatively young. Few places exist in eastern North America that retain stands of uncut old-growth forests.

Modern deforestation

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the annual rate of deforestation is about 1.3 million square km per decade, though the rate has slowed in some places in the early 21st century as a result of enhanced forest management practices and the establishment of nature preserves. The greatest deforestation is occurring in the tropics, where a wide variety of forests exists. They range from rainforests that are hot and wet year-round to forests that are merely humid and moist, to those in which trees in varying proportions lose their leaves in the dry season, and to dry open woodlands. Because boundaries between these categories are inevitably arbitrary, estimates differ regarding how much deforestation has occurred in the tropics.

A major contributor to tropical deforestation is the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, or swidden agriculture ( see also shifting agriculture). Small-scale farmers clear forests by burning them and then grow crops in the soils fertilized by the ashes. Typically, the land produces for only a few years and then must be abandoned and new patches of forest burned. Fire is also commonly used to clear forests in Southeast Asia, tropical Africa, and the Americas for permanent oil palm plantations.

Additional human activities that contribute to tropical deforestation include commercial logging and land clearing for cattle ranches and plantations of rubber trees, oil palm, and other economically valuable trees.

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest remaining block of humid tropical forest, and about two-thirds of it is in Brazil. (The rest lies along that country's borders to the west and to the north.) Studies in the Amazon reveal that about 5,000 square km (1,931 square miles) are at least partially logged each year. In addition, each year fires burn an area about half as large as the areas that are cleared. Even when the forest is not entirely cleared, what remains is often a patchwork of forests and fields or, in the event of more intensive deforestation, "islands" of forest surrounded by a "sea" of deforested areas.

The commercial palm oil industry rapidly expanded in the late 20th century and led to the deforestation of significant swaths of Indonesia and Malaysia as well as large areas in Africa. New plantations are often formed using slash-and-burn agricultural methods, and the resulting fragmentation of natural forests and loss of habitat threatens native plants and animals. Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are especially iconic species threatened by the expansion of oil palm farming in Indonesia.

Deforested lands are being replanted in some areas. Some of this replanting is done to replenish logging areas for future exploitation, and some replanting is done as a form of ecological restoration, with the reforested areas made into protected land. Additionally, significant areas are planted as monotypic plantations for lumber or paper production. These are often plantations of eucalyptus or fast-growing pines -and almost always of species that are not native to the places where they are planted. The FAO estimates that there are approximately 1.3 million square km (500,000 square miles) of such plantations on Earth.

Many replanting and reforestation efforts are led and funded by the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations. However, some national governments have also undertaken ambitious replanting projects. For example, starting in 2017, the government of New Zealand sought to plant more than 100 million trees per year within its borders, but perhaps the most ambitious replanting project took place in India on a single day in 2017, when citizens planted some 66 million trees.

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Deforestation | Definition, History, Consequences, & Facts

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Deforestation, clearing or thinning of forests by humans to make the land available for other uses. Deforestation is a major driver of terrestrial habitat loss and habitat fragmentation and contributes to global warming. Learn about historical and modern deforestation and its effects.

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A website made by the European Commissions, a trustworthy website about climate change

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A modelling exercise for a 1.5°C global warming scenario shows that energy trade shrinks to account for 13% of global energy demand in 2050, and energy production goes local as renewables increase to reach 75% share of energy supply.

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A modelling exercise for a 1.5°C global warming scenario shows that energy trade shrinks to account for 13% of global energy demand in 2050, and energy production goes local as renewables increase to reach 75% share of energy supply.

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This website tells you the kind of plastics that are biodegradable.

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Biodegradable plastics can be biobased or fossil fuel based. New types of plastics have been produced in recent years to address the plastic pollution problem, by trying to shorten the time needed to degrade them, especially in natural conditions. However, not all the current biodegradable plastics have achieved this aim.

Definition of Biodegradable Plastics

Biodegradable plastics are those that can be degraded by microbial action to produce natural end products, like water and carbon dioxide, in a reasonable period of time. The time needed to decompose completely depends on the material, environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture, and location of decomposition according to Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI pg. 2).

Compostable plastics are those that biodegrade rapidly and turn into humus that is not contaminated by metals. Not all biodegradable plastics are compostable; only some are.

Materials must meet ASTM Specifications D6400 or D6868 to be called biodegradable and compostable on land, and meet ASTM D7081 specifications for marine environments. ASTM is a worldwide product standards group.

Biobased Polyster Plastics That Biodegrade

Plastics that are derived from plants are called biobased plastics. Not all of these are biodegradable; for example there are biobased pet bottles made to be durable. The biobased plastics that biodegrade are made of two materials: biomass and polysters derived from plants. There are two kinds of biobased polysters: polylactide acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)

PHA is produced naturally by bacteria and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) plants, but there are plans to try production from food waste. Polyhydroxybutyrate or PHB is also a kind of PHA that is widely used. PHAs are expensive to make as only limited quantities can be produced from bacteria.

Uses: PHAs are used as food wraps, cups, plates, coating for paper and cardboard, and 'many medical uses, including sutures, gauzes, and coatings for medicines' according to a report by the Centre for Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC report). It can replace most of the major fossil fuel based plastic types currently used, such as PE, PS, PVC, and PET points out Bio Based Press.

PHA-blended starch/cellulose plastics: Some plastic items are made entirely of PHA, as in case of water bottles notes Bio Based Press. However, since production of PHA is expensive, it is also blended with starch and cellulose to make it more economical. This has the added advantage of improving the rate of decomposition according to the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science (DUJS).

Biodegradation: It can be completely compostable in environments that are rich in microbes and fungi, especially soil. These microbes breakdown the PHA with the help of enzymes. The time necessary to degrade depends on the concentration of microbes in the environment.

PHA takes two months to decompose in backyards, according to Bio Based Press.

The rate of decomposition is much slower in marine waters where less than 50% is broken down after six months adds CalRecycle (pg. 6). PHA passed the ASTM D7081 test by showing 30% decomposition in six months (pg. 7).

Polylactide Acid (PLA)

The DUJS explains that PLA is a thermoplastic made through fermentation by bacteria. PLA are actually a long chain of many lactic acid molecules. Since there are many inexpensive means of producing lactic acid, these have only to be polymerized or joined. Therefore, PLA is less expensive than PHA. However, PLA is brittle and its application is more restricted than PHA. Manufacturers get around this problem by including additives or polymers.

Uses: It is made into grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, cups, and plates. Since it decomposes well in the presence of acids, it is used in some medical applications like medical sutures and plates, where it dissolves after 90 days notes the CIEC report. It is also used in 3-D printing of objects.

PLA and polymer blends: PHA can also be blended with polymers from renewable sources to improve its qualities according to DUJS.

Biodegradation: PLA cannot be composted easily in the backyard because temperature and water levels needed are not available in this environment.

PLA can take six-12 months to degrade in soil.

PLA takes one-six months to degrade in commercial facilities, notes World Centric.

When decomposition happens in the presence of oxygen, the end products are carbon dioxide and water.

If PLA degradation occurs in landfills without oxygen, it produces methane gas that is 20 times more detrimental to the environment than carbon dioxide points outan American Chemical Society release (pg. 2).

PLA did not pass the ASTM D7081 test as only 3% decomposed in marine waters after six months according to CalRecycle (pg. 7).

Since PLA does not decompose quickly in soil or seawater, this can become a problem when littered.

Biomass Based Biodegradable Plastics

Biomass based plastics are made of starch and cellulose obtained from crop residues as well as wood from trees.

Cellulose Acetate

Cellulose acetate (CA) is a synthetic product that is derived from cellulose that is found in each part of a plant. Cellulose is currently used from cotton, wood, and crop waste according to a 2015 scientific publication. This can be used to form molded solid plastics, cigarette filters, coatings, photographic-films and filters. Cellophane is a biodegradable film produced from cellulose. There is ongoing new research to find new plastic films from waste crop and wood material that are water resistant and biodegradable according to Phys.

