News from the Earth

Analyses indicate that homes and water treatment stations release microfibres that end up polluting the Arctic. There’s plastic all over our lives.

It is urgent to reduce the use of disposable options and rely on circular and safe materials. Given the ability of many of these chemicals (many of which are hazardous) to migrate from packaging and other materials to food, their continued use should be understood as a risk to human health.

There are many things to do against single-use plastic pollution, but the most important measure is reduction. The first step is to get rid of the delusion that any plastic consumed will simply disappear. Even when you throw it away, it doesn’t degrade. Not in our lifetime. 

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.

Made of harmful plastics and chemical compounds, fireworks don't only cause ground pollution, but can seriously affect the quality of the air we breathe. There are alternatives.

2021 is forecasted to be slightly colder worldwide than years previous, according to meteorologists at the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, but will still be one the hottest on record due to greenhouse gas effects.

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.

The use of land brings a fragmentation of habitats and a loss of biodiversity that tends to increase the possibility of contact with animal species capable of transmitting viruses to which humans are not accustomed. The climate and health emergencies may seem like separate crises, but this is not the case. 

“To provide space for wild animals, plants, pollinators and natural pest regulators, there is an urgent need to bring back at least 10% of agricultural area under high-diversity landscape features. These include, inter alia, buffer strips, rotational or non-rotational fallow land, hedges, non-productive trees, terrace walls and ponds,” the European Biodiversity Strategy reads.

The holidays have a stressful side that many of us know all too well. In addition to taking natural herbal supplements, other practices like mindful meditation, yoga exercise and healthy eating (even though it may be hard to do during the holidays) can be great ways to stay stress-free during the holiday season.

Every year thousands of fir trees are cut down to make Christmas trees, despite the many creative alternatives. This year make a difference, don't cut down a tree, Plant it!⁠