The map above shows the distribution of litter and microplastic throughout the Earth's oceans. (Alfred-Wegener-Institut/AWI-Litterbase) For decades, litter and other debris have been piling up in parts of the planet's oceans, posing a serious threat to marine life and humankind. Researchers are tackling this environmental issue with an interactive database of ocean pollution. Even .Trash has been found several miles below the water’s surface and creatures living in the Mariana Trenchhave been contaminated with persistent organic pollutants. To track the...

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch may be cleaned up sooner than previously thought, thanks to new developments from Dutch scientists. The Ocean Cleanup has announced it will begin next year, according to a release. It has increased the efficiency of its ocean-cleaning technologies and their models suggest they can have half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch cleaned up in just five years. Boyan Slat, 22, launched the foundation after a run in with marine debris. “When I was 16...

The Climeworks direct carbon capture plant in Switzerland removes carbon dioxide from ambient air. A Swiss company has launched the world’s first to commercially remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and turn it into a useful product. , which launched its new facility near Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday, compresses CO2 it captures and uses it as fertilizer to grow crops in greenhouses. The company wants to dramatically scale its technology over the next decade, and its long-term goal is...

At a Glance Because the U.S. is a huge contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, scientists say pulling out of the pact would worsen an already bad problem.It would make it far more difficult to prevent crossing a dangerous global temperature threshold. With reports coming out of Washington Wednesday that President Donald Trump intends to make good on , scientists and environmentalists are chiming in, calling the move a "historical mistake." Trump, who famously called global warming a Chinese hoax, said...

At a Glance The foam is loaded with harmful nutrients that enter Varthur Lake through untreated sewage.It has become a yearly occurrence that has angered residents. Residents living near Bangalore's Varthur Lake in southern India are dealing with a nasty and potentially dangerous problem — toxic foam. Heavy monsoonal rain and thunderstorms have triggered a new episode of, according to the Bangalore Mirror.The foam is rising from the lake and onto the streets of the capital city, known locally as...

At a Glance Beachgoers left Florida's Siesta Key Beach trashed over the Memorial Day weekend.Local officials and volunteers organized Wednesday to clean up the beach.Siesta Key Beach was named the best beach in the U.S. in 2011 and again in 2017. A Florida beach named the best beach in America in 2011 and 2017 was trashed by beachgoers who didn't clean up after themselves over the Memorial Day weekend. The mess prompted a massive cleanup effort by Sarasota residents Wednesday....

At a Glance Trump made good on a campaign promise Thursday to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.The president said he 'cannot in good conscience support a deal which punishes the United States.'Obama responded to the announcement, saying 'the nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created.' President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will pull the United States out of the Paris agreement on climate change,...

The saga of theis about reach its stunning conclusion. Scientists have watched a rift grow along one of Antarctica’s ice shelves for years. Now it’s in the final days of cutting off a piece of ice that will be one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. It’s the latest dreary news from the icy underbelly of the planet, which has seen warm air and water reshape the landscape in profound ways. The crack has spread 17 miles over the past...

The photo above shows Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Honolulu, Hawaii. The coral reefs at the popular tourist destination are threatened by coral bleaching triggered by warmer ocean waters. (Courtesy of TripAdvisor) At a Glance Coral bleaching has threatened one of Hawaii's most popular reefs.Almost 50 percent of the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve's coral reef was bleached between October 2015 and January 2016. The colorful reefs inhabiting one of Hawaii’s most popular destinations face a major threat as coral bleaching...

A Chinese national flag flutters in front of high-rise office buildings in heavy smog in the Central Business District of Binzhou city, east China's Shandong Province, 20 December 2016. (Imaginechina via AP Images) At a Glance China seems poisedto become the world's leader in the renewable energy industry.Coal remains the dominant energy-producing fuel in China.The country leads the world in greenhousegas emissions. The U.S. is second. With President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, China seems...

Carbon dioxide levels reached a new monthly peak in May. At a Glance Carbon dioxide peaked at an all-time monthly high in May.Levels reached a peak of 409.65 parts per million for the year, and they normally peak in May every year. With May in the books, it’s official: carbon dioxide set an all-time monthly record. It’s a sobering annual reminder that humans are pushing the climate into a state unseen in millions of years. Carbon dioxide peaked at 409.65...

At a Glance Massive craters created by methane blowouts centuries ago are still leaking the greenhouse gas.The melting of other ice sheets could cause similar eruptions in the future. While it's been centuries since more than 100 giant craters on the Arctic sea floor were created by massive eruptions of methane gas, the craters are still leaking methane — a major contributor to global warming, according to a new study. Nearly 12,000 years after the initial explosions, thestudy, published in...

At a Glance Trump does believe in climate change, says U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.It has been hard to pin down whether Trump does or does not believe in climate change. President Donald Trump does believe in climate change and the role humans have in it, Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, . Haley made her comments for an interview on CNN's “State of the Union.” Her comments seem to partially answer a question that has been...