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#pollution

18 posts15 participants3 posts today
Public
Bread and Circuses

Excerpts from a very disturbing op-ed about the growing use of petrochemicals in producing the foods we eat…
________________________________

Fossil fuels are on track to be an even bigger presence in our food system. As sectors like transport are decarbonizing, the oil industry has its sights on food, particularly through petrochemicals. An estimated 74% of all petrochemicals are already used for agricultural fertilizer and plastic.

The International Energy Agency projects that by 2050 half of all oil and gas will be used for petrochemicals. Based on current levels, 40% of that will be going into our food system in the form of plastics and fertilizers.

Chemical companies are now introducing microplastic-coated pesticides and fertilizers. Along with increasing the presence of plastics in food production and threatening public health, microplastics used this way dissolve in the soil, impacting soil health, reducing how much water soils can retain, and destroying healthy microorganisms essential for nutrient cycling.
________________________________

FULL ESSAY -- civileats.com/2025/03/11/op-ed

HT > @jblue

Screenshot from top of linked op-ed. Headline says: "The food system cannot become another fossil fuel industry escape hatch"
#Science#Environment#Climate
Public
MediaFaro Analysis

What are nurdles? A ‘sheen’ of plastic pellets is spotted in the North Sea after ship crash.

Small pellets of plastic are washing up on the east coast of England following the fiery collision of two ships in the North Sea last week.

Although not toxic, these nurdles present a deadly risk to wildlife if ingested.

mediafaro.org/article/20250318

HM Coastguard retrieval of nurdles underway. | Copyright HM Coastguard
Euronews · What are nurdles? A ‘sheen’ of plastic pellets is spotted in the North Sea after ship crash.By Lottie Limb
#NorthSea#Nurdles#Plastic
Public
Akshay

Holy Hell

““Now everything is dead, it’s like a totally dead river. Unbelievable. Overnight, this river died.”

“an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine …contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream.”

apnews.com/article/mining-poll

#Environment#Zambia#Kafue
Public
ESO

🚨 ESO analysis confirms that the INNA industrial megaproject would have a devastating and irreversible impact on the facilities at Paranal Observatory in #Chile.

➡️ Light #pollution would increase by at least 35% above ESO's Very Large Telescope, by a minimum of 5% above ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope and by at least 55% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

➡️ Air turbulence would also increase, degrading seeing conditions by up to 40%

➡️ Vibrations from the project could seriously impair the functioning of the ELT and the VLT Interferometer, which are both extremely sensitive to micro-seismic noise.

➡️ Dust during construction is also problematic as it settles on the telescope mirrors and obstructs their view.

Full story here: eso.org/public/news/eso2506/

More in the message below. 1/

www.eso.orgNew ESO analysis confirms severe damage from industrial complex planned near ParanalAn in-depth technical analysis by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has evaluated the impact of the INNA megaproject on the facilities at the Paranal Observatory, Chile — and the results are alarming. The analysis reveals that INNA would increase light pollution above the Very Large Telescope (VLT) by at least 35% and by more than 50% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO-South). INNA would also increase air turbulence in the area, further degrading conditions for astronomical observations, while vibrations from the project could seriously impair the functioning of some of the astronomical facilities, like the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), at the Paranal Observatory.
#environment#astrodon#astronomy
Public
Robert Sanscartier

Burden of cardiovascular disease caused by extreme heat in Australia projected to more than double by 2050

Hot weather is responsible for an average of almost 50,000 years of healthy life lost to cardiovascular disease every year among people in Australia, according to research published in the European Heart Journal. This equates to around 7.3% of the total burden due to illness and death from cardiovascular disease

medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03

Medical Xpress · Burden of cardiovascular disease caused by extreme heat in Australia projected to more than double by 2050By European Society of Cardiology
#health#Australia#pollution
Public
Robert Sanscartier

Scientists warn that a popular Hawaiian island is sinking 40 times faster than expected and terrible flooding could start wiping out businesses and homes within decades

meteo24news.gr/english-edition

Meteo24News - Πρόγνωση καιρού για Ελλάδα ,Αθήνα ,Θεσσαλονίκη · Scientists give chilling warning as they reveal Hawaii is sinking - Meteo24NewsScientists warn that a popular Hawaiian island is sinking 40 times faster than expected and terrible flooding could start wiping out businesses and homes within decades. The gorgeous coastal communities on Oahu - including Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and Ewa Beach - will face drastic changes as rising sea levels push them underwater and will
#Hawaii#USA#US
Public
Robert Sanscartier

Oil and arms protesters stage sit-in at Barclays Bank in centre of Cambridge

Multiple Cambridge protest groups staged a sit-in at Barclays on St Andrew’s Street to demand an end to the bank’s investments in fossil fuels and financing of weapons used by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza

cambridgeindependent.co.uk/new

Cambridge Independent · Oil and arms protesters stage sit-in at Barclays Bank in centre of CambridgeBy Mike Scialom
#Cambridge#UK#ClimateChange
Public
DoomsdaysCW

A river ‘died’ overnight in #Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a #Chinese-owned #mine

By RICHARD KILLE and JACOB ZIMBA
March 15, 2025

KITWE, Zambia (AP) — "Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that contaminated a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of #pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream.

"The spill happened on Feb. 18 when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a #CopperMine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.

"The collapse allowed some 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids and heavy metals to flow into a stream that links to the #KafueRiver, Zambia’s most important waterway, the engineering institution said.

"'It is an #environmental disaster really of catastrophic consequences,' said Chilekwa Mumba, an environmental activist who works in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province."

apnews.com/article/mining-poll
#RecycleCopper #CopperMining #Pollution #WaterIsLife #Africa

Public
BellingenNSW

Tonnes of microplastics infiltrate Australia’s agricultural soils each year
How microplastics affects soil and food health

"We found every kilogram of compost contains between 1,500 and 16,000 microplastic particles. In weight, this equates to between 7 and 760 milligrams of microplastics per kilogram of compost. "

"In Australia, about 26% of compost produced at organic waste processing facilities is used in agriculture. So, we estimate that between 2.7 and 206 tonnes of microplastics is being transported to Australian agricultural land from compost each year."

"The absence of clear guidelines leaves composting facilities, waste processors, and end users vulnerable to unintended plastic pollution."
>>
theconversation.com/tonnes-of-
#plastic #pollution #microplastics #waste #agriculture #soil #food #compost #landfill #regulation

'Natural' garbage, Bellingen, mainly plastic packaging
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