New evidence of particles damaging crops strengthens the case for an international plastics treaty
New and concerning findings from environmental scientists about the impact of microplastics on crops and marine algae add to a growing body of evidence about the disruption caused to living systems by plastic pollution. The results, from a team led by Prof Huan Zhong at Nanjing University, China, are not definitive and require corroboration. But analysis showing that plastics could limit photosynthesis (the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy) must be taken seriously. If the researchers are correct, and staple crops are being reduced by about 12%, there are huge implications for global agriculture and food supplies. This could inject new urgency into efforts to tackle plastic pollution.
There is no single route by which microplastic particles inhibit plants from growing. The overall effect is attributed to a combination of blocked sunlight and nutrients, and damage to soil and cells. This can lead to reduced levels of chlorophyll – the pigment enabling photosynthesis. When the researchers modelled the crop losses caused by an effect of this size, they found Asia was hardest hit, potentially contributing to food insecurity and worsening hunger.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/16/2025 - 12:25
03/16/2025 - 08:00
Researchers use innovative cameras to identify fish species hindering coral reef restoration
Marine scientists in Florida working to help reverse a calamitous decades-long decline in coral reefs caught fishy “porch pirates” in the act with an innovative underwater doorbell-style surveillance camera.
The footage showed that three corallivorous species – redband parrotfish, foureye butterflyfish and stoplight parrotfish – were responsible for eating more than 97% of coral laid as bait by the researchers at an offshore reef near Miami.
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03/16/2025 - 07:00
Trump administration accused of ‘quid pro quo’ for fast-tracking controversial fossil fuel proposal in Michigan
Donald Trump’s administration is being accused by activists of a quid pro quo as it attempts to fast-track a controversial fossil fuel pipeline proposal in Michigan that would in part be built by a donor with deep financial ties to the president.
While Canadian oil giant Enbridge owns the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline that it is attempting to replace in the Great Lakes region, the contractor is Tim Barnard, who, along with his wife, gave $1m to Trump’s campaign last year, Federal Election Commission records show.
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03/15/2025 - 23:01
Decomposing organic matter in catchments flooded by Cyclone Alfred removed oxygen from water, suffocating aquatic life
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Thousands of dead fish have washed ashore along the Richmond River at Ballina in northern New South Wales, after flooding in the region from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, according to fish habitat charity OzFish.
The group said it has received “numerous” reports from members of the public of the fish kill, including photographs and messages showing “fish gasping for air, or washing up dead”.
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03/15/2025 - 08:00
Energy summit in Houston makes clear US is nowhere close to curbing fossil fuels, but tariffs are causing disquiet
This week, the world’s most influential fossil-fuels conference, which has been dubbed the “Coachella of oil”, featured an industry displaying outward glee but barely managing to conceal its anxiety.
As recently as last year, sustainability was a major focus at the annual Houston convention, known as CeraWeek, with fossil-fuel companies touting climate plans. But in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election, the industry is undergoing a vibe shift, forgoing talk of the energy transition and instead parroting the president’s focus on energy “dominance”.
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03/15/2025 - 02:00
After years of helping Scottish criminal investigations and despite fearing for his life in India, Vishal Sharma’s asylum claim has been rejected
When Vishal Sharma, an experienced merchant seaman, arrived in London from India in November 2017, he was looking forward to a good job on a Belgian tanker, the MT Waasmunster, assisting engineers. He had a 15-month contract and a transit visa, enabling him to travel to Milford Haven in Wales, where the 174-metre vessel was anchored.
But in a last-minute change of plan, his Mumbai agent told him to head to Southwick in West Sussex, England, to board a scallop trawler, the Noordzee.
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03/15/2025 - 02:00
Salford University findings show gulls are predators – not just opportunists snatching people’s snacks
In pictures: Octopus? Ice cream? Is there anything gulls don’t eat?
Gulls are renowned for snatching chips from tourists’ hands, but a scientific project has revealed the greedy birds also like to tuck into moles and quench their thirst with seal milk.
The discovery was among several surprising findings made by a University of Salford ecologist, Dr Alice Risely, after she set up a project asking the public to send her pictures of seagulls eating.
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03/15/2025 - 02:00
Gulls are known for being ravenous – check out a selection of things they like
• All images from the Gulls Eating Stuff project
• From profiteroles to moles: project uncovers gulls’ surprising diet
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03/15/2025 - 01:00
Co-leader says deprioritisation of net zero is ‘extremely dangerous’ as he rejects ‘nimby-in-chief’ characterisation
Labour’s push for economic growth at the expense of climate and nature is “extremely dangerous”, the co-leader of the Green party has said.
Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, was one of the four Green MPs elected to parliament last July in their best ever result. He said and his colleagues knew they would be holding Labour to account, but did not expect to be as disappointed as they have been.
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03/14/2025 - 17:48
Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where ‘slaughter of wombats’ is permitted
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A US hunting influencer who caused outrage in Australia after grabbing a baby wombat from its mother says she is sorry for the incident but was only trying to ensure its safety by removing it from a road.
Sam Jones left the country on Friday morning after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said immigration authorities were checking if she had breached the conditions of her visa.
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