Scale of microplastics in Antarctic revealed in preliminary survey results

(Image: IAEA)By Alex Hunt, World Nuclear News, in ViennaThe first results of the pioneering scientific research project launched earlier this year have catalogued microplastic particles in the sea water, sediment and animals in Antarctica.The preliminary results were outlined during an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference session focusing on the study, which is supported by Argentina and forms part of the wider IAEA NUTEC plastics initiative, which aims to use nuclear technologies to tackle plastic pollution.Nathalie Bernard, from the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories and University of Buenos Aires, unveiling the results, said that "sadly we have found microplastics everywhere, on every sample, every matrix". She said that the concentrations of microplastics varied by location and by day.More than 250 samples were collected from the Almirante Irizer icebreaker, which sailed 27,209 kilometres over 125 days covering 84 sampling stations. Over the course of a week 166 samples were collected from Argentina's Carlini research station base as part of what was described as the first study of microplastics pollution from South America to Antarctica.The samples were of water, of sediment and also of penguin droppings and shellfish. Bernard said: "All of these results were possible thanks to nuclear techniques,...

Read More........→August 14, 2025

IIT Madras’ new agri-waste-based packaging material to help reduce plastic use

New Delhi, (IANS): Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed an agriculture waste-based packaging material, which can be a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic foams used in packaging.The researchers demonstrated that mycelium-based biocomposites grown on agricultural and paper waste provide quality in packaging while being biodegradable.The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Bioresource Technology Reports, offer a practical solution to two major problems -- plastic pollution and agricultural waste disposal.By converting agricultural residues into high-strength, biodegradable packaging materials, the mycelium-based biocomposites will directly support plastic waste reduction in the country -- currently exceeding 4 million tonnes annually.“In India, over 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste are generated annually, much of which is burned or left to decay, causing air pollution and wasting valuable resources. Our research aimed to address both challenges -- plastic pollution and agricultural waste -- by developing mycelium-based biocomposites as sustainable, biodegradable packaging materials,” said Dr. Lakshminath Kundanati, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT Madras.For the research, the team cultivated fungi such as...

Read More........→August 06, 2025

Lizard Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef faces alarming coral loss following 2024 bleaching

Sydney, (IANS) Lizard Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered one of the world's worst coral die-offs, with 92 per cent of surveyed corals lost after the 2024 bleaching event, new research has revealed.Researchers used drone imagery to assess the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event in 2024 at Lizard Island, where 96 per cent of corals were bleached and mortality averaged 92 per cent, with some sites losing over 99 per cent of corals, according to a statement released recently by Australia's Griffith University."This marks one of the highest coral mortality rates ever documented globally," said the study's lead researcher Vincent Raoult from Griffith University's School of Environment. Raoult described the mortality as "unprecedented," especially given that Lizard Island experienced less heat stress than other parts of the Great Barrier Reef.Drone technology enabled precise mapping of the widespread bleaching, said Jane Williamson from the Macquarie University in Sydney, also the study's senior author, who stressed the urgent need for climate action, warning that repeated heatwaves could irreversibly damage coral reefs, Xinhua news agency reported.Lizard Island's reefs remain fragile after years of repeated damage, such as bleaching, cyclones, and Crown-of-Thorns outbreaks, and scientists will monitor them through 2026...

Read More........→July 22, 2025

Mercury Emissions Fall 70% Over the Last Four Decades Thanks to UN Treaty, Coal Phase-Out

A coal power plant in India – credit RawpixelA study examining mercury concentrations in the leaves of alpine plants has revealed that humanity has reduced worldwide exposure to this most toxic of heavy metals substantially.Controlled via a UN treaty called the Minamata Convention on Mercury Emissions, mercury (Hg) enters the atmosphere through a variety of natural and anthropogenic avenues.Artisanal and small-scale gold mining, coal burning, and cement and nonferrous metals production all release several thousands tons of mercury into the atmosphere every year.Much like carbon dioxide, the oceans also emit mercury—between 400-1,300 metric tons per year. Terrestrial sources include volcanic eruptions and other geothermal features, the weathering of mercury-containing rocks, soil erosion, and wildfires, and contribute around the same amount as the oceans.Anthropogenic sources, however, contribute as much as the land and oceans together; or at least they once did.A team of Chinese scientists from schools in Tianjin, Beijing, Tibet, and Nanjing has found that Hg concentrations in the atmosphere reduced by 70% since a peak in the year 2000. For the next 20 years, the levels continually dropped, corresponding with a reduced reliance on coal for power and the implementation of the Minamata Convention in 2013.The scientists were able to...

Read More........→July 14, 2025

Experts meet to strategise Caribbean climate change, health

Dr Maria Neira. -THE Caricom region is best poised to act as a champion for making health systems climate resilient, as it is the most affected by the effects of climate change. It must use its lived experience to advocate for the intersection of climate change and health on the global stage.World Health Organisation director of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health Dr Maria Neira made the call to participants at the three-day conference titled A Regional Response: Advancing Climate And Health Together, held from June 17-19 in Bridgetown, Barbados.She said facing climate change will require more political commitment, as well as innovation, commitment, speed and ambition from health professionals and sectors which support the environment, while communicating to societies why this was important. She said the Caribbean was one region which did not need an explanation on the impacts of climate change.“You are among the most vulnerable countries, but being among the most vulnerable gives you the possibility of having the most experience, more position to do something because you would know how important it is. You understand how to respond to the challenges of climate change, to protect our health, how to argue for more actionable adaptation to climate change. There is no way we can escape the need to adapt to...

Read More........→June 25, 2025