Humanity’s impact on the environment has never been more prominent, with a recent government report finding increasingly more severe weather events and less biodiversity. But one environmental issue, recently named by the UN as one of the world’s biggest problems along with climate change, has flown under the radar. TensContinue Reading
For decades, coho salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to the creeks and streams of Puget Sound in Washington state to spawn were dying in large numbers. No one knew why. Scientists working to solve the mystery of the mass deaths noticed they occurred after heavy rains. Toxicologists suspected pesticides,Continue Reading
The first U.N. Ocean Conference in five years ended recently in Lisbon, Portugal, with Secretary-General António Guterres calling for a global commitment by businesses, governments and individuals to do more to preserve and protect the planet’s seas. But why aren’t governments meeting to discuss the agricultural plastic emergency? According to a U.N. Food &Continue Reading
Last month, I had the privilege of representing India at the high-level UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, where India assured the world community that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is committed to protecting at least 30 per cent of “our” lands, waters and oceans, and thus adhere toContinue Reading
The enclosures stretch the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool, but from above they appear as floating dots scattered across the ocean. Inside, fish mill about as the submerged pens sway to the currents of the open sea. Known as offshore fish farms, these structures have appeared around the worldContinue Reading
The downside of ocean plastic waste is its ever-expanding volume. But there is good news, too, and it’s often ignored. As new recycling technologies come online to address the mounting problem of plastic waste in our world, start-up firms around the globe are focusing on repurposing ocean plastics. Plastic isContinue Reading
When the topic turns to sharks, ocean plastic is not far behind, and there are some interesting developments on that score. Before we get to that, let’s take a look at World’s Largest Hammerhead?, which is part of Disney’s annual Sharkfest series unspooling now on Disney+ and National Geographic channels.Continue Reading
Ocean Recovery Group (ORG), a Deerfield Park, FL-based social-business enterprise, is taking action to combat ocean-bound plastic waste in the Caribbean. Aided by recycling and packaging experts, the group is bringing recycling infrastructure for these plastics to the Dominican Republic. ORG’s facility in La Vega, Dominican Republic, began processing inContinue Reading
Canada has the opportunity to position itself as a leader in tackling the world’s marine plastics problem at this week’s UN Ocean Conference, experts say. However, to effect real change, Canada and its international partners will have to aggressively wean themselves off unnecessary plastics and accelerate the development of aContinue Reading
Before delving into the matter of blue bonds, it is important to briefly understand the “blue economy” itself. Blue economy is a term in economics which relates to the preservation and exploration of the marine environment. The World Bank states that the blue economy is the sustainable use of oceanContinue Reading
