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NEWS ABOUT: pollution

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Ocean Floor Littered With Recyclables

Plastics, metals especially common

(Newser) - The ocean floor has a disturbing amount of trash on it—and a disturbing amount of it could have been recycled. Researchers from the California's Monterey Bay Aquarium have pored over a huge amount of video clips of trash discovered along the coast from Canada to California to Hawaii,... More »

Everest Has Become a Huge Mess

Literally and figuratively...

(Newser) - This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first American to scale Mount Everest. Back in 1963, it was a feat only a handful of skilled adventurers accomplished. Today, hundreds of often inexperienced, ill-prepared thrill-seekers attempt the ascent every year. Most now survive, but as a result, the mountain has... More »

EPA: 55% of US Streams, Rivers in Bad Shape

Survey finds just a fifth of waterways in good health

(Newser) - America's millions of miles of rivers and streams are in terrible shape, an extensive Environmental Protection Agency survey has found. After sampling close to 2,000 locations ranging from the Mississippi to tiny streams, the EPA found that just a fifth of rivers and streams are in good enough... More »

Air Pollution Is Going to Be China's Biggest Export

William Pesek: This 'geopolitical headache' has dangerous implications

(Newser) - Home to 16 of the 20 dirtiest cities on Earth, some of the world's filthiest waters, and deadly, particulate-filled air, China is growing so polluted that it is threatening both the Communist Party's leadership at home and the quality of life around the region, writes William Pesek in... More »

Ozone Hole Smallest It's Been in a Decade

Chlorofluorocarbon ban appears to be improving Earth's ozone

(Newser) - One of the most infamous symbols of man's assault on the planet is actually diminishing: The ozone hole over Antarctica was smaller in 2012 than it has been in 10 years, reports LiveScience . Scientists credit the improvement to the worldwide ban on chlorofluorocarbons, which cause the hole to appear... More »

State of the Union to Target Emissions Cuts

EPA could move to limit existing plants' greenhouse gases

(Newser) - President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address will follow up on his inaugural call to arms against climate change, insiders say. Though the specifics aren't clear yet, it's likely Obama will discuss limiting existing power plants' emissions—a plan that could depend on his use of... More »

Sitting in Traffic Cost Us Each $800 in 2011

Commuters released 56B extra pounds of carbon dioxide: study

(Newser) - This may not do much to quell road rage: America's commuters each wasted an average of $818 in time and gas while stuck in traffic in 2011, a yearly study finds, for a total of $121 billion nationwide. That's up $1 billion from the year before, the AP... More »

Beijing Pollution Off the Charts—Again

On scale that goes to 500, it registers 526

(Newser) - Once again , air pollution in Beijing is literally off the charts. It's gotten so bad that airlines have had to cancel flights as locals wear face masks for protection, and state news says it's difficult to see beyond 100 yards in sections of eastern China. Airborne particulate... More »

Historic Cathedral Can Be Saved With ... Olive Oil?

Brits hope to keep York Minister from falling apart

(Newser) - Nothing like a little salad dressing to rescue an 800-year-old cathedral. British scientists and archaeologists tasked with saving York Minister, a stunning cathedral in northern England, say olive oil may do the trick, NPR reports. The oil's main ingredient—oleic acid—could protect the building's stones from acid... More »

'Cash for Clunkers' Polluted America: Report

Federal program left millions of tons of waste in junkyards

(Newser) - "Cash for Clunkers" made America cleaner, right? Not according to a report that says the scrapping of old vehicles left a shocking amount of twisted metal in junkyards—some 3 million to 4.5 million tons of waste, RawStory reports. The feds touted the program as pro-green because Americans... More »

Tehran Pollution So Bad That Going Out Is 'Suicide'

City shuts down for days until winds pick up

(Newser) - When the potent mix of cold weather and windless days hits Tehran, so does pollution so thick that it shuts down buildings and stings the eyes and throat, prompting calls to stay indoors. Schools, banks, and government buildings were closed for five days last week in an effort to cut... More »

China's Growth Destroyed 80% of Its Coral Reefs

Alarming degradation found, 'window of opportunity' to save them closing

(Newser) - Thirty years of dynamic growth in China has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, but the environmental damage has been brutal. The latest evidence: More than 80% of its coral reefs are gone, thanks to development, overfishing, and pollution, reports AFP . A new report calls the damage "a... More »

Isaac Brings Old Oil to La. Beaches

Tar could be leftover from BP oil spill

(Newser) - The latest fallout from Hurricane Isaac: The storm caused old oil to wash up on beaches in Louisiana, and it may be from the Deepwater Horizon spill. Officials restricted fishing and are testing the tar to determine if it's from the 2010 BP spill, the AP reports. Wildlife management... More »

Found in Pacific Waters Off Oregon: Caffeine

Scientists see it as evidence of little-noticed human pollution

(Newser) - Be careful if you go to the beach in the Pacific Northwest; you might get a buzz. Samples of Pacific Ocean water taken off the coast of Oregon reveal surprising levels of caffeine, according to a new study spotted by National Geographic . And no, it didn't get there naturally.... More »

Plastic in Pacific Has Grown 100-Fold Since 1970s

Study takes a look at the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'

(Newser) - Humanity has tossed a lot of plastic into the Pacific Ocean in the last 40 years. The level of small plastic pieces in the so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has increased 100-fold over that span, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found in a new study. "We did not... More »

Global Warming's Cost on Oceans: $2T a Year by 2100

SEI report estimates 4-degree rise over the century

(Newser) - Unless action is taken to protect them, damage to the world's oceans could reach $1.98 trillion annually by 2100, according to a study released today by the Stockholm Environment Institute. The principle culprit: climate change, which will cause rising sea levels, ocean acidification, marine pollution, species migrations, and... More »

Oceans Acidifying at Highest Rate in 300M Years

Columbia researchers warn of dangers to marine life

(Newser) - Industrial emissions are causing the oceans to acidify at a fast rate—the fastest in 300 million years, say researchers from Columbia University. That could spell danger for sea creatures. In the last century alone, the pH of the oceans dropped by 0.1 units. That's 10 times faster... More »

China's Air Quality Data Suspiciously Sunny

Expert calls new data 'surprising'

(Newser) - The Chinese government, under fire from its citizens about its unbelievably upbeat pollution reports , has started to release more detailed data about smog in Beijing, reports the AP . For the first time, Beijing's official weather website yesterday included readings about PM2.5, or particulate matter less than 2.5... More »

Fleece Jackets Polluting the World's Oceans

Polyester fibers come off in the wash: study

(Newser) - The Stuff White People Like blog has mocked people for wearing "outdoor performance clothes" everywhere they go, but who knew those fleece pullovers are also dirtying up our oceans. A recent study shows that nearly 2,000 polyester fibers can come loose from one piece of clothing in the... More »

Cynical Chinese Taking Own Smog Readings

Rail against government's 'fog' label

(Newser) - The Chinese know smog when they see it—even when the government calls it "fog." So Beijing citizens are taking their own pollution readings. "If people know what their air is like, they are more likely to take action," said a researcher at an environmental group... More »

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