Mythbusting: Five common misperceptions surrounding the environmental impacts of single-use plastics
Stand in the soda pop aisle at the supermarket, surrounded by rows of brightly colored plastic bottles and metal cans, and it’s easy to conclude that the main environmental problem here is an overabundance of single-use containers: If we simply recycled more of them, we’d go a long way toward minimizing impacts. In reality, most of the environmental impacts of many consumer products, including soft drinks, are tied to the products inside, not the packaging, according to an environmental engineer.
Globalized economy making water, energy and land insecurity worse
The first large-scale study of the risks that countries face from dependence on water, energy and land resources has found that globalisation may be decreasing, rather than increasing, the security of global supply chains.
Globalized economy making water, energy and land insecurity worse: Study
(University of Cambridge) The first large-scale study of the risks that countries face from dependence on water, energy and land resources has found that globalisation may be decreasing, rather than increasing, the security of global supply chains.
Fipronil, a common insecticide, disrupts aquatic communities in the U.S.
(Colorado State University) The research team found a common insecticide, fipronil, and related compounds were more toxic to stream communities than previous research has found.
Are bushmeat hunters aware of zoonotic disease? Yes, but that’s not the issue
A recent article outlines how researchers with the measured the attitudes, practices and zoonoses awareness among community members associated with the bushmeat trade in northern Uganda.
Simple actions can help people survive landslides
(University of Washington) Simple actions can dramatically improve a person’s chances of surviving a landslide, according to records from 38 landslides in the US and around the world. People who survived landslides tended to show key behaviors such as being aware of the risk, moving to higher ground, and making noise if buried.
Protected areas help waterbirds adapt to climate change
Climate change pushes species distribution areas northward. However, the expansion of species ranges is not self-evident due to e.g. habitat degradation and unsustainable harvesting caused by human activities. A new study suggests that protected areas can facilitate wintering waterbird adaptation to climate warming by advancing their range shifts towards north.
Severe air pollution drives food delivery consumption and plastic waste
When the air outside is bad, office workers are more likely to order food delivery than go out for lunch, which in turn increases plastic waste from food packaging, according to a study by researchers from the National University of Singapore.
Artificial cyanobacterial biofilm can sustain green ethylene production for over a month
Ethylene is one of the most important and widely used organic chemicals. A research group has designed a thin-layer artificial biofilm with embedded cyanobacterial cell factories which were specifically engineered for photosynthetic production of ‘green’ ethylene. The fabricated biofilms have sustained ethylene production for up to 40 days.
Mapping out rest stops for migrating birds
A team of researchers have developed a new metric called the stopover-to-passage ratio that can help determine if a majority of birds are flying over a particular site or stopping at the site to refuel or rest. The answer to this question can have important implications for what action is ultimately taken on the ground to help migratory birds.
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