Deep Dives
Thought-provoking research providing extensive learning opportunities
Savoca, M.S. et al., Global Change Biology Plastics & Pollution
Plastic pollution has pervaded almost every facet of the biosphere, yet we lack an understanding of consumption risk by marine species at the global scale.
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The Circulate Initiative Plastics & Pollution
As more companies and governments make commitments to address plastic pollution, several plastic offset claims and credit schemes have emerged.
We reviewed the current landscape of standards, certifications and credit programs to assess the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and whether they are equipped to help buyers meet their impact objectives.
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Vanessa Fajans-Turner Plastics & Pollution
Plastics are the most common form of marine debris. They originate with a variety of land and ocean-based sources across industries; enter the water in many ways; and negatively impact the ocean and Great Lakes. Once in the water, plastic debris never fully biodegrades.
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President Joseph R. Biden Jr., The White House Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents.
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Frith Dunkley & Jean-Luc Solandt, Marine Conservation Society Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution
The study examined fishing effort in all Marine Protected Areas (Special Areas of Conservation, Marine Conservation Zones and nature conservation Marine Protected Areas, hereafter collectively referred to as MPAs) in UK offshore waters (beyond 12 nautical miles) designated to protect the seabed, and the implications for biodiversity recovery and carbon storage.
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Zongguo W. et al., Nature Communications Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports
Since the late 1990s, the trend of plastic waste shipment from developed to developing countries has been increasing. In 2017, China announced an unprecedented ban on its import of most plastic waste, resulting in a sharp decline in global plastic waste trade flow and changes in the treatment structure of countries, whose impacts on global environmental sustainability are enormous but yet unexamined.
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The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
We have a collective opportunity and responsibility to protect and restore the health of our ocean, and build a sustainable ocean economy that can provide food, empower coastal communities, power our cities, transport our people and goods and provide innovative solutions to global challenges.
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Anna Sanchez-Vidal et al., Scientific Reports, Nature Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution
There is strong evidence that the seafloor constitutes a final sink for plastics from land sources. There is also evidence that part of the plastics lying on the shallow seafloor are washed up back to the shoreline. However, little is known on the natural trapping processes leading to such landwards return.
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P.T. Harris et al., Science of the Total Environment - Elsevier Plastics & Pollution
Marine litter is a global problem which poses an increasing threat to ecosystem services, human health, safety and sustainable livelihoods. In order to better plan plastic pollution monitoring and clean-up activities, and to develop policies and programmes to deter and mitigate plastic pollution, information is urgently needed on the dif-ferent types of coastal ecosystem that are impacted by land-sourced plastic inputs, especially those located inproximity to river mouths where plastic waste is discharged into the ocean.
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Peter S. Ross, et al., Nature Plastics & Pollution
Microplastics are increasingly recognized as ubiquitous global contaminants, but questions linger regarding their source, transport and fate. We document the widespread distribution of microplastics in near-surface seawater from 71 stations across the European and North American Arctic - including the North Pole.
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The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ Plastics & Pollution
“Breaking the Plastic Wave: A Comprehensive Assessment of Pathways Towards Stopping Ocean Plastic Pollution” presents a first-of-its-kind model of the global plastics system. It is an evidence-based roadmap that describes how to radically reduce ocean plastic pollution by 2040 and that shows there is a comprehensive, integrated, and economically attractive pathway to greatly reduce plastic waste entering our ocean.
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Miri Trainic, et al., Nature Plastics & Pollution
The ubiquity of AMP from terrestrial sources, and the ubiquity of MP in the world’s oceans raise the question whether AMP are present in the remote marine atmosphere. We searched for marine AMP during the Tara Pacific expedition, a 2.5 year research project that investigates coral reefs and plankton communities.
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Nikiema, J. et al., UNEP Plastics & Pollution
With a focus on wastewater, the publication presents a range of solutions to reduce plastic and microplastic pollution from the source to the sea. It also encourages policymakers and practitioners to set priorities and select those that are more cost-effective and suitable for their local context. Finally, it stresses the importance of having technical solutions in addition to appropriate legislation, economic instruments, education, and awareness that force real change on the ground.
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IWMI and CGIAR, UN Environment Programme Plastics & Pollution
From source to sea, our waters are contaminated by a plastics scourge. A new study by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) offers a number of technological solutions aimed at tackling one of the world’s most pressing issues.
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Oceana Plastics & Pollution
How Amazon is flooding our communities, environment, and oceans with hundreds of millions of pounds of plastic packaging and how they can stop.
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Office for Coastal Management, NOAA Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
These reports examine the critically important economic contributions of the oceans and Great Lakes to the marine economy of the United States.
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Emily Elhacham et al., Nature Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
Here we quantify the human-made mass, referred to as ‘anthropogenic mass’, and compare it to the overall living biomass on Earth, which currently equals approximately 1.1 teratonnes.
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Maya Al-Sid-Cheikh et al., Nature: Communications Material Plastics & Pollution
Available analytical methods cannot detect nanoplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations in complex matrices such as biological tissues. Here, we describe a one-step polymerization method, allowing direct radiolabeling of a sulfonate end-capped nano-sized polystyrene (nPS; proposed as a model nanoplastic particle representing negatively charged nanoplastics).
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Lauren Roman, et al., The Society for Conservation Biology Plastics & Pollution
Pollution by plastic and other debris is a problem affecting the world's oceans and is increasing through time. The problem is so large that prioritizing solutions to effect meaningful change may seem overwhelming to the public and policy makers.
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Philip J. Landrigan et al., Annals of Global Health Plastics & Pollution
The purpose of this review is to examine the impacts of ocean pollution on human health and well-being, identify gaps in knowledge, project future trends, and offer scientifically based guidance for effective interventions.
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