Browsing: Environmental News

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhat Binsar Pandjaitan, has announced up to one billion dollars will be pledged to reduce Indonesia’s plastic waste by seventy per cent over the next eight years. The announcement was made at the 2017 World Oceans Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali. Luhat confirmed that Indonesia will be focussing on plastic alternatives and education initiatives to achieve their goal. Their plan is part of the global UN Clean Seas campaign to reduce major marine waste sources by 2022.

For several years, Mark Milburn and his team of volunteer divers have been collecting rubbish from underwater, around Falmouth. This year they are teaming up with Fathoms Free, Falmouth Bay Residents Association and Falmouth Town Council, to complete underwater, beach and street litter picks, around Falmouth and it’s beaches.

For several years, Mark Milburn and his team of volunteer divers have been collecting rubbish…

We recently highlighted the faulty logic of a pseudoscientific argument against addressing climate change: the proposition that because CO2 is necessary for plants, increasing emissions is good for the planet and the life it supports. Those who read, write or talk regularly about climate change and ecology are familiar with other anti-environmental arguments not coated with a scientific sheen.

We recently highlighted the faulty logic of a pseudoscientific argument against addressing climate change: the…

So far, 2017 has been a remarkable year for the Southern Cross Club in Little Cayman. First, the online travel site TripAdvisor.com named the resort to its top 25 in the Caribbean in two categories based on customer reviews: Best Hotel for Service and Best for Romance. Adding to the awards, administrations manager Neil van Niekerk was named an “Emerging Hero in Tourism” by the Cayman Islands government, and resort owner Peter Hillenbrand was recognized for his “Long Service to Cayman Tourism.”

The warmer temperatures experienced in the Arctic as climate change progresses lead to a greater release of methane when the permafrost melts. But methane is also being released when ice in thousands of lakes in the north melts in the spring and frozen methane bubbles are released.

The warmer temperatures experienced in the Arctic as climate change progresses lead to a greater…

World Water Day is a constant that always is celebrated on March 22. The changeable factor is the theme. This year’s theme asks “Why waste water?” It’s about reducing our use of water and reusing wastewater. The thrust is to cut in half the amount of untreated wastewater and increase water recycling where it can be used safely.

World Water Day is a constant that always is celebrated on March 22. The changeable…

I am a surfer……and I love sharks.

For many these two passions would seem controversial and at odds, but as a shark conservationist and a surfer; for me these two things are inseparable.

I am a surfer……and I love sharks. For many these two passions would seem controversial…

In 2011, I travelled with my family down Yukon’s Hart River. It’s one of seven pure rivers in the Peel River watershed, a 68,000-square-kilometre wilderness that’s been at the centre of a legal dispute for many years and a land-use planning debate for more than a decade. For two weeks, we fished from the river’s vibrant green waters and gazed at the limestone and dolostone peaks of the Ogilvie Mountains.

In 2011, I travelled with my family down Yukon’s Hart River. It’s one of seven…

Apparently, fossil fuel companies protect watersheds and rivers by removing oil. That’s according to comments on the David Suzuki Foundation Facebook page and elsewhere, including this: “The amount of contamination occuring [sic] from extraction is far less than if we just left the oil there to continue polluting the waterways.”

Apparently, fossil fuel companies protect watersheds and rivers by removing oil. That’s according to comments…

A private member’s bill that would ban the importation of shark fins to Canada is being presented again by Coquitlam British Columbia MP Fin Donnelly. Private member’s bills are rarely adopted but advocates for the legislation are encouraged by the fact that an attempt in 2013 failed passing second reading by just five votes. Donnelly is an advocate for oceans.

A private member’s bill that would ban the importation of shark fins to Canada is…

We all know just how important the ocean is and how vital is that we help to support and maintain it as a resource and eco system but some individuals spend time and energy taking that to the next level to promote it locally and to instigate action. We meet Jim Cutting, a Portsmouth resident who has a passion for the environment and for its protection.

We all know just how important the ocean is and how vital is that we…

The battle lines are drawn — in some cases literally. On one side are those reaping massive profits from fossil fuels, determined to extract and sell as much as possible before the market dries up. On the other are those who see the amazing potential of energy conservation, renewable energy and other innovations to reduce pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem destruction and exploitation of valuable non-renewable resources.

