Why U.S. East Coast Should Stay Off-Limits to Oil Drilling
It’s not just the potential for a catastrophic spill that makes the new proposal to open Atlantic Ocean waters to oil exploration such a bad idea. What’s worse is the cumulative impact on coastal ecosystems that an active oil industry would bring.
Great Barrier Reef Corals Eat Plastic
Researchers in Australia have found that corals commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef will eat micro-plastic pollution. Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic in the environment and are a widespread contaminant in marine ecosystems, particularly in inshore coral reefs.
Tasmania Bans Fracking for Another Five Years
The Tasmanian government will extend its ban on fracking for five years to protect the state’s agricultural industry.
Obama Rejects Keystone XL Bill
President Obama vetoed legislation to authorize construction of a 1,179-mile pipeline that would carry 800,000 barrels of heavy petroleum a day from the oil sands of Alberta to ports and refineries on the Gulf Coast.
Global Impact of Debris on Marine Life Studied
Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered humanmade debris such as plastic and glass according to the most comprehensive impact study in more than a decade.
Louisiana Coastal Erosion Lawsuit Against Oil Companies Dismissed By U.S. District Judge
A lawsuit filed in 2013 by a Louisiana flood board that sought damages — potentially in the billions of dollars — from scores of oil, gas and pipeline companies over erosion of the state’s fragile coast was thrown out Friday evening by a federal judge.
Ocean Plastic is Likely Disappearing Into the Food Chain, New Study Indicates
A landmark study finds huge quantities of plastic are entering the ocean. Since much of it isn’t accounted for, we should be concerned about where it’s ending up
Here’s How Much Plastic Ends Up In the World’s Oceans
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans, it’s equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline.
Global is the New Local: Pollution Changes Clouds, Climate Downstream
The residents of Beijing and Delhi are not the only ones feeling the effects of Asian air pollution, an unwanted byproduct of coal-fired economic development. The continent’s tainted air is known to cross the Pacific Ocean, adding to homegrown air-quality problems on the U.S. West Coast.