Oceans

New Research Confirms ‘Catastrophic’ Climate Threat: Global Sea Levels Could Rise 174 Feet From Melting East Antarctic Ice Sheet

New Research Confirms ‘Catastrophic’ Climate Threat: Global Sea Levels Could Rise 174 Feet From Melting East Antarctic Ice Sheet

By Tim Radford New research has confirmed one of the worst nightmares of climate science: the instability of the East Antarctic ice sheet. This vast mass holds enough water to raise sea levels by 53 meters (approximately 174 feet) worldwide. And researchers have confirmed that one stretch of the southern polar coastline has melted many […]

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    World’s Plastic Nightmare May Never End as China’s Demand Set to Soar

    World’s Plastic Nightmare May Never End as China’s Demand Set to Soar

    First, the good news. On Wednesday, more than 200 countries signed a United Nations resolution to eliminate plastic pollution in our oceans. Now the bad news. China will stop accepting imports of plastic trash from other countries as of Jan. 1. That might sound like a good move for the world’s top ocean plastic polluter. […]

    David Attenborough Urges World to Cut Plastics to Save Our Oceans

    David Attenborough Urges World to Cut Plastics to Save Our Oceans

    David Attenborough is urging the world to cut plastic waste to help save our oceans. The revered British naturalist demonstrates how the ubiquitous material harms marine life in his new BBC series, Blue Planet II, a sequel to the 2001 documentary “The Blue Planet.” One scene even shows an albatross accidentally feeding its young a […]

    Plastic Trash Found in Ocean Animals Living 7 Miles Deep

    Plastic Trash Found in Ocean Animals Living 7 Miles Deep

    Plastic trash can really be found on all corners of the Earth—even in the stomachs of deep-sea organisms, according to a new study from Newcastle University in England. Led by Dr. Alan Jamieson, the researchers found microfibers in crustaceans from six of the deepest places on the planet, the Mariana, Japan, Izu-Bonin, Peru-Chile, New Hebrides […]

    Sharks: Last on Trump’s List, First on His Plate

    Sharks: Last on Trump’s List, First on His Plate

    On his trip to Asia, President Trump ate shark fin soup in Vietnam. While this meal is considered a status symbol, delicacy and a sign of wealth in Asian culture (it can sell for over $100 a serving in restaurants), the continued consumption of shark fin soup has a devastating effect on shark populations around […]

    20 Facts About Our Plastic-Packed Planet and 9 Ways to Help

    20 Facts About Our Plastic-Packed Planet and 9 Ways to Help

    Plastic is moldable, durable, and its versatility means it’s everywhere and in everything from computers to medical devices. Its benefits are impossible to deny, but our relationship to this marvelous material is ultimately an unhealthy one. We undervalue and overuse plastic and in turn overdispose of it. Our plastic addiction has created a dilemma that […]

    Congress: Biggest Attack on Marine Mammals in Decades

    Congress: Biggest Attack on Marine Mammals in Decades

    By Michael Jasny On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee passed a bill, called the “SECURE American Energy Act” (H.R. 4239), that can only be described as an oil industry wish-list. The bill’s purpose is to mow down environmental concerns that stand in the way of the complete exploitation of fossil fuels in this country. […]