China Has Refused To Recycle The West's Plastics. What Now?

For more than 25 years, many developed countries, including the U.S., have been sending massive amounts of plastic waste to China instead of recycling it on their own. Some 106 million metric tons — about 45 percent — of the world's plastics set for recycling have been exported to China since reporting to the United Nations Comtrade Database began in 1992.

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Birds on a houseboat by Martinus

Two sunny days for painting two sunny birds. :-)

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Tesla and PG&E are working on a massive ‘up to 1.1 GWh’ Powerpack battery system

For the past few months, Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have been teasing a giant battery project that would dwarf even the company’s 129 MWh Powerpack project in Australia. Today, we learn that Tesla is working with PG&E on a massive battery system with a capacity of “up to 1.1 GWh” in California.

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The Best Coral Reefs in the World

Oceans are incredible creation. They have a fascinating mix of beautiful underwater garden, colorful marine life, and exhilarating sea creatures. Coral reefs, in particular, are not only exquisite but also helps balance the planet Earth’s rich ecosystem. They generate half of the Earth’s oxygen and absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide. We listed some of the best coral reefs in the world!

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Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the launch of Apple Maps went poorly. After a rough first impression, an apology from the CEO, several years of patching holes with data partnerships and some glimmers of light with long-awaited transit directions and improvements in business, parking and place data, Apple Maps is still not where it needs to be to be considered a world class service. Maps needs fixing.

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Alternatives to Heterosexual Pairings, Brought to You By Non-Human Animals

No one quite has this sex thing figured out, but these non-binary animals have some good ideas

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Apple Maps to Be Rebuilt 'From the Ground Up' With Street-Level and Satellite Data Over the Next Year

Apple today announced that it will be rebuilding its Maps app "from the ground up" with street-level data collected from its fleet of Apple Maps vehicles, high resolution satellite imagery, and anonymized, random segments of navigation sessions from iPhone users, which Apple refers to as "probe data."

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Deepwater Horizon disaster altered building blocks of ocean life

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster may have had a lasting impact upon even the smallest organisms in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists have found – amid warnings that the oceans around America are also under fresh assault as a result of environmental policies under Donald Trump. Lingering oil residues have altered the basic building blocks of life in the ocean by reducing biodiversity in sites closest to the spill, which occurred when a BP drilling rig exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and spewing about 4m barrels of oil into the Gulf.

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Birdbrainy: New Caledonian crows make tools using mental images

New Caledonian crows use mental pictures to twist twigs into hooks and make other tools, according to a provocative study that suggests the notoriously clever birds pass on successful designs to future generations, a hallmark of culture. “We find evidence for a specific type of emulation we call mental template matching,” co-author Alex Taylor, director of the Language, Cognition and Culture Lab at the University of Auckland, told AFP. “Put simply, crows can reverse engineer tool designs using only a mental image of that tool.”

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Scientists call for a Paris-style agreement to save life on Earth

Let’s be honest, the global community’s response to the rising evidence of mass extinction and ecological degradation has been largely to throw crumbs at it. Where we have acted it’s been in a mostly haphazard and modest way — a protected area here, a conservation program there, a few new laws, and a pinch of funding. The problem is such actions — while laudable and important — in no way match the scope and size of the problem where all markers indicate that life on Earth continues to slide into the dustbin.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old who defeated a powerful House Democrat, has an asteroid named after her — here's why

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist born and raised in the Bronx, defeated longtime incumbent Joseph Crowley in a primary race for New York’s 14th District on Tuesday.

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Palm oil ‘disastrous’ for wildlife but here to stay, experts warn

It is consumed daily by billions of people but palm oil is “disastrous” for wildlife such as orangutans and tigers, according to an authoritative new report. However, the analysis warns that alternatives are likely to drive biodiversity losses elsewhere, rather than halt them. The analysis, from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), found that rainforest destruction caused by palm oil plantations damages more than 190 threatened species on the IUCN’s red list, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia.

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The unlikely home of the world’s smallest desert

Although scientists dispute its legend, the minuscule Carcross Desert in Canada is a world wonder by any measure.

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Natalie Portman Debunks Most Annoying Vegan Myths

Actor Natalie Portman has made a video debunking some of the most annoying vegan myths. Portman, who produced and narrated newly released documentary Eating Animals, tackles some of the most commonly asked questions around the lifestyle, including plant rights, dating - and what vegans should do on a desert island.