Biodegradability: Research shows that CA degrades and is reduced by 70% of its weight after 18 months in nature.

Starch

A 2017 review notes starch is treated with heat, water, and plasticiers to produce a thermoplastic. To improve its strength, it is combined with fillers made of other materials. The main sources of starch are maize, wheat, potato, and cassava. This plastic is used in packaging, bags, and agricultural mulch films, tableware, flower pots, and molded to make packaging and consumer goods. It is seen as an alternative for polystyrene (PS) according to Food Packaging Forum. Starch is added to biobased and conventional plastics to make them more biodegradable notes a 2017 Phys report.

Biodegradability: Starch-based plastics can be compostable or only biodegradable. Compostable variants require 90 days to degrade in industrial facilities, while the biodegradable ones require 100 days for 46% to degrade and up to two years to degrade completely.

Fossil Fuel Based Biodegradable Plastics

According to Bioplastics Guide, there are a few new fossil fuel plastics that can also be biodegradable. The most common ones are Polybutylene succinate (PBS), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Polybutyrate adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH/PVA).

PBAT is a polymer that is produced from fossil fuel derivatives and is used sometimes in combination with starch. Efforts are on to produce this polymer from renewable sources. Bioplastics guide see it as a substitute for LDPE and HDPE. It is used to make garbage bags, wrapping films, disposable packaging and tableware (cups, dishes etc.). It is not only biodegradable but also compostable.

PCL is a synthetic polyster used to make compostable bags, in medical application (sutures and fibers), as surface coatings, adhesives for shoes and leather, and stiffeners for shoes and orthopaedic splints. This plastic can be decomposed by yeasts. More than 90% of films, and 40% of foam made of this material can be degraded in 15 days.

PBS is a resin produced from fossil fuels or can also be biobased according to Succinity (pg. 1, 5). It can be combined with other biobased polymers or fibers like jute to improve its quality. PBS is used to make food packaging, service ware, agricultural mulch sheets, plant pots, hygiene products like diapers, and fishing nets.

PVOH is a resin that can be used to make packaging films that can replace LDPE and HDPE. Its other important applications are as coatings and additives for paper and board production according to Food Packaging Forum.

All four fossil fuel based plastics biodegrade in three months in industrial composting, in one year in backyard composting and in one to two years in soil/ landfills according to InnProBio (pg. 4).

Recycling and Composting

Properties of the different biodegradable plastics must be kept in mind to treat them at the end of their life-cycle, cautions the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

EPA explains that biodegradable plastics should not be added to bins which recycle conventional plastics as they are made of different materials. This is true for both the biobased and the fossil fuel types.

Even though plastics are marked as biodegradable and compostable, many of them can degrade only in conditions available at commercial composting facilities; contact local recycling agencies for information on the nearest compost plant. There were only 200 such facilities in the U.S. in 2017, so these kinds of centers need to be increased.

Confirm that bags are compostable at home by following product instructions before adding them to the compost bins.

Recovery of material from biodegradable plastics is not possible through recycling, due to lack of facilities.

Efficient segregation, collection, and degradation is necessary to take advantage of the biobased and biodegradable plastics. In its absence, most of the biodegradable plastics end up in landfills.

Future of Biodegradable Plastics

The biodegradable nature of plastics cannot solve the problem of plastic pollution if they are not properly disposed. It is also still necessary for consumer behaviour to stay focused on reducing consumption or recycling plastic to benefit from the change from conventional fossil fuel plastics to biodegradable plastics.

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Types of Biodegradable Plastic | LoveToKnow

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Biodegradable plastics can be biobased or fossil fuel based. New types of plastics have been produced in recent years to address the plastic pollution problem, by trying to shorten the time needed to degrade them, especially in natural conditions. However, not all the current biodegradable plastics have achieved this aim.

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How climate change has caused big problems in Europ

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The meteorologists agree: The long hot spell gripping parts of Europe this past week is uncommon.

People looking for relief from the heat in countries like France, Spain and Italy grappled for just the right name for the phenomenon - and settled on "Lucifer."

The waves of heat sent temperatures soaring to record highs for several days, caused at least two deaths, kindled wildfires and drove tempers through the roof.

In France, people congregated around fountains to bask in the meager sprays, or simply to dive in.

In Romania, the police banned heavy traffic on major roads, and trains slowed to a relative crawl.

Animal rights groups in Serbia 's capital, Belgrade, urged citizens to place bowls of water outside their buildings and in parks for stray dogs.

High temperatures this summer have brought punishing heat to regions in the United States like the Pacific Northwest - where generations had shunned air-conditioning - reaching as high as 104 in Seattle and 107 in Portland, Ore. In parts of Asia, like Pakistan, a blast of scorching weather this year also had people there reaching for comparisons to hell on earth as records fell.

Experts say it's all part of a broader trend: Summers are, indeed, getting hotter. Here is what our correspondents across Europe reported about the heat on the Continent.

Where gum is melting

Sun-kissed Italy has become sun-cursed. With temperatures in recent days regularly rising north of 100 degrees, a nationwide drought leaving rivers and mouths dry and countryside kindling and arsonists combining to ignite the landscape, Italians are, well, boiling.

Farmers are lamenting more than $1 billion in revenue lost to drought and singed fields. Firefighters are busy. Packs of gum are melting in their wrappers.

In Rome, the heat wave has coincided with a meltdown of public services, including public transport. The city's older residents bunch together in the narrow shade of bus stop signs waiting for buses that are late or out of service.

On trams without air-conditioning, women fanned themselves and children, slicked with sweat, across the aisle.

(In Italy, air-conditioning is viewed, even by doctors in offices without air-conditioning, as a malevolent, unnatural force responsible for stiff necks, respiratory ailments and anything else not easily diagnosable. Taxi drivers refuse to turn it on as a public health service.)

In Venice, tourists are cramming with their suitcases onto the city's water buses, their arms squeezed clammily together. Tempers are running as high as the temperatures. On a recent afternoon, a water bus driver instructed a woman to carry her suitcase to the lower deck.

"I can't," the woman, visibly sweating, snapped. "I'm old!"

Italians who can do it have escaped to the seaside, where they have summer houses or apartments or spots in camping ports. The beaches on the western coast of Tuscany are packed with Italians wading up to their knees and splashing their shoulders.

On Sunday afternoon, in Castiglione della Pescaia, on the coast of Maremma, the manager of a restaurant apologetically explained that the air-conditioning wasn't working because the air was too hot to be conditioned.
JASON HOROWITZ
Trains slow to a crawl

In Romania, two people died from the heat last week - a 45-year-old man working in a field in the northeast part of the country and a 60-year-old man along the Black Sea coast. In Bucharest, the government warned people to stay indoors during the hottest hours.

Trucks and heavy traffic were ordered off the main highways over the weekend. Trains had also been running slower than usual in Romania because of the heat.

But by Sunday, the hottest of the weather had pushed to the south, and only two of Romania's southernmost counties were still under a "red alert" warning for high temperatures.

In southern Serbia, the heat got so bad that some train tracks warped and service had to be suspended.

In Slovenia, which hugs the eastern edge of the Alps, the ski resort of Vogel saw its first "tropical night" on Wednesday, marking the first time at that altitude (1,500 meters, or about 4,920 feet) that overnight temperatures failed to dip below 68 degrees.
RICK LYMAN
The pain in Spain

About half of Spain was placed under an emergency alert over the weekend because of the heat wave, as forecasts predicted temperatures of up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius).

In the southern city of Córdoba, the temperature reached almost 113 degrees on Friday afternoon. However, no major incident was reported, and the continuing high temperatures are slightly milder than that experienced in mid-July in Spain, when the temperature reached a record of almost 117 degrees in Córdoba.
RAPHAEL MINDER
Step away from the alcohol

The public health institute in Serbia's capital offered residents simple instructions for beating the heat:

* Keep wet towels on the windows if you don't have air-conditioning.

