There’s a global pandemic, they say. Stay inside. No none essential travel allowed. No driving to nice places. No leaving the house. The fear sets in. Everyone stock piles, rushing to buy as much food and toiletries as they can. And then. Nothing. No motorways packed with back to back vehicles. No cars being used…
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There is still hope for our oceans…
Amidst the global warming crisis, it is hard to be optimistic that the extensive damage done to the world’s oceans through human pollution can ever be reversed. However, recent scientific studies suggest there is hope; our oceans can be restored by as soon as 2050, if the right measures are taken. Oceans are home to…
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Trump withdraws USA from Paris climate agreement
On Monday 4 November, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the USA will be formally withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. This makes the USA the first country to ever attempt to exit the accord. President Trump announced his plans for leaving the Paris agreement two years ago, with official proceedings only just…
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Two whales found dead in the Thames
On Tuesday, October 8, a humpback whale that was previously spotted in the Thames was found dead by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). The humpback, lovingly nicknamed Hessy, was a rare breed thought to have died due to being nutritionally compromised. However, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) conducted a necropsy and found…
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Our plastic planet?
‘Our Plastic Planet?’ was hosted by Lizzie Daly, a wildlife biologist with a particular passion for the oceans. Her interactive presentation began with the cold truth: the entire ocean is now polluted with plastic. Every second 20,000 plastic bottles are being bought, and more than 80% of them are ending up either in landfills or…
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The danger of microplastics
Microplastics in the oceans are becoming a notorious area of study with increasing concerns on how it affects the food chain. New research has revealed that these microplastics are now becoming airborne from polluted waters via flying insects, affecting birds and other insect eating creatures. Microplastics are a pervasive pollutant found in marine, freshwater and…
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Plastic and pollution – what can you do this summer?
Devastating footage of seabirds starving to death because their stomachs are so full of plastic there is no room for food has recently emerged on BBC One documentary Drowning in Plastic. The birds live on Lord Howe Island, a tiny island off the east coast of Australia. Marine biologists are working hard to save the…
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Earth Day
On Sunday 22 April, tens of thousands of runners took part in the London Marathon. Entrants faced scorching temperatures and an unforgiving sun, attempting to claim the pride and satisfaction of completing the notorious course. Earth Day is an annual event, raising awareness and action for environmental issues across the globe. With over a billion…
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Enzymes digest plastic bottles
Much like Fleming discovering penicillin, scientists looking for an answer for the world’s plastic crisis have accidentally discovered an enzyme which can destroy plastic within a matter of days, rather than the years it takes naturally. Investigating the structure of a bacterium on a Japanese waste dump, scientists found that with a small mutation, the…
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