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The City of London will be powered with 100% renewable energy by October 2018

The City of London, the historic “Square Mile” central district of London, will soon switch to clean energy in a big way. Starting in October 2018, the City of London will source 100 percent of its power needs from renewable energy sources by installing solar panels on local buildings, investing in larger solar and wind projects and purchasing clean energy from the grid. Though no longer a square mile, closer now to 1.12 square miles, the City of London is a major financial center within the city and the world. Its green energy transformation sends a clear message that London intends to take strong action against climate change.

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While We Weren't Looking, Donald Trump Just Reversed Another Obama-Era Environmental Regulation

President Donald Trump quietly signed an executive order rescinding Obama-era protections of U.S. oceans, coastlines, and Great Lakes waters on Tuesday, just weeks after proclaiming June “National Ocean Month." Trump’s decision puts corporate profits ahead of the need for environmental conservation at a time when climate change and oceanic dead zones are becoming a greater threat to civilization and wildlife.

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How one man died so a whale might live

Humans have spent more than 10 centuries emptying the ocean of some of its most extraordinary animals. Today, a coalition of scientists and fishermen are trying to turn the tide – and learning that conservation is much harder than destruction

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China Just Handed the World a 111-Million-Ton Trash Problem

The world’s biggest waste importer is no longer buying. So where’s all that trash going to go?

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People are recycling too much garbage, experts say — and it's threatening the economics of the industry

The economics of recycling have shifted drastically over the past year, threatening the viability of single-stream curbside collection in Maryland and across the United States.

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Ecological “law” turns out to just be the result of us fishing

Mature fish are found deep not because of age, climate, or prey, but because of us.

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Ex-Nasa scientist: 30 years on, world is failing 'miserably’ to address climate change

Thirty years after a former Nasa scientist sounded the alarm for the general public about climate change and human activity, the expert issued a fresh warning that the world is failing “miserably” to deal with the worsening dangers.

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Puan, world’s oldest known Sumatran orangutan, dies aged 62 in Australian zoo

Zookeepers have paid emotional tribute to the world’s oldest known Sumatran orangutan, “a grand old lady” who died at a Western Australian zoo on Monday. Puan was given to Perth zoo in 1968 and is believed to have been born in Sumatra 1956. At 62 years she lived well beyond her typical life expectancy and was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest verified member of her species in 2016.

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Back To Nature

Nightmares On Wax

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This concrete can trap CO2 emissions forever

Concrete is the most abundant man-made material on earth. There's a good chance you're standing on it right now, and it's holding up the buildings around you. But concrete has an emissions problem. Its essential ingredient, cement, has a huge carbon footprint.

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Yorkie stays with missing toddler all night, alerts search party with 'weak bark'

A loyal Yorkshire terrier stayed with a missing 3-year-old girl in a dense cornfield in Missouri all night -- and heroically led a search party to them with a "weak bark," authorities said. Remy Merritt and her dog, Fat Heath, had gone missing Thursday night in Qulin, triggering a desperate search that brought in some 150 volunteers, authorities said.

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Invasive plant found in Virginia: It 'makes poison ivy look like a walk in the park'

An invasive species of Asian plant that can cause blindness is turning up in Virginia, prompting warnings for people to be on the lookout for a 15-foot-tall herb topped with fluffy white flowers.

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Antarctica is melting faster than anyone thought, and we're not ready for the sea level rise that's coming

The melting rate of Antarctic ice has tripled in recent years. If the acceleration of ice melt were to continue, it could potentially cascade.

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New type of photosynthesis discovered

The discovery changes our understanding of the basic mechanism of photosynthesis and should rewrite the textbooks. It will also tailor the way we hunt for alien life and provide insights into how we could engineer more efficient crops that take advantage of longer wavelengths of light.

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A surprise find: 99-million-year-old frog encased in amber

The specimens, the oldest known, were excavated from northern Myanmar.

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Mammals are increasingly embracing the nightlife to avoid humans

Humans have been displacing wildlife since, well, forever — and according to a new study, we're leaving some mammals no choice but to adjust their daily schedules and seek refuge in the night.

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Hurricanes are moving more slowly than they used to

Record shows a trend that could mean higher storm rainfall totals.