* Avoid physical exertion.

* Avoid alcohol.

No relief at nighttime

The heat wave that hit southeastern France throughout the week increased pollution levels. The authorities also issued safety warnings on proper hydration as thousands of incoming and departing vacationers clogged roads across the region.

Corsica was hit especially hard. Nighttime offered no respite to inhabitants of Marignana, a village on the island where the temperature stayed at nearly 87 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday night into Tuesday.

On Wednesday, France's national electricity provider announced that energy consumption on the island had reached a record high the previous night.

The French Riviera was not spared either, especially inland. In Puget-Théniers, a village about 25 miles northwest of Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes Department, the national weather forecaster registered a record high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.

In several areas of the neighboring Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Department, local authorities prohibited irrigating land, watering lawns or filling up swimming pools between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In the port of Marseille, a dozen students were hired by the town hall to check in on the city's older residents by calling them or visiting their homes, a summertime measure that was begun in 2003 after a particularly deadly heat wave.

On Sunday, however, the national weather forecaster lifted its heat-wave warning, as temperatures decrease across the region.
AURELIEN BREEDEN
Burning up, literally

Summer means the start of a dangerous dry season for many parts of Europe. In Portugal, a raging forest fire in June killed scores of people, some of whom were trapped in their cars, and forced many to flee their homes. And last month, fires forced the evacuation of over 20,000 in southern France.

Wildfires revisited parts of France this week, burning for days near the town of Palneca, and torching more than 400 acres of forest.

On Friday morning, a wildfire in the southern Greek island of Kythira, southwest of Athens, led to the evacuation of a village and power cuts.

It was contained but flared again on Saturday as the wind picked up, reports said. No homes have been reported damaged and there are no reports of fatalities.

Temperatures were forecast to reach 108 degrees in parts of mainland Greece over the weekend.

Hail as big as tennis balls

Polish officials have been warning of possible infrastructure failures as the country's electricity demand set a record for a summer morning at 23.82 gigawatts last Tuesday.

At the peak of the heat wave, employers in public administrations in several communes in the east and southeast of Poland ordered their employees to leave work two hours early.

Scorching temperatures also caused dramatic weather breakdowns, including strong storms that brought a whirlwind, as well as hail the size of tennis balls, injuring dozens of people across the country.
JOANNA BERENDT
What heat wave?

Of course, there were some parts of Europe (London, anyone?) that have escaped the blistering heat.

"There is no heat in Germany. It is a cool 68F in Berlin, and even chillier in Munich. Parts of Austria are being flooded, so there is no heat in the German-speaking world. Reports here are that Spain and Portugal are also burning up."
MELISSA EDDY
"No sweltering in Moscow. Been the coldest summer for years. Today was considered 'hot,' but temp only rose to low 70s. Much the same in Baltics, where I was yesterday: Rained solidly."
ANDREW HIGGINS

Opinion Editorial Observer

Around the Mediterranean, the Fire This Time

Opinion Editorial Observer

Around the Mediterranean, the Fire This Time

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Europe Swelters Under a Heat Wave Called 'Lucifer'

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The meteorologists agree: The long hot spell gripping parts of Europe this past week is uncommon. People looking for relief from the heat in countries like France, Spain and Italy grappled for just the right name for the phenomenon - and settled on "Lucifer."

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This website tells you about how much plastic is produced since the 1950s.
(Not sure if very accurate because it was published in 2017.

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More than 9 billion tons of plastic have been made since the 1950s, and the vast majority of it has been thrown in the trash, says a new study.

The paper says it is the first attempt to measure the total amount of plastic produced since the beginning of mass plastic production in the middle of the 20th century.

A team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Georgia, and the Sea Education Association, say that although plastic materials such as Bakelite were in use in the early 20th century, the material's popularity began to rapidly rise after World War II, making it one of the most commonly used man-made materials.

For example, the researchers estimated that the amount of plastic in use now is 30 percent of all the plastic ever produced.

While that has brought its benefits, such as lower-cost materials or capabilities like water resistance, our love of plastic has also produced a lot of trash. About 7 billion tons of it, by their estimate.

And as of 2015, only 9 percent of the plastic waste produced ended up recycled, and another 12 percent was incinerated, the researchers found in their report. The remaining 79 percent has built up in landfills or ended up elsewhere in the environment.

The team published their results in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday.

To make their estimates, the researchers cobbled together datasets on global plastic production, such as global annual pure polymer (resin) production data from 1950 to 2015, published by the Plastics Europe Market Research Group, and global annual plastic fiber production data from 1970 to 2015 published by The Fiber Year and Tecnon OrbiChem.

Disposal data came from sources such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PlasticsEurope, the World Bank, and the China Statistical Yearbook.

All three researchers on this study were part of a team that estimated in 2015 that between 5 million and 13 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. In this new study, the team said plastics are found in every major ocean basin in the world.

"The growth of plastics production in the past 65 years has substantially outpaced any other manufactured material," the paper said. "The same properties that make plastics so versatile in innumerable applications - durability and resistance to degradation - make these materials difficult or impossible for nature to assimilate. Thus, without a well-designed and tailor-made management strategy for end-of-life plastics, humans are conducting a singular uncontrolled experiment on a global scale, in which billions of metric tons of material will accumulate across all major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems on the planet."

They recommend carefully considering the advantages and disadvantages of various strategies for managing plastic, such as reusing or recycling, substituting other materials, or using waste-to-energy or technologies for converting the materials into other substances.
Correction: Some of the researchers are from the Sea Education Association. An earlier version misstated the organization's name.

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The world has made more than 9 billion tons of plastic, says new study

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More than 9 billion tons of plastic have been made since the 1950s, and the vast majority of it has been thrown in the trash, says a new study. The paper says it is the first attempt to measure the total amount of plastic produced since the beginning of mass plastic production in the middle of the 20th century.

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The effects to animals when they eat plastic

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The effects to animals when they eat plastic

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This website tells you what will happen to animals when they eat plastic.

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Animal Friends is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 2001 with the aim to promote animal protection and animal rights as well as veganism, as ethical, ecological and healthy lifestyle.

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This website tells you about how plastic can get into the ocean.

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We know our oceans and coastlines are choking on plastic. We've all seen plastic bottles, food wrappers and plastic bags polluting beaches, and been horrified by the stories of marine creatures like seabirds and whales starving when their stomachs become packed full of plastic.

Scientists have shown that up to 12 million tonnes of plastic is entering our oceans every year - that's a rubbish truck full every minute. Single-use plastic packaging for food and drink is a particularly common part of the problem.

But how does plastic actually get into our oceans?

How does plastic end up in our oceans?
A truckload of plastic is entering our oceans every single minute. But how does it get into the sea? Find out by watching this fascinating video.If we act together - we can hold governments and corporations to account and stop our oceans becoming dumping grounds for plastic. Pledge to end ocean plastics now: http://act.gp/2x4oahV

Posted by Greenpeace UK on Wednesday, August 16, 2017

While about a fifth of marine litter is made up of fishing gear and other materials lost at sea by accident, industrial losses, or illegal dumping, we know that roughly 80% of litter in the seas comes from land.
Our rubbish
The sheer amount of plastic that has been generated in the past 60 years is mind boggling. New research shows that we've produced plastic as heavy as 1 billion elephants since the 1950s. Even more staggering is the amount that has rapidly become waste. Just 9% of this plastic has been recycled. That means the majority of plastic waste has simply been dumped in landfills or burned.

However, when plastic waste is collected and transported to landfill sites, it can be at risk of escaping into the environment. Even when it's in landfills, plastic is at risk of blowing away and ending up in rivers or oceans.

