Oceans

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    White House Budget Would Slash Funding for NOAA Climate Research

    White House Budget Would Slash Funding for NOAA Climate Research

    The Trump administration plans to eliminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s research arm, close climate and weather labs and slash the budgets of several NOAA offices, internal documents said. If Congress approves the plan, funding for NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) office would be drastically reduced from $485 million to $171 million, […]

    ‘Landmark’ Global Shipping Agreement Reached After Nearly 10 Years of Talks

    ‘Landmark’ Global Shipping Agreement Reached After Nearly 10 Years of Talks

    After nearly a decade of negotiations, nations have come to a “landmark” global shipping agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new International Maritime Organization (IMO) Framework introduced a carbon pricing mechanism that will require ships with high emissions to pay for the excess pollution they release, reported UN News. It also sets mandatory fuel […]

    Global Plastic Recycling Rate ‘Stagnant’ at 9%: Study

    Global Plastic Recycling Rate ‘Stagnant’ at 9%: Study

    New research has found that the amount of plastic waste being recycled globally has remained “stagnant” at nine percent, with most new plastic continuing to be made from fossil fuels. The plastic recycling rate in the United States is even lower at just five percent. “Plastics are one of the most ubiquitous materials [on] our […]

    ‘Waste Wars’: A Conflict With No End in Sight

    ‘Waste Wars’: A Conflict With No End in Sight

    In 2018, China made global headlines when it banned the importation of foreign plastic and electronic waste. This fleeting news item exposed one of the dirty secrets of the Western world’s trash – that much of our garbage is, in reality, shipped elsewhere, many times under the shield of “recycling,” a little-known fact until China’s […]

    Atlantic to See ‘Above-Average’ Hurricane Season, Colorado State University Researchers Predict

    Atlantic to See ‘Above-Average’ Hurricane Season, Colorado State University Researchers Predict

    Colorado State University (CSU) researchers are predicting an “above-average” Atlantic hurricane season this year, with a likelihood of more frequent storms, including nine hurricanes and 17 named storms. The Tropical Cyclones, Radar, Atmospheric Modeling, and Software (TC-RAMS) Team within the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU cited warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the […]

    New Scorecard Ranks Food Packaging Options by Sustainability

    New Scorecard Ranks Food Packaging Options by Sustainability

    A newly launched guide, called the UP Scorecard, helps consumers and companies identify more sustainable packaging options.  The scorecard tool ranks food packaging based on six main sustainability factors, including water use required for manufacturing, recoverability, chemicals used in manufacturing, plastic pollution, sourcing and climate impacts. “With the launch of the UP Scorecard, businesses and […]