Pollution

When we hear about microplastic particles polluting the ocean, the usual suspected sources are degraded plastic goods and synthetic textile fibers. A new study, however, suggests that much of the blame lies with hull coatings on ships.

While much of the criticism surrounding the burning of fossil fuels focuses on the long term impacts to the health of the planet, it can also have devastating short-term effects on the health of the human population, a new study has found.

Removing the vast amounts of plastic waste already polluting our oceans is going to need tackling in a number of ways. But the flow of plastic from rivers also needs to be stopped, and that's what Vietnam's trash traps are designed to do.

Shifting to alternative propulsion technologies could go a long way toward cleaning up the pollution created by the aviation sector, and a new design by MIT scientists could cut as much as 95 percent of a plane’s harmful nitrogen oxide emissions.

One of the problems with microplastics pollution is the fact that the plastic particles are very small, and thus difficult to trap or neutralize when widely dispersed in water. That's why a new technique is being developed to eliminate them at their source, where they're highly concentrated.

The Ocean Cleanup is ramping up production of its Interceptor plastic trash removers in partnership with Konecranes, with a thousand of the world's most heavily polluting rivers in its sights.

Scientists are gaining a clearer picture of how far-reaching plastic pollution might be. The latest discovery in this area comes from high altitude, with researchers uncovering evidence of microplastics just below the summit of Mt Everest.

Scientists have developed what they claim is the smallest particle sensor in the world, designed specifically to detect harmful pollutants and offer a highly localized picture of air quality by being integrated into wearables and mobile devices.

Scientists at the University of Utah have come up with a relatively low-tech solution for air quality monitoring, demonstrating how the buildup of magnetic particles on tree leaves can be used to gauge the quality of the surrounding air.

While we hear a great deal about the huge patches of garbage that are floating on the world's oceans, there's even more trash lying on the seabed. The European Union-funded SeaClear project aims to gather much of it up, using autonomous robots.

While electric vehicles usually cost more for the consumer at the point of purchase, a new study has applied a much broader scope to the economics of green transportation, and found it could actually save the US tens of billions of dollars each year.

Scientists have begun to uncover evidence of how the digestive systems of certain animals can play a part in plastic fragmentation, with the latest concerning a small crustacean that can turn microplastics into “nanoplastics” in just four days.