News from the Earth

The ozone layer, located at an altitude between 10 and 40 kilometers, protects us from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays from the sun. In 2019, it had been significantly less extensive: the last two seasons of the ozone hole demonstrate its year-to-year variability and improve our understanding of the factors responsible for its formation, extent, and severity.

The last decade was the hottest on record, with a 1.25°C increase in average temperature over the pre-industrial period. Emissions are also increasing. It is yet another confirmation of the trend of recent years. The extraordinary climate events of 2020 and data show us that we have no time to waste. We must come together as a global community to ensure a just transition to a net zero future.

In recent days, monsoon rains and winds blowing from west to east have brought huge amounts of marine plastic waste to Indonesia's main beaches.

Today, progress is being made in many places, but, overall, action to meet the Goals is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required. 2020 needs to usher in a decade of ambitious action to deliver the Goals by 2030.

Christmas cardigans and sweaters are among the worst garments produced by fast fashion, because in addition to generating a huge amount of waste immediately after the holidays, they contain a large amount of plastic fibers that increase the pollution of our seas.

Earth systems are interconnected in ways that we are still deciphering. The moon causes tidal forces, the tides generate pressure changes and bottom currents that in turn shape the seafloor and impact submarine methane emissions. Fascinating!

The UN chief said economic recovery packages launched in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic represented an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future — but warned so much more needs to be done to ward off catastrophic consequences. So far, the members of the G20 are spending 50% more in their stimulus and rescue packages on sectors linked to fossil fuel production and consumption, than on low-carbon energy.

The plastic pollution epidemic is due to a rise in single-use plastic and an expanding 'throw-away' culture. The waste-management systems simply can't deal with the onslaught of plastic, which is why so much of it ends up in the environment. We now know that only 9% of the plastic products we use actually get recycled.

The new restrictions to contain the pandemic force us to spend much more time at home, which we may be using to take even more care of ourselves an...

It turns out that for decades the recyclability of plastics was grossly oversold by the plastics industry. Unfortunately, just placing your plastic into the recycling bin doesn't mean it will get recycled. The recycling system is complicated and often dictated by market demand. Not all plastic is recyclable. We cannot recycle plastic bags or straws for example.

Plastics is everywhere: in our homes exactly as it is in the Planet (the world production of plastics has increased from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons in 2015). On the tops of the highest mountains as well as on the bottom of the oceans. It is estimated that 15 tons of plastic waste per minute is thrown into the sea. This means 8 million tons per year.

Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals.