Catalan coast and Balearic Islands have been ravaged by Storm Gloria

A storm surge on the east coast of Spain has swept 3km (two miles) inland, devastating land in the Ebro river delta south of Barcelona.
Millions of future climate refugees may need protection, U.N. committee warns

Refugees fleeing their native countries due to the effects of the climate crisis in future years may not be forced to return if their lives are in danger, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in a ruling Monday.
The ‘Blob,’ a massive marine heat wave, led to an unprecedented seabird die-off

From 2015–2016, 62,000 dead common murres washed onto U.S. and Canadian Pacific coast beaches. All together, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the region’s total population was wiped out.
Malaysia sends back trash, says won’t be world’s waste bin

Shipments of unwanted rubbish have been rerouted to Southeast Asia since China banned the import of plastic waste in 2018, but Malaysia and other developing countries are fighting back.
Asia’s hunger for sand is harmful to farming and the environment

Singapore’s added construction plan (in brown), 01-2020. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care Singapore’s expansion has been a colossal undertaking. It is not merely a matter of coastal reclamation: Singapore is growing vertically as well as horizontally. This means that the nation’s market needs fine river sand—used for beaches and concrete—as well as coarse sea […]
‘We can’t wait’: Maldives desperate for funds as islands risk going under

The tropical Maldives may lose entire islands unless it can quickly access cheap financing to fight the impact of climate change, its foreign minister said.
Microplastics affect sand crabs’ mortality and reproduction

Sand crabs, a key species in beach ecosystems, were found to have increased adult mortality and decreased reproductive success when exposed to plastic microfibers, according to a new study.
Global warming cited as Antarctica’s chinstrap penguin population drops by half

The numbers have dropped across the region as average temperatures have soared by more than five degrees over 50 years. That increase is about five-times the global average.
Nestlé is spending billions to create a market for recycled plastics

Food companies trying to reduce their consumption of plastic have a big problem — it’s hard to find suitable recycled material. Nestlé, one of the world’s worst corporate plastic polluters, says it’s willing to spend more than $2 billion to try and fix that.