Even more of a risk is plastic litter. That's plastic that either that isn't collected where good waste managements systems are lacking, or plastic that is simply dropped or left behind on streets or in the environment. These plastic items can be carried by wind and rain into our drainage networks or rivers that then flow into the sea. Major rivers around the world carry an estimated 1.15-2.41 million tons of plastic into the sea every year - that's up to 100,000 rubbish trucks.

Holidaymakers visiting beaches and leaving behind their bottles, food packaging and cigarette butts on the sand directly contribute to plastic getting into the ocean. Ironically, the tourism industry that has enabled more people to visit beautiful beaches is suffering as the growing problem of plastic pollution is turning visitors off destinations where the problem is most visible.
Products that go down the drain
Many people were horrified to discover that tiny pieces of plastic known as microbeads have been added to all sorts of personal care and cosmetic products that are washed directly down the drain - from face scrubs to shower gels to toothpaste. As many of these microbeads are too small to be filtered out by wastewater plants, these plastic pieces are remaining in water that may end up flowing into the ocean.

That public outrage at these microbeads polluting our oceans combined with concerted campaigning has led to governments across the world banning products from containing microbeads, including the UK, US and Canada.

But plastic in cotton buds, facewipes or sanitary products that are flushed down the loo, and even plastic fibres in clothing that shed in the washing machines still pose a risk for plastic entering the ocean.
Industrial leakage
Finally, lax standards in industrial processes are responsible for some plastic getting into the environment, either when products containing plastic aren't disposed of properly, or escaping during the production and or transporting of products. For example, thousands of the tiny plastic pellets used to make plastic products, known as nurdles or mermaid's tears, are washed up on UK shorelines every year, polluting nearly three quarters of UK beaches at a count in February this year.

Once plastic is in our oceans, it flows on ocean currents all across the world - so even uninhabited islands in the Pacific and the Arctic are becoming dumping grounds for plastic.

That's why we have to tackle the problem at source. To end ocean plastics we need corporates to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they are selling, to cut down on the plastic that is thrown away in the first place. We also need governments to improve waste management systems and boost the re-use of plastic through initiatives that boost resource efficiency and a circular economy. We need to close the loop on plastic, ensuring it stops escaping into our environment and flowing into the oceans. Marine life simply cannot stomach any more plastic.

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How does plastic end up in the ocean? | Greenpeace UK

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We know our oceans and coastlines are choking on plastic. We've all seen plastic bottles, food wrappers and plastic bags polluting beaches, and been horrified by the stories of marine creatures like seabirds and whales starving when their stomachs become packed full of plastic. Scientists have shown that up to 12 million tonnes of ...

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Hong Kong is committed to building a sustainable future and to ensuring that our future generations can continue to thrive in a clean and green environment. But is it possible to incorporate the concept of sustainability into the building design and its management, hence reducing the environmental impacts to nature and improving our quality of life? The answer is a resounding Sure! This article talks about how to achieve sustainability in buildings, with case studies and examples.

What Are Green Buildings?

Green buildings are not a complicated or technical concept. They are designed, built, renovated, operated, and reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment.

Green Buildings Save Energy

We can save energy through incorporating green building features and the use of energy efficiency technologies and products, thus achieving sustainability.

The use of natural ventilation and lighting can reduce energy consumption for air-conditioning, ventilation and lighting in buildings. Many of the renewable energy sources are free and inexhaustible, offering greener resources and economically viable options.

Since 1998, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has implemented a voluntary Hong Kong Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme for Buildings to promote energy efficiency in buildings. In 2005, the Government issued a technical circular setting out the guidelines for all capital works projects and minor works projects on the adoption of energy efficient features and renewable energy technologies in Government Projects and Installations. The Government is working on legislation to make the implementation of building energy codes mandatory.
More on energy efficiency in buildings

Green Buildings Reduce Waste

Installing waste separation facilities such as bins or racks in green buildings together with publicity and promotional activities directed to the occupants of the building can help to recover more materials for recycling and reduce waste requiring disposal.
More on the programme on source separation of domestic waste More on the programme on source separation of commercial and industrial waste

Green Buildings Save Water

Green buildings save water with the following features:

Installation of flow restrictors at water taps.

Installation of optimized timing self-closing taps or sensor taps in public lavatories and washing rooms.

Reduction of water pressure of the plumbing systems to the lowest practical level.

Installation of dual flush cisterns (a choice between "full flush" and "half flush").

Provision of reclaimed water systems for toilet flushing, cleaning and irrigation.

More on tips of saving water More on using reclaimed water

Indoor Air Quality

The quality of indoor air should not be overlooked. It has a significant impact on building occupants since people spend more than 70% of their time indoors. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) safeguards the health of the building occupants and contributes to their comfort and well-being.

Better IAQ can be achieved by two major approaches; providing adequate ventilation and controlling the source of indoor air pollutants such as using low emission furnishing products.
More on achieving better IAQ Pamphlets on improving the IAQ in your buildings

Government's Efforts in Promoting Green Buildings

To premise on the recommendations of the Council for Sustainable Development subsequent to its public engagement exercise, the Government has reviewed the policy of allowing private buildings to increase floor areas to include green and amenity features for enhancing the living environment. It has been decided to tighten the policy including doing away with concessions for certain features, lowering the level of concessions for carparks, balconies, utility platforms and residents' recreational facilities, and imposing an overall cap of 10% for a number of features which still qualify for concessions. Incorporation of sustainable design elements for building separation or enhancement of building permeability, setback and greenery in new buildings, together with provision of environmental and energy consumption information in new buildings are pre-requisites for obtaining concessions. The revised package will strike a proper balance between fulfilling environment performance and comfort requirements of buildings on the one hand, and minimising the impact on the surrounding environment as far as possible on the other. It will also ensure room for creativity in Hong Kong's building designs.

The Considerate Contractor Site Award Scheme and the Green Contractor Award Scheme have been launched to encourage and give recognition to the private sector to practise sustainable design and construction.

To improve the indoor air quality and promote public awareness of the importance of IAQ, the Government has implemented an IAQ Management Programme. One of the core tasks of the Programme is to launch a voluntary IAQ Certification Scheme for Offices and Public Places. Premises have their IAQ meeting the two-level IAQ objectives (Good or Excellent) are awarded with "Good Class" or "Excellent Class" IAQ certificate. IAQ labels are also issued to these premises for posting at prominent locations to make known to the public of such achievement.

Explore Green Buildings in Hong Kong

The Government is building up momentum in developing green buildings. The following are some examples.
Hong Kong Children Hospital
This is the first public children hospital in Hong Kong, specialising in tertiary services and quality care for complex and rare pediatric cases. It consists of two 11-storey towers and a single-storey basement with three bridge linkages connecting both towers in the middle. The building provides a total floor space of around 168,000 square metres with a capacity of total 468 beds for in-patient, day-patient services, as well as research and training facilities.
More on Hong Kong Children Hospital

Sports Centre, Community Hall and District Library in Area 14B, Shatin (Yuen Chau Kok Complex)
The Sports Centre, Community Hall and District Library are built to meet the strong demand for sports facilities, a new venue for organizing community activities, and improved library services and facilities in the district of Shatin. It consists of 4-storey sports centre, 6-storey community hall and district library.
More on Yuen Chau Kok Complex

You can explore more on other green buildings through the following links: More on Community Green Stations More on Central and Western District Promenade - Western Wholesale Food Market Section More on Fire Services Training School at Pak Shing Kok More on The trade and Industry Tower in Kai Tak More on Sing Yin Secondary Secondary (near Choi Wan Road and Jordan Valley, Kwun Tong)

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Hong Kong is committed to building a sustainable future and to ensuring that our future generations can continue to thrive in a clean and green environment. But is it possible to incorporate the concept of sustainability into the building design and its management, hence reducing the environmental impacts to nature and improving our quality of life?

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This website tells you about how wildlife is affected by global warming. (Climate change)

- Vanessa

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Global warming, scientists say, is responsible not only for shrinking ice caps but also for a surge in extreme weather that is causing heat waves, forest fires, and droughts. The polar bear standing on a chunk of shrinking ice, apparently stranded, has become a familiar image, a symbol of the devastating effects of climate change.

This image is somewhat misleading since polar bears are powerful swimmers and climate change will primarily affect them by restricting access to prey. Nevertheless, researchers agree that even small changes in temperature are enough to threaten hundreds of already struggling animals. Up to half of the animal and plant species in the world's most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon and Galapagos, could face extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change, according to a study published in the journal Climate Change.﻿﻿

Habitat Disruption

The key impact of global warming on wildlife is habitat disruption, in which ecosystems-places where animals have spent millions of years adapting-rapidly transform in response to climate change, reducing their ability to fulfill the species' needs. Habitat disruptions are often due to changes in temperature and water availability, which affect the native vegetation and the animals that feed on it.

Affected wildlife populations can sometimes move into new spaces and continue to thrive. But concurrent human population growth means that many land areas that might be suitable for such "refugee wildlife" are fragmented and already cluttered with residential and industrial development. Cities and roads can act as obstacles, preventing plants and animals from moving into alternative habitats.

A report by the Pew Center for Global Climate Change suggests that creating "transitional habitats" or "corridors" could help migrating species by linking natural areas that are otherwise separated by human development.

Shifting Life Cycles

Beyond habitat displacement, many scientists agree that global warming is causing a shift in the timing of various natural cyclical events in the lives of animals. The study of these seasonal events is called phenology. Many birds have altered the timing of long-held migratory and reproductive routines to better sync up with the warming climate. And some hibernating animals are ending their slumbers earlier each year, perhaps due to warmer spring temperatures.

To make matters worse, research contradicts the long-held hypothesis that different species coexisting in a particular ecosystem respond to global warming as a single entity. Instead, different species within the same habitat are responding in dissimilar ways, tearing apart ecological communities millennia in the making.

Effects on Animals Affect People Too

As wildlife species struggle and go their separate ways, humans can also feel the impact. A World Wildlife Fund study found that a northern exodus from the United States to Canada by some types of warblers led to a spread of mountain pine beetles that destroy valuable balsam fir trees. Similarly, a northward migration of caterpillars in the Netherlands has eroded some forests there.

Which Animals Are Hardest Hit by Global Warming?

According to Defenders of Wildlife, some of the wildlife species hardest hit by global warming include caribou (reindeer), arctic foxes, toads, polar bears, penguins, gray wolves, tree swallows, painted turtles, and salmon. The group fears that unless we take decisive steps to reverse global warming, more and more species will join the list of wildlife populations pushed to the brink of extinction.

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Global warming, scientists say, is responsible not only for shrinking ice caps but also for a surge in extreme weather that is causing heat waves, forest fires, and droughts. The polar bear standing on a chunk of shrinking ice, apparently stranded, has become a familiar image, a symbol of the devastating effects of climate change.

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This should lead you to a page made by NASA about climate change

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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The rate of change since the mid-20th century is unprecedented over millennia.

Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 800,000 years, there have been eight cycles of ice ages and warmer periods, with the end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era - and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth's orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.

This graph, based on the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the Industrial Revolution. (Credit: Luthi, D., et al.. 2008; Etheridge, D.M., et al. 2010; Vostok ice core data/J.R. Petit et al.; NOAA Mauna Loa CO2 record.) Find out more about ice cores (external site).

The current warming trend is different because it is clearly the result of human activities since the mid-1800s, and is proceeding at a rate not seen over many recent millennia. It is undeniable that human activities have produced the atmospheric gases that have trapped more of the Sun's energy in the Earth system. This extra energy has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land, and widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere have occurred.

Do scientists agree on climate change?

Yes, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists - 97 percent - agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

detailed answer

Earth-orbiting satellites and new technologies have helped scientists see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate all over the world. These data, collected over many years, reveal the signs and patterns of a changing climate.

Scientists demonstrated the heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases in the mid-19th century. Many of the science instruments NASA uses to study our climate focus on how these gases affect the movement of infrared radiation through the atmosphere. From the measured impacts of increases in these gases, there is no question that increased greenhouse gas levels warm Earth in response.

"Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal."

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Ancient evidence can also be found in tree rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks. This ancient, or paleoclimate, evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age. Carbon dioxide from human activities is increasing about 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last Ice Age.

References

References
Header image shows clouds imitating mountains as the sun sets after midnight as seen from Denali's backcountry Unit 13 on June 14, 2019. Credit: NPS/Emily Mesner

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Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. How do we know it's happening? Here's the evidence.

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( Climate change )

Sophie

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Home - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Current news and data streams about global warming and climate change from NASA.

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This websites tells you about what happens to a fish when it eats plastic. Which might happen to humans when they eat plastic.

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Pollution of our planet's oceans is a serious matter. Floating garbage is a common sight whether you are on the beach or adrift in the midst of the sea. But much of this pollution is actually in the form of small, 'confetti-sized' particles. These small pollution particles are being consumed by fish and eventually travel up the food chain - causing potentially serious consequences for the health of wildlife and humans alike.

A recent study published in Nature, Scientific Reports looked at tiny plastic particles, the kind that fill our oceans, and how they affected fish at the bottom of the food chain. The tiny particles are about the size of commercial fish food, so they are consumed both intentionally and not by the ocean's smallest occupants.

In the study, fish in a lab were split into three groups: a group that received commercial fish food, one that received 90% fish food and 10% clean plastic particles, and another that received 90% fish food and 10% plastic particles that had been floating in San Diego Bay for three months.

After two months on the experimental diet, the fish were analyzed for organic pollutants like PCB's, flame retardants, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, all of which are found in plastic debris.

" We did find that the chemicals do transfer from the plastic to the fish," said lead author Chelea Rochman, "and we saw a greater concentration in the fish that ate the plastic that had been in the ocean than the fish that had eaten the controlled diet or the clean plastic diet."

When these small plastic particles float in the ocean, they attract and even absorb heavy metal contamination and other pollutants. This could explain why those with the dirty plastic food saw the greatest concentration of pollutants. Further, they saw the most internal damage.

Both fish groups that ate plastic saw an increase in glycogen depletion. Generally, glycogen is stored in the liver for energy when we're under stress. Not only did the plastic-eating fish have less glycogen, they had excess fat cells in their livers, an early sign of fatty liver degeneration and disease. Those fed the dirty plastic had the highest levels of fat in their livers.

"We did see an increase in glycogen depletion in our fish fed both the virgin plastic and our fish fed the plastic that had been in the ocean for 3 months," Rochman said.

Also, both plastic-eating groups had tumor development. Those fed clean plastic had cell alteration while those who ate dirty plastic experienced cell death. One fish on the dirty plastic diet was found to have 25% of its liver taken over by a tumor when it was dissected, something the researchers said was incredibly rare.

Why is this all important? Because fish eat plastic in their natural environment. Other marine animals, birds, and mammals eat fish. So too do humans. If these changes are occurring at the ground level, we have to wonder if the damage is being passed on as it moves up through the food chain.

"If things at the bottom of the marine food chain are ingesting this material either the material itself or the chemicals could be magnifying up the food chain and then ending up on our own dinner plate."

Additional Sources:

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Fish Eat Plastic from Polluted Oceans, Travels up Food Chain & Harms Humans

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Pollution of our planet's oceans is a serious matter. Floating garbage is a common sight whether you are on the beach or adrift in the midst of the sea. But much of this pollution is actually in the form of small, 'confetti-sized' particles.

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People are cutting down forests for resources like wood and also to make way for cities and agriculture.

-Colin

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This website explains what y need to know about are pollution and what is air pollution

- Alta

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Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air-pollutants that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , each year, indoor and outdoor air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe. Ninety-nine percent of human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO's guideline limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries suffering the most. In the United States, the Clean Air Act , established in 1970, authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to safeguard public health by regulating the emissions of these harmful air pollutants.

What Causes Air Pollution?

"Most air pollution comes from energy use and production," says , director of the Clean Air team at NRDC. Driving a car on gasoline, heating a home with oil, running a power plant on fracked gas : In each case, a fossil fuel is burned and harmful chemicals and gases are released into the air.

"We've made progress over the last 50 years in improving air quality in the United States, thanks to the Clean Air Act. But climate change will make it harder in the future to meet pollution standards, which are designed to protect health ," says Walke.

Air pollution is now the world's fourth-largest risk factor for early death. According to the 2020 State of Global Air report -which summarizes the latest scientific understanding of air pollution around the world-4.5 million deaths were linked to outdoor air pollution exposures in 2019, and another 2.2 million deaths were caused by indoor air pollution. The world's most populous countries, China and India, continue to bear the highest burdens of disease.

The effects of air pollution on the human body vary, depending on the type of pollutant, the length and level of exposure, and other factors, including a person's individual health risks and the cumulative impacts of multiple pollutants or stressors.

Smog and soot

These are the two most prevalent types of air pollution. Smog (sometimes referred to as ground-level ozone) occurs when emissions from combusting fossil fuels react with sunlight. Soot-a type of particulate matter -is made up of tiny particles of chemicals, soil, smoke, dust, or allergens that are carried in the air. The sources of smog and soot are similar. "Both come from cars and trucks, factories, power plants, incinerators, engines, generally anything that combusts fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, or natural gas," Walke says.

Smog can irritate the eyes and throat and also damage the lungs, especially those of children, senior citizens, and people who work or exercise outdoors. It's even worse for people who have asthma or allergies; these extra pollutants can intensify their symptoms and trigger asthma attacks. The tiniest airborne particles in soot are especially dangerous because they can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream and worsen bronchitis, lead to heart attacks, and even hasten death. In 2020, a report from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that COVID-19 mortality rates were higher in areas with more particulate matter pollution than in areas with even slightly less, showing a correlation between the virus's deadliness and long-term exposure to air pollution.

Hazardous air pollutants

Another category of toxic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are by-products of traffic exhaust and wildfire smoke. In large amounts, they have been linked to eye and lung irritation, blood and liver issues, and even cancer. In one study , the children of mothers exposed to PAHs during pregnancy showed slower brain-processing speeds and more pronounced symptoms of ADHD.

Greenhouse gases

While these climate pollutants don't have the direct or immediate impacts on the human body associated with other air pollutants, like smog or hazardous chemicals, they are still harmful to our health. By trapping the earth's heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to warmer temperatures, which in turn lead to the hallmarks of climate change: rising sea levels, more extreme weather, heat-related deaths, and the increased transmission of infectious diseases. In 2021, carbon dioxide accounted for roughly 79 percent of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions, and methane made up more than 11 percent. "Carbon dioxide comes from combusting fossil fuels, and methane comes from natural and industrial sources, including large amounts that are released during oil and gas drilling," Walke says. "We emit far larger amounts of carbon dioxide, but methane is significantly more potent, so it's also very destructive."

Pollen and mold

Mold and allergens from trees, weeds, and grass are also carried in the air, are exacerbated by climate change, and can be hazardous to health. Though they aren't regulated, they can be considered a form of air pollution. "When homes, schools, or businesses get water damage, mold can grow and produce allergenic airborne pollutants," says Kim Knowlton, professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University and a former NRDC scientist. " Mold exposure can precipitate asthma attacks or an allergic response, and some molds can even produce toxins that would be dangerous for anyone to inhale."

Pollen allergies are worsening because of climate change . "Lab and field studies are showing that pollen-producing plants-especially ragweed-grow larger and produce more pollen when you increase the amount of carbon dioxide that they grow in," Knowlton says. "Climate change also extends the pollen production season, and some studies are beginning to suggest that ragweed pollen itself might be becoming a more potent allergen." If so, more people will suffer runny noses, fevers, itchy eyes, and other symptoms. "And for people with allergies and asthma, pollen peaks can precipitate asthma attacks, which are far more serious and can be life-threatening."

Air Pollution in the United States

More than one in three U.S. residents-120 million people-live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the by the American Lung Association (ALA). Since the annual report was first published, in 2000, its findings have shown how the Clean Air Act has been able to reduce harmful emissions from transportation, power plants, and manufacturing.

Recent findings, however, reflect how climate change-fueled wildfires and extreme heat are adding to the challenges of protecting public health. The latest report-which focuses on ozone, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution-also finds that people of color are 61 percent more likely than white people to live in a county with a failing grade in at least one of those categories, and three times more likely to live in a county that fails in all three.

In rankings for each of the three pollution categories covered by the ALA report, California cities occupy the top three slots (i.e., were highest in pollution), despite progress that the Golden State has made in reducing air pollution emissions in the past half century. At the other end of the spectrum, these cities consistently rank among the country's best for air quality: Burlington, Vermont; Honolulu; and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Air Pollution and Environmental Justice

No one wants to live next door to an incinerator, oil refinery, port, toxic waste dump, or other polluting site. Yet millions of people around the world do, and this puts them at a much higher risk for respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological damage, cancer, and death. In the United States, people of color are 1.5 times more likely than whites to live in areas with poor air quality, according to the ALA.

Historically, racist zoning policies and discriminatory lending practices known as have combined to keep polluting industries and car-choked highways away from white neighborhoods and have turned communities of color-especially low-income and working-class communities of color-into sacrifice zones, where residents are forced to breathe dirty air and suffer the many health problems associated with it. In addition to the increased health risks that come from living in such places, the polluted air can economically harm residents in the form of missed workdays and higher medical costs.

Environmental racism isn't limited to cities and industrial areas. Outdoor laborers, including the estimated three million migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States, are among the most vulnerable to air pollution-and they're also among the least equipped, politically, to pressure employers and lawmakers to affirm their right to breathe clean air.

Recently, cumulative impact mapping , which uses data on environmental conditions and demographics, has been able to show how some communities are overburdened with layers of issues, like high levels of poverty, unemployment, and pollution. Tools like the Environmental Justice Screening Method and the EPA's provide evidence of what many environmental justice communities have been explaining for decades: that we need land use and public health reforms to ensure that vulnerable areas are not overburdened and that the people who need resources the most are receiving them.

Controlling Air Pollution

In the United States, the Clean Air Act has been a crucial tool for reducing air pollution since its passage in 1970, although fossil fuel interests aided by industry-friendly lawmakers have frequently attempted to its many protections. Ensuring that this bedrock environmental law remains intact and properly enforced will always be key to maintaining and improving our air quality.

But the best, most effective way to control air pollution is to speed up our transition to cleaner fuels and industrial processes. By switching over to renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar power), maximizing fuel efficiency in our vehicles, and replacing more and more of our gasoline-powered cars and trucks with electric versions, we'll be limiting air pollution at its source while also curbing the global warming that heightens so many of its worst health impacts.

And what about the economic costs of controlling air pollution? According to a report on the Clean Air Act commissioned by NRDC, the annual benefits of cleaner air are up to 32 times greater than the cost of clean air regulations. Those benefits include up to 370,000 avoided premature deaths, 189,000 fewer hospital admissions for cardiac and respiratory illnesses, and net economic benefits of up to $3.8 trillion for the U.S. economy every year.

How to Help Reduce Air Pollution

"The less gasoline we burn, the better we're doing to reduce air pollution and the harmful effects of climate change," Walke explains. "Make good choices about transportation. When you can, ride a bike, walk, or take public transportation. For driving, choose a car that gets better miles per gallon of gas or buy an electric car ." You can also investigate your power provider options-you may be able to request that your electricity be supplied by wind or solar. Buying your food locally cuts down on the fossil fuels burned in trucking or flying food in from across the world. And most important: "Support leaders who push for clean air and water and responsible steps on climate change," Walke says.

