Eco News Round Up April 2017

  • Richard Robinson
  • 20th April 2017

 Study suggests Arctic Ocean contains 300 billion pieces of plastic.

A study by the Marine Conservation Society suggests that there are over 300 billion pieces of plastic floating in the Arctic Ocean. This plastic has travelled hundreds of miles with the oceans currents and then finally accumulating around the Arctic circle. This has devastating effects on the marine life native to these waters, with fish choking to death and starving due to the amount of indigestable food in their stomachs. 

Plastic concentration around the Arctic

Alarmingly, the article claims that a quarter of all fish now contain plastic, which could also have adverse effects on the human population.

 This should be a wake up call to all, producers, retailers and consumers alike that we have to rethink how we use plastic

Trump signs order undoing Obama climate change policies. 

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order rolling back Obama-era rules aimed at curbing climate change. This promises to create thousands of jobs within the US, but at what cost? Trump has vowed to end the "War on Coal" lifting restrictions on the fossil fuel industry put in place by the previous administration. 

 US electricity generation by source

Record Amounts of renewable energy added to the mix in 2016.

It's not all bad news for the environment. An article by New Scientist reports that record amounts of renewable energy were added to the energy system last year, with 11.3% of the total energy created now being renewable. As costs of creating the technology fall, and efficiency constantly increasing, we now have the potential to step up the renewables in the coming years.

 Wind farm

Earth Day 2017

The 22nd May marks this years Earth Day with campaigns planned across the world involving education institutions, businesses and environmental groups. Visit the Earth Day website for more information on how to get involved.