The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is known to be an “island” of trash, mainly plastic, floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is well known that it has vastly negative effects for marine life, and these shocking pictures from photographer Chris Jordan drive the point home.
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Indoor plants for a brighter day?

In my past I used to specialize in raising dried flower arrangements.  Yes, I said raise.  I would take healthy plants water them, subject them to vast amounts of cigarette smoke and then neglect them.  They would dry out and die.  Eureka!  Instant dried flowers.

As I matured, I saw the benefits of plants (properly taken care of) in the home.  They were pleasant to look at and gave me some relaxation in getting an ivy plant to string all around the room at the ceiling and wall borders.  I would never have imagined they could have improved the air.

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The United States-based oil and gas giant, Exxon Mobil Corporation, has been ordered to pay $507.5 million in punitive damages plus interest for the oil spill that occurred off Alaska in 1989.

Clean-up of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska

The order issued by the Ninth US Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, was consistent with the figