Latest news with #oceanPollution
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sad 1,342kg detail in photos from remote beach reveals 'relentless' problem
It should be a picturesque Aussie oasis but there is one major problem plaguing this well known island. And these images show just how bad a global crisis has become. In just a short 10 metre stretch of sand along Greta Beach on Australia's Christmas Island, volunteers found some 17,500 pieces of rubbish and marine debris washed up on the beach this week. Sometimes referred to as the Galapagos of Australia, the protected area is a known hotspot for the endless stream of marine rubbish. While promoted for its inherent beauty, you don't have to go far reading the reviews on TripAdvisor to learn about the contaminating problem. "Beautiful beach covered in ocean rubbish," the top review is titled. "Don't let the plastic put you off. Go there, collect a rubbish bag at the start of the track and do the environment a favour," another reviewer wrote. "Rubbish I am afraid, no I mean full of rubbish," a third review is titled. The Tangaroa Blue Foundation coordinates a huge network of volunteers and uses the Australian Marine Debris Initiative to record rubbish washed up on Australian beaches. Its members were part of a team that removed a massive haul of trash from the beach. "June brings huge volumes of marine debris. Despite our team's efforts, it was washing in faster than we could remove it, a stark reminder of the issue's relentless nature," the group said. It's likely that just about every single piece came from another country. "This is a global problem with local impacts that demands international action," it said. Rare photos capture incredible whale rescue off Australian coast Detail in beach photo proves $17 billion Aussie issue is 'getting worse' 10-tonne find on Aussie beach highlights devastating issue The ocean surrounding Christmas Island was declared a marine park in 2022, making it Australia's second largest protected area, and complementing the already established National Park more than half the island. The group shared photos online showing the grim extent of the scourge in the otherwise gorgeous area. In the end, they collected 33 bags of debris weighing a whopping 221 kilograms. The group was joined this week by students from the Christmas Island District High School who also shared before and after photos following the extensive cleanup with that number surging. "We successfully removed and audited 846kg of marine debris — plus an additional 496kg of hard plastic remnant. That's a total of 1,342kg of marine pollution cleared from Greta Beach," the school said. Despite years of growing public awareness and initiatives to tackle plastic pollution, the overall problem isn't letting up, according to Tangaroa Blue's CEO Heidi Taylor. "The question I often get asked is if it's getting better," she told Yahoo News recently. "And the answer is no". "That's because the world's population is getting bigger and we keep using more and more stuff, even if the same percentage is being released into the environment, that would still equate to a greater volume. "So overall, it is getting worse." After more than 20 years of laboriously counting ocean rubbish, she has been part of building the "biggest database of marine debris in the southern hemisphere". "I remember the days when we first started talking about marine debris and people thought we were talking about driftwood... It wasn't really on anyone's radar back then," she told Yahoo. "The goal was if we knew where it was coming from, we then knew the right stakeholder group to engage to find a practical solution" to stop it." People who want to help are encouraged to download the Australian Marine Debris Initiative app and start cataloguing what they find.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Nations call for ‘quieter' ocean to help marine life
Fish swim in the protected area of France's Port-Cros National Park ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference, Saturday, June 7, 2025, (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag) Dozens of countries at the UN oceans summit on Tuesday took a first step toward recognising an invisible but growing threat to marine life -- underwater noise pollution. The din created by shipping and other human activities is rising at an alarming rate, marine conservation groups say, a major problem for sea life reliant on sound below water to survive. Whales and dolphins use clicks and whistles to communicate with their young, navigate the oceans and warn of danger and hunt for food. 'Human noise pollution is drowning out these vital sounds,' said Carlos Bravo from OceanCare, a marine conservation group. In a step toward a quieter ocean, 37 countries led by Canada and Panama have launched a new effort to reduce harmful underwater noise pollution. At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, ministers from these countries committed to advancing quieter shipping design and including noise reduction protocols in their marine protected areas. 'Too often, the issue of ocean noise has been sidelined in global environmental discourse,' said Panama's environment minister Juan Carlos Navarro. 'With this coalition, we are committing to act decisively to protect marine biodiversity from this invisible yet powerful threat.' Whirling propellers from shipping, sonar from navy vessels and construction noise from offshore industry all emit sounds that can travel vast distances underwater, WWF says. Beluga whales can detect sounds from icebreaking ships up to 85 kilometres (52 miles) away, causing panic and flight, it added. Other marine mammals change their behaviour under acoustic stress, while smaller prey for these bigger ocean dwellers can also be scared off by human-made noise. One of the biggest contributors to underwater noise is cargo vessels, and cutting the acoustic footprint of the global shipping industry could have a major impact. Despite this, global efforts to reduce ocean noise 'have been limited and fragmented', the coalition said. Bravo said this new coalition had taken a 'crucial step towards giving marine life back their voice in the blue planet's symphony'.