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Climate Change Killed the Aliens, and It Will Probably Kill Us Too, New Simulation Suggests

Advanced alien civilizations that use lots of energy could fall into the same trap as humans on Earth — producing so much greenhouse gas that a mass die-off is incredibly likely.

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The days are getting longer – but very, very slowly

As the moon pulls away from the Earth, our planet’s rotation is slowing, making our days 1/75,000 second longer each year.

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The Endling: Watching a Species Vanish in Real Time

On the frontlines of extinction in the Gulf of California, where the vaquita faces its final days.

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Tourism Is Much Worse for the Environment Than We Thought, and It's Not Just About Your Plane's Carbon Emissions

It’s been known for years that air travel is one of the worst things a person can do for the environment. In fact, just one round-trip flight from New York to California emits 20 percent of the greenhouse gases produced by the typical passenger vehicle over the course of an entire year. However, in even worse news for travel-lovers, a recent study found that tourism accounts for a full 8 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This includes not only plane transit, but food production for tourists; hotel construction, maintenance and cleaning; and the manufacture and sale of souvenirs.

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Marine Heat Waves, Changing Ocean Currents and Capitalism's Threat to Life

On World Oceans Day, let's commit to preserving this vital ecosystem.

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Plastic found in British mussels

Researchers have found tiny pieces of plastic in all the samples of mussels they tested in British seawaters and bought from local supermarkets. The scientists, from the University of Hull and Brunel University, said the contamination from microplastics and other human debris, such as cotton and rayon, was significant and widespread. Mussels feed by filtering seawater.

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May was warmest on record for USA, breaking mark set during Dust Bowl

May shattered heat records across the U.S. as sizzling warmth was reported nationwide, federal scientists announced Wednesday. In addition, not only was it the warmest May on record across the country, but almost 8,600 local heat records were also broken or tied during the month.

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Toxic toads could devastate Madagascar’s biodiversity

In 2014, a toxic invasive species—the Asian common toad—was spotted in Madagascar’s largest seaport. Conservation biologists quickly sounded an urgent alarm, warning that the invader could devastate the African island’s unique biodiversity, which includes lemurs and hundreds of other animals found nowhere else in the world.

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Plastic bans among ‘most effective’ ways to beat pollution, says UN

A landmark report by UN environment experts on plastic pollution, published to coincide with World Environment Day (5 June), shows that governments across the world are starting to take action and that bans and levies are starting to take off. The UN Environment’s Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability report looks at more than 60 case studies to come up with a number of recommendations to curb plastic pollution and combat an escalating problem that “we are already unable to cope with”.

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'Lost continent' found under Mauritius

Found -- one lost continent, hiding underneath a tropical holiday destination. It might sound implausible, but deep at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, a research team, led by South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand, has found pieces of an ancient continent. The lava-covered piece of continent, dubbed 'Mauritia,' was found under the popular island of Mauritius. According to the report published this week in the journal Nature Communications, the piece of crust is left over from the breakup of Gondwanaland...

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Investors with $26 trillion in assets urge G7 leaders to act on climate change

Several huge investment firms, including Germany's Allianz Global Investors, have urged G7 leaders to increase their fight against climate change. The pleas will likely fall on deaf ears in the Trump administration.

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Sudden Neolithic population drop was the result of brutal warfare, scientists conclude

A SUDDEN and dramatic drop in the number of human males living in Europe, Africa, and Asia 7,000 years ago is evidence of brutal warfare spanning multiple generations, a new study has suggested.

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Two million bees stolen from Swedish farmers

Thieves have made away with an estimated 2.1 million bees from bee harvesters in southern Sweden. Two farms near Eslöv, southern Sweden, were hit this week in what appears to be a bee heist. The robbers got away with around 50 beehives, as well as bee wax and over 1,000 litres of honey.

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This saltwater trout evolved to live in freshwater—in just 100 years

Fish transplanted to Lake Michigan already had the genes to adapt to their new lifestyle

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Methane ice dunes found on Pluto

Scientists say they have found evidence of dunes of frozen methane on Pluto. The research, which is published in the journal Science, suggests that the distant world is more dynamic than previously thought. Pluto's atmosphere was believed to be too thin to create the features familiar in deserts on Earth.

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Cats, My Number One Dealbreaker

I have a very short list of preexisting relationship conditions that would keep me from dating someone. So long as you're not on the run from the law (international courts...

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Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth

Biggest analysis to date reveals huge footprint of livestock - it provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of farmland

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