How to Protect Your Health

"When you see in the news or hear on the weather report that pollution levels are high, it may be useful to limit the time when children go outside or you go for a jog," Walke says. Generally, ozone levels tend to be lower in the morning.

If you exercise outside, stay as far as you can from heavily trafficked roads. Then shower and wash your clothes to remove fine particles.

The air may look clear, but that doesn't mean it's pollution free. Utilize tools like the EPA's air pollution monitor, , to get the latest conditions. If the air quality is bad, stay inside with the windows closed.

If you live or work in an area that's prone to wildfires, stay away from the harmful smoke as much as you're able. Consider keeping a small stock of masks to wear when conditions are poor. The most ideal masks for smoke particles will be labelled "NIOSH" (which stands for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and have either "N95" or "P100" printed on it.

If you're using an air conditioner while outdoor pollution conditions are bad, use the recirculating setting to limit the amount of polluted air that gets inside.

This story was originally published on November 1, 2016, and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can't resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can't republish our material wholesale or automatically-you need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should to let us know when you've used one of our stories.

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Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know

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The effects of air pollution wreck havoc on human health and our planet as a whole. Learn about what causes air pollution and how to help reduce the effects.

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This website tells you what causes global warming and what is being affected by it.

- Vanessa

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A: Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 1880-the year that accurate recordkeeping began-and 1980, it rose on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: For the last 40 years, we've seen the global annual temperature rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade.

The result? A planet that has never been hotter. Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since 2005-and the 5 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2015. Climate change deniers have argued that there has been a "pause" or a "slowdown" in rising global temperatures, but numerous studies, including a 2018 paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, have disproved this claim. The impacts of global warming are already harming people around the world.

What causes global warming?

A: Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO ₂) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth's surface. Normally this radiation would escape into space, but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. These heat-trapping pollutants-specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic fluorinated gases-are known as greenhouse gases, and their impact is called the greenhouse effect.

How is global warming linked to extreme weather?

A: Scientists agree that the earth's rising temperatures are fueling longer and hotter heat waves, more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes.

In 2015, for example, scientists concluded that a lengthy drought in California-the state's worst water shortage in 1,200 years-had been intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming. They also said the odds of similar droughts happening in the future had roughly doubled over the past century. And in 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine announced that we can now confidently attribute some extreme weather events, like heat waves, droughts, and heavy precipitation, directly to climate change.

The impacts of global warming are being felt everywhere. Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world in recent years. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica has lost nearly four trillion metric tons of ice since the 1990s. The rate of loss could speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing sea levels to rise several meters in the next 50 to 150 years and wreaking havoc on coastal communities worldwide.

What are the other effects of global warming?

A: Each year scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, and each year we also gain new evidence of its devastating impact on people and the planet. As the heat waves, droughts, and floods associated with climate change become more frequent and more intense, communities suffer and death tolls rise. If we're unable to reduce our emissions, scientists believe that climate change could lead to the deaths of more than 250,000 people around the globe every year and force 100 million people into poverty by 2030.

Global warming is already taking a toll on the United States. And if we aren't able to get a handle on our emissions, here's just a smattering of what we can look forward to:

Disappearing glaciers, early snowmelt, and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages and continue to increase the risk of wildfires in the American West.

Rising sea levels will lead to even more coastal flooding on the Eastern Seaboard, especially in Florida, and in other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico.

Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, and increased flooding. All of these can damage or destroy agriculture and fisheries.

Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.

Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks will become more common due to increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher levels of air pollution, and the spread of conditions favorable to pathogens and mosquitoes.

Though everyone is affected by climate change, not everyone is affected equally. Indigenous people, people of color, and the economically marginalized are typically hit the hardest. Inequities built into our housing, health care, and labor systems make these communities more vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change-even though these same communities have done the least to contribute to it.

Where does the United States stand in terms of global-warming contributors?

A: In recent years, China has taken the lead in global-warming pollution, producing about 26 percent of all CO2 emissions. The United States comes in second. Despite making up just 4 percent of the world's population, our nation produces a sobering 13 percent of all global CO2 emissions-nearly as much as the European Union and India (third and fourth place) combined. And America is still number one, by far, in cumulative emissions over the past 150 years. As a top contributor to global warming, the United States has an obligation to help propel the world to a cleaner, safer, and more equitable future. Our responsibility matters to other countries, and it should matter to us, too.

Is the United States doing anything to prevent global warming?

A: We've started. But in order to avoid the worsening effects of climate change, we need to do a lot more-together with other countries-to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean energy sources.

Despite the lack of cooperation from the Trump administration, local and state governments made great strides during this period through efforts like the American Cities Climate Challenge and ongoing collaborations like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Meanwhile, industry and business leaders have been working with the public sector, creating and adopting new clean-energy technologies and increasing energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, and industrial processes. Today the American automotive industry is finding new ways to produce cars and trucks that are more fuel efficient and is committing itself to putting more and more zero-emission electric vehicles on the road. Developers, cities, and community advocates are coming together to make sure that new affordable housing is built with efficiency in mind, reducing energy consumption and lowering electric and heating bills for residents. And renewable energy continues to surge as the costs associated with its production and distribution keep falling. In 2020 renewable energy sources such as wind and solar provided more electricity than coal for the very first time in U.S. history.

Is global warming too big a problem for me to help tackle?

A: No! While we can't win the fight without large-scale government action at the national level, we also can't do it without the help of individuals who are willing to use their voices, hold government and industry leaders to account, and make changes in their daily habits.

Wondering how you can be a part of the fight against global warming? Reduce your own carbon footprint by taking a few easy steps: Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine and your decisions as a consumer. When you shop for new appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers, look for products with the government's ENERGY STAR ® label; they meet a higher standard for energy efficiency than the minimum federal requirements. When you buy a car, look for one with the highest gas mileage and lowest emissions. You can also reduce your emissions by taking public transportation or carpooling when possible.

And while new federal and state standards are a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done. Voice your support of climate-friendly and climate change preparedness policies, and tell your representatives that equitably transitioning from dirty fossil fuels to clean power should be a top priority-because it's vital to building healthy, more secure communities.

You don't have to go it alone, either. Movements across the country are showing how climate action can build community, be led by those on the front lines of its impacts, and create a future that's equitable and just for all.

This story was originally published on March 11, 2016 and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can't resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can't republish our material wholesale or automatically-you need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should to let us know when you've used one of our stories.

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What is global warming? Global warming causes, effects, extreme weather, facts, and relation to climate change.

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The ocean absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. If we add too much carbon dioxide, it will cause global warming! Look here: https://goo.gl/3xQtB5

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How plastic in the food chain relates to us.

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How plastic in the food chain relates to us.

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This website tells you about what happens when we eat fish that ate plastic.

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Up to 236,000 tonnes of microplastics - tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail - enter our oceans each year. This has researchers around the world worried, as wildlife can be harmed by eating the plastic or by toxins attached to it.

Another concern is that these plastics and toxic chemicals could accumulate in food chains, eventually making their way into animals that eat ocean creatures - such as ourselves.

In two recent studies (one in Marine Biology and the other in Animal Behaviour) we found that microplastics can indeed be passed up the food chain to fish. But we also found some good news: the microplastics appeared to have no effect on their behaviour.

Sweat the small stuff

Microplastics are defined as particles less than 5mm across. A range of animals throughout the marine environment, including corals and zooplankton, consume these particles.

Once in the ocean, persistent toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPAs) and pesticides stick to and accumulate on plastic particles, adding extra layers of contamination.

It is possible that the contaminants on microplastics are absorbed by animals and enter the food chain. If they don't kill the animals, these toxic chemicals may affect the animals' behaviour and hormone levels.