Arab News
08-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan Navy urges ‘result-oriented' collective actions as world marks Oceans Day
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy on Sunday urged 'result-oriented' collective actions to safeguard oceans against pollution, over-fishing and climate change, its Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) said, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day. World Oceans Day is observed on June 8 each year and this year's theme is 'Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,' which resonates with the oceans' vital role in underpinning all life on earth. Covering over 70 percent of Earth, oceans are a key source of oxygen, a regulator of climate and immeasurably support biodiversity, all of which are essential to global livelihoods. As the principal custodian of Pakistan's maritime domain, the navy said, it is undertaking substantive initiatives like implementing remedial measures for preventing oil spills at sea, enforcing pollution control measures and banning destructive fishing nets to encourage healthy practices and sustainable use of ocean resources. 'World Oceans Day calls upon us to move beyond the reflexive acknowledgment and take result-oriented collective actions,' the navy quoted its Public Relations director-general as saying. 'To this end, I call upon all the stakeholders to join hands with Pakistan Navy and adopt safe and sustainable practices to secure our oceans' vitality. Collectively, we can avail this immense endowment in the shape of our rich oceans, preserve their enduring majesty and secure the lifeblood they provide, for our future generations.' The statement came ahead of a United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Nice, France on June 9-13, which will not only focus on accelerating actions for conservation and sustainable use of oceans but also identify ways to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources by building partnerships. 'For Pakistan, our long coastline and rich marine resources constitute a national trust. This vital treasure trove of biodiversity is facing rapid deterioration and demands immediate and robust intervention by all stakeholders,' the navy said. 'Recognizing our obligation to the environment, Pakistan Navy is also instilling ecological ethos through awareness drives and crucial partnerships. To mark the occasion, National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) has organized one day international seminar to create awareness about the issue and highlight ways and means to protect our oceans.'
Japan Times
05-06-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Scientists in Japan develop plastic that quickly dissolves in seawater
Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace. At a lab in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred up for about an hour. While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialization, project leader Takuzo Aida said their research has attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector. Scientists worldwide are racing to develop innovative solutions to the growing plastic waste crisis, an effort championed by awareness campaigns such as World Environment Day marked on Thursday. Plastic pollution is set to triple by 2040, the U.N. Environment Program has predicted, adding 23-37 million metric tons of waste into the world's oceans each year. "Children cannot choose the planet they will live on. It is our duty as scientists to ensure that we leave them with best possible environment," Aida said. Aida said the new material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but breaks down into its original components when exposed to salt. Those components can then be further processed by naturally occurring bacteria, thereby avoiding generating microplastics that can harm aquatic life and enter the food chain. As salt is also present in soil, a piece about 5 centimeters in size disintegrates on land after over 200 hours, he added. The material can be used like regular plastic when coated, and the team are focusing their current research on the best coating methods, Aida said. The plastic is non-toxic, non-flammable, and does not emit carbon dioxide, he added.
South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Japan scientists develop plastic that dissolves in seawater as ocean pollution solution
Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the Riken Centre for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace. At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred for about an hour. A researcher shows a sample of ocean-degradable plastic being immersed in saltwater at the Riken Centre for Emergent Matter Science. Photo: Reuters While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialisation, project lead Takuzo Aida said their research had attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector. Scientists worldwide are racing to develop innovative solutions to the growing plastic waste crisis, an effort championed by awareness campaigns such as World Environment Day, which takes place on Thursday this year. 01:59 Trump signs order on plastic drinking straws, says paper ones 'explode' Trump signs order on plastic drinking straws, says paper ones 'explode' Plastic pollution is set to triple by 2040, the UN Environment Programme has predicted, adding 23 million to 37 million tonnes of waste into the world's oceans each year.
