Jie Wu, an engineering graduate student, was studying a type of striking white beetle found in Southeast Asia and attempting to figure out how to mimic its brilliant color when an unexpected discovery upended the experiment. Jie and I had been hoping to identify naturally occurring whitening pigments that could be used in paper and…
“Even in landscapes that appeared untouched,” volunteers found “thousands of plastic pellets and fragments that pose a clear threat to the environment, wildlife, and human health,” said a 5 Gyres Institute spokesperson. More than half the trash polluting America’s national parks and federal lands contains hazardous microplastics, according to a waste audit published Thursday. As…
The plastics crisis must remain a priority in international negotiations. Contrary to some reporting, the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty hasn’t failed—but recent talks in Geneva are a blaring wake-up call. If we don’t get this right, human health will suffer for generations, and our climate goals will slip further behind. It is vital that…
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particles from the tires’ synthetic rubber carry several chemicals that can transfer into fish, crabs and perhaps even the people who eat…
New research finds an estimated 27 million tons of nanoplastics in the North Atlantic, raising concerns for marine ecosystems and human health. Plastic pollution in the ocean has long been a visible crisis, with images of bags, bottles, and nets entangling marine life. But new research reveals that the most widespread form of plastic pollution…
Civil society groups responded to the declaration by stressing that the statement must be a “floor, not a ceiling” going into the next round of global plastics treaty talks. Nearly 100 countries at the United Nations Ocean Conference on Tuesday issued a joint declaration demanding a bold global plastics treaty ahead of the next round…
New research finds agricultural land holds 23 times more microplastics than oceans, with toxic particles infiltrating crops, ecosystems, and human bodies while global regulation lags behind. Agricultural soil is now the most polluted plastic sink on the planet, surpassing even the oceans in concentration of microplastic particles. According to a comprehensive study published in Environmental…
Strengthening Supply Chains and Manufacturing with American Agriculture Industrial hemp isn’t just a crop—it’s an emerging cornerstone in the shift toward bio-based manufacturing. With its versatile applications and growing market potential, hemp is proving to be a valuable input in the production of bioplastics that are stronger, cleaner, and better aligned with the goals of…
American farmers are promised a new cash crop with an annual value of several hundred million dollars, all because a machine has been invented which solves a problem more than 6,000 years old. It is hemp, a crop that will not compete with other American products. Instead, it will displace imports of raw material and…
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 22 2025 (IPS) – The global plastics negotiation process, launched in 2022 under a resolution by the UN Environment Assembly, represents an unprecedented effort to combat the escalating plastic pollution crisis. Despite progress, negotiations stalled at the end of 2024 due to diverging views on the scope, measures, financing, responsibilities and other…