The way an animal behaves in its environment is crucial. Sometimes pollutants don't cause obvious health issues but may alter the way an animal feeds, moves or socialises. Exposure to some chemicals, for example, causes feminisation in males, resulting in reduced breeding activity and ultimately affecting a population's stability.

Even minor changes in behaviour can affect how an animal performs and may have longer-term implications for survival and reproduction. These changes in behaviour can be an early warning that something is going on, like the canary in the coal mine.

Hop to it

We wanted to know whether microplastics pass through the food web. Microplastics accumulate on beaches, so we assessed how coastal animals respond when they ingest microplastics.

We contaminated microplastics by immersing them in Sydney Harbour for two months and then fed them directly to beach hoppers, small jumping crustaceans at the bottom of the coastal food web.

We then fed the plastic-contaminated beach hoppers to gobies - small fish that commonly eat crustaceans like beach hoppers.

The beach hoppers readily ate microplastics as part of their diet. We found that after just three days the microplastics had accumulated in the beach hoppers. After five days microplastics had caused weight gain, a reduction in the hoppers' ability to hop, and in some cases death.

Louise Tossetto et al, Author provided

But the fish, which we fed with contaminated beach hoppers for four weeks, showed no difference in behaviour compared to fish who weren't fed plastic-filled hoppers. This was a surprising result, given that hormones (important drivers of behaviour) are so sensitive to pollutants.

Sink or swim

It is vital we understand how animals that are exposed to microplastics are affected.

Beach hoppers are primary consumers, crucial to decomposing seaweed. They play a key role in cycling nutrients back into the beach. They are also an important food source for birds, insects and fish, which makes the hoppers essential in moving energy up the food chain.

If microplastics harm beach hoppers, then the processes carried out by the hoppers may also be affected. This in turn could mean a change in essential coastal processes.

If beach hoppers can't hop as far or as high, they may not not able to find shelter as quickly, putting them at risk of being eaten or of drying out in the exposed environments of sandy beaches. Fewer beach hoppers could mean less decomposition and nutrient recycling, as well as less food available for animals higher in the food chain.

Gobies are middle-sized predators that live in shallow waters and are important in the connectivity between coastal environments and the deeper ocean. Gobies are themselves eaten by larger fish and sea birds.

We know that fish behaviour can change following exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide and pharmaceuticals, but our study suggests that munching on beach hoppers full of microplastics has little effect.

These results challenge the paradigm that microplastics help contaminants accumulate in the food chain. A recent study suggests that contaminants obtained from the natural environment and prey far outweigh what is absorbed from ingested microplastics, which explains our result.

While this study suggests that microplastics may not be increasing contamination in an obvious manner, there is little doubt about their impact on animals that directly consume them. Perhaps impacts on behaviour will be more apparent with longer exposure times to contaminated food sources than those in our study.

After all, it can't be a good thing that microplastics are so abundant in the oceans that they will leave an undeniable signature in the fossil record.

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How microplastics make their way up the ocean food chain into fish

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Up to 236,000 tonnes of microplastics - tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail - enter our oceans each year. This has researchers around the world worried, as wildlife can be harmed by eating the plastic or by toxins attached to it.

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( climate change )
How it affects us

Sophie

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Human activity is driving climate change, including global temperature rise.

The average temperature of the Earth is rising at nearly twice the rate it was 50 years ago. This rapid warming trend cannot be explained by natural cycles alone, scientists have concluded. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans.

Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in our atmosphere are higher than at any point over the past 800,000 years, and their ability to trap heat is changing our climate in multiple ways.

To come to a scientific conclusion on climate change and what to do about it, the United Nations in 1988 formed a group called the Intergovernmental Panel on

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Human activity is driving climate change, including global temperature rise.

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This website will tell you what is air pollution and how humans are affected.

- Alta

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This website tells you more about the bacteria.
But I am not sure if it can survive in the sea.

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We manufacture over 300 million tonnes of plastics each year for use in everything from packaging to clothing. Their resilience is great when you want a product to last. But once discarded, plastics linger in the environment, littering streets, fields and oceans alike. Every corner of our planet has been blighted by our addiction to plastic. But now we may have some help to clean up the mess in the form of bacteria that have been found slowly munching away on discarded bottles in the sludge of a recycling centre.

Plastics are polymers, long thin molecules made of repeating (monomer) building blocks. These are cross-linked to one another to build a durable, malleable mesh. Most plastics are made from carbon-based monomers, so in theory they are a good source of food for microorganisms.

But unlike natural polymers (such as cellulose in plants) plastics aren't generally biodegradable. Bacteria and fungi co-evolved with natural materials, all the while coming up with new biochemical methods to harness the resources from dead matter.

But plastics have only been around for about 70 years. So microorganisms simply haven't had much time to evolve the necessary biochemical tool kit to latch onto the plastic fibres, break them up into the constituent parts and then utilise the resulting chemicals as a source of energy and carbon that they need to grow.

Enzyme innovation

Now a team at Kyoto University has, by rummaging around in piles of waste, found a plastic munching microbe. After five years of searching through 250 samples, they isolated a bacteria that could live on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), a common plastic used in bottles and clothing. They named the new species of bacteria Ideonella sakaiensis.

You may think this is the rerun of an old story, as plastic-eating microbes have already been touted as saviours of the planet. But there are several important differences here.

First, previous reports were of tricky-to-cultivate fungi, where in this case the microbe is easily grown. The researchers more or less left the PET in a warm jar with the bacterial culture and some other nutrients, and a few weeks later all the plastic was gone.

Second - and the real innovation - is that the team has identified the enzymes that Ideonella sakaiensis uses to breakdown the PET. All living things contain enzymes that they use to speed up necessary chemical reactions. Some enzymes help digest our food, dismantling it into useful building blocks. Without the necessary enzymes the body can't access certain sources of food.

For example, people who are lactose intolerant don't have the enzyme that breaks down the lactose sugar found in dairy produce. And no human can digest cellulose, while some microbes can. Ideonella sakaiensis seems to have evolved an efficient enzyme that the bacteria produces when it is in an environment that is rich in PET.

The Kyoto researchers identified the gene in the bacteria's DNA that is responsible for the PET-digesting enzyme. They then were able to manufacture more of the enzyme and then demonstrate that PET could be broken down with the enzyme alone.

First real recycling

This opens a whole new approach to plastic recycling and decontamination. At present, most plastic bottles are not truly recycled. Instead they are melted and reformed into other hard plastic products. Packaging companies typically prefer freshly made 'virgin' plastics that are created from chemical starting materials that are usually derived from oil.

The PET-digesting enzymes offer a way to truly recycle plastic. They could be added to vats of waste, breaking all the bottles or other plastic items down into into easy-to-handle chemicals. These could then be used to make fresh plastics, producing a true recycling system.

Manufactured enzymes are already used to great effect in a wide range of everyday items. Biological washing powders contain enzymes that digest fatty stains. The enzymes known as rennet that are used to harden cheese once came from calfs' intestines but are now manufactured using genetically engineered bacteria. Maybe we can now use a similar manufacturing method to clean up our mess.
This article was originally published by The Conversation. Read the original article. Mark Lorch, Senior Lecturer in Biological Chemistry, Associate Dean for Engagement, University of Hull.

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Scientists Just Discovered Plastic-Eating Bacteria That Can Break Down PET

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We manufacture over 300 million tonnes of plastics each year for use in everything from packaging to clothing. Their resilience is great when you want a product to last. But once discarded, plastics linger in the environment, littering streets, fields and oceans alike. Every corner of our planet has been blighted by our addiction to plastic.

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This is about how Water Pollution affects humans
-Stefanie

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https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/

This link brings you to an NGO that could tell you a bit about Global Warming. You could click on another page to see what they are doing.

- Daniel

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We're in a climate emergency and the oil, gas, and coal industry is to blame.