Environment

Written by: Kimberly White Germany is taking a step forward in the battle against plastic pollution. The German Cabinet has agreed to end the sale of several single-use plastic products beginning next year.  Single-use plastic straws, food containers, and cotton buds...

Written by: Charlotte Edmond Just because a net is no longer being used doesn’t mean it can’t continue to catch things. Italian divers have freed a sperm whale entangled in a fishing net off the northern coast of Sicily. The...

Written by: David Elliott Dive beneath the brilliant blue waters surrounding Thailand’s Koh Tao island and you might come face to face with a giant sculpture of the sea goddess Mazu. But a closer look reveals an even bigger surprise –...

Written by: Jennifer Silver, Leslie Acton, Lisa Campbell, and Noella Gray Oceans cover 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface. But, because many of us spend most of our lives on land, the 362 million square kilometres of blue out...

Written by: Kimberly White  Ethiopia has set out to plant 5 billion tree seedlings this year. The planting is part of the country's larger reforestation initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.  Launched in 2019, the Green Legacy initiative aims to...

Written by: Jörg Wiedenmann and Cecilia D'Angelo Ocean heatwaves cause vast coral bleaching events almost every year due to climate change, threatening reefs around the world. The high water temperatures stress reef building corals, causing them to eject the photosynthetic...

Written by: Malaka Rodrigo Kelanimulla is one of the last remaining wetlands in Sri Lanka’s western district of Colombo, and is a refuge for urban wildlife, including the elusive fishing cat. The wetland absorbs runoff from the Kelani River, playing a key role...

Written by: Ross Chainey “Ghost nets” – fishing gear that has been lost or abandoned in our oceans – are a deadly menace for sea life, marine habitats and even the fishermen responsible for putting them there. It is estimated that...

Written by: Kate Whiting People on the Pacific archipelago of Palau firmly believe in the old saying, "We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children." For centuries, they have been managing their delicate...

Written by: Kimberly White This story was originally published on May 11, 2019 and has been updated and republished in honor of Wildfire Awareness Month. The Smokey Bear wildfire prevention campaign was launched 76 years ago in 1944 and is the...