The battle lines are drawn — in some cases literally. On one side are those…

This World Wildlife Day, March 3, Project AWARE®, WWF and The Manta Trust are pleased…

Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario has had to boil water since 1995. “We’re over 20 years already where our people haven’t been able to get the water they need to drink from their taps or to bathe themselves without getting any rashes,” Neskantaga Chief Wayne Moonias told CBC News in 2015. Their water issues have yet to be resolved.

Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario has had to boil water since 1995. “We’re over 20…

Seeing terms like “post-truth” and “alternative facts” gain traction in the news convinces me that politicians, media workers and readers could benefit from a refresher course in how science helps us understand the world. Reporting on science is difficult at the best of times. Trying to communicate complex ideas and distil entire studies into eye-catching headlines and brief stories can open the door to misinformation and limited understanding.

Seeing terms like “post-truth” and “alternative facts” gain traction in the news convinces me that…

In the 1990s, the David Suzuki Foundation embarked on a program to develop community economic…

Documentary about Tanjung Luar Fish Market, East Lombok, Indonesia The Problem Sharks are a vital…

Since the 1950s, almost everything about work in the developed world has changed dramatically. Rapid technological advances continue to render many jobs obsolete. Globalization has shifted employment to parts of the world with the lowest costs and standards. Most households have gone from one income-earner to at least two. Women have fully integrated into the workforce, albeit often with less-than-equal opportunities, conditions and pay. A lot of our work is unnecessary and often destructive — depleting resources, destroying ecosystems, polluting air, water and soil, and fuelling climate change.

Since the 1950s, almost everything about work in the developed world has changed dramatically. Rapid…

Three years ago, a group of City of Moncton staffers boarded a plane, bound for Winnipeg. They were on a fact-finding mission to discover if Moncton, N.B. could evolve from building traditional bathtub-like stormwater retention ponds to incorporating naturalized retention basins in neighbourhoods instead.

Moncton heads in the “right direction” as they adopt guidelines that embrace natural infrastructure. Three…

Aquariums have become a normal part of society, in that most of us have visited one at some point or other. The question is do they work as a good educational tool for the ocean and its creatures and do they encourage conservation? What do people take away from a visit and are aquarium’s a positive experience? Here in the UK they are a way for us all to engage with a range of tropical creatures that we might otherwise not be exposed too but does that encourage a more positive and active drive to care for them in the natural World?

Aquariums have become a normal part of society, in that most of us have visited…

For decades, scientists have warned that we’re on a dangerous path. It stems from our delusion that endless growth in population, consumption and the economy is possible and is the very purpose of society. But endless growth is not feasible in a finite biosphere. Growth is not an end but a means.

For decades, scientists have warned that we’re on a dangerous path. It stems from our…

Apart from my editing duties, I also work with young people in schools and decided to try and collaborate the two things I love the most. Overnight my ‘Scuba in Schools’ project was born. An enriching program/activity for young people to get involved in. Something new and different as part of the school day to help create the next generation of young divers.

Good news, bad news. I have both. Bad news first. Our coral reefs are in…

If you fly over a forest and look down, you’ll see every green tree and plant reaching to the heavens to absorb the ultimate energy source: sunlight. What a contrast when you look down on a city or town with its naked roofs, asphalt roads and concrete sidewalks, all ignoring the sun’s beneficence! Research shows we might benefit by thinking more like a forest.

If you fly over a forest and look down, you’ll see every green tree and…

“Like a living window into a continent, the Great Lakes are vibrantly visible from space. A fresh water source for millions, they are the basis of a huge ecosystem and a vital transportation route for the world. Everyone gazing thankfully on their shores needs to be a part of keeping them healthy for centuries to come. The future of the Great Lakes is the future of us all.” CHRIS A. HADFIELD Colonel, Astronaut ret’d.

“Like a living window into a continent, the Great Lakes are vibrantly visible from space.…

The longer we delay addressing environmental problems, the more difficult it will be to resolve them. Although we’ve known about climate change and its potential impacts for a long time, and we’re seeing those impacts worsen daily, our political representatives are still approving and promoting fossil fuel infrastructure as if we had all the time in the world to slow global warming.

David’s Suzuki’s column returns after taking a break for the holiday. The longer we delay…