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New evidence of particles damaging crops strengthens the case for an international plastics treaty

New and concerning findings from environmental scientists about the impact of microplastics on crops and marine algae add to a growing body of evidence about the disruption caused to living systems by plastic pollution. The results, from a team led by Prof Huan Zhong at Nanjing University, China, are not definitive and require corroboration. But analysis showing that plastics could limit photosynthesis (the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy) must be taken seriously. If the researchers are correct, and staple crops are being reduced by about 12%, there are huge implications for global agriculture and food supplies. This could inject new urgency into efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

There is no single route by which microplastic particles inhibit plants from growing. The overall effect is attributed to a combination of blocked sunlight and nutrients, and damage to soil and cells. This can lead to reduced levels of chlorophyll – the pigment enabling photosynthesis. When the researchers modelled the crop losses caused by an effect of this size, they found Asia was hardest hit, potentially contributing to food insecurity and worsening hunger.

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A California-based carbon offsetting platform has investment $1 million into a Santa Rosa-headquartered biochar firm, it announced Friday.

Coalition MP says wind and solar can't power Gladstone's huge smelters and refineries. The smelter owner disagrees, and thousands of local jobs will be saved.

The post The Coalition MP who tried to stop the solar farm that will help save thousands of local jobs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The US EPA released Friday an editorial from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that explored the legal basis of the agency's formal reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding announced earlier this week, ahead of expected lawsuits.

Compliance entities reduced net length across North American carbon markets around first quarter allowance auctions, while investors added Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LFS) length after prospects of a Q1 2025 implementation of programme updates fuelled optimism, latest figures from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed Friday.

For all its anti-climate rhetoric, the US government does value the diversification and supply security benefits of clean energy, and views most Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) credits as a way to kickstart an industry, according to the CEO of a Danish fuel producer.

Gulls are known for being ravenous – check out a selection of things they like

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Co-leader says deprioritisation of net zero is ‘extremely dangerous’ as he rejects ‘nimby-in-chief’ characterisation

Labour’s push for economic growth at the expense of climate and nature is “extremely dangerous”, the co-leader of the Green party has said.

Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, was one of the five Green MPs elected to parliament last July in their best ever result. He said and his colleagues knew they would be holding Labour to account, but did not expect to be as disappointed as they have been.

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A representative from the US-based tech giant said that direct air capture (DAC) plays a “special role” within its diversified carbon removals (CDR) portfolio during a discussion at CERAWeek.

The pair are due to begin their long delayed journey back to Earth two days after the new crew arrive.

Birdwatchers’ thrill of seeing birds up close that usually spend their lives at sea is tempered by sadness and pity at the extent of injuries

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Most people in Brisbane were battening down the hatches ahead of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. For a few, though, it was one of the most exciting natural events of their lives.

Over the course of the weekend and into Monday, throngs of birdwatchers lined the shores of Bramble Bay in the bayside suburbs of Shorncliffe, Sandgate and Redcliffe, telescopes and cameras at the ready.

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Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where ‘slaughter of wombats’ is permitted

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A US hunting influencer who caused outrage in Australia after grabbing a baby wombat from its mother says she is sorry for the incident but was only trying to ensure its safety by removing it from a road.

Sam Jones left the country on Friday morning after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said immigration authorities were checking if she had breached the conditions of her visa.

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A US environmental group is gearing up for a legal fight against the US EPA’s rollback of a slate of regulations that reversed the core foundation of the nation’s environmental policy.

Liberal leader Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister on Friday and ushered Steven Guilbeault, former environment minister, into a new post in his cabinet.

A new report published Thursday outlined the potential for biofuels derived from biomass to significantly contribute to the international maritime industry's decarbonisation efforts.

A new online hub could offer a “transparent view” of project, supply and market developments in Canada’s CO2 removal (CDR) sector – offering a critical touch point to industry.

Carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) are expected to continue to grow across the globe and play a prominent role in trade relations in the coming years, experts said at the CERAWeek conference.

Total greenhouse gas emissions in Germany dropped again in 2024, putting the country roughly on track for 2030, but continued high transport and heating emissions are putting the country's 2045 climate neutrality target in jeopardy, the German Environment Agency (UBA) reported on Friday.

Countries with greater involvement in UN-backed REDD+ carbon projects are more likely to see lower rates of primary forest loss, new data analysis from Carbon Pulse suggests.

The European Union’s land carbon sink has been in rapid decline, jeopardising the bloc's climate targets for 2030 and beyond, finds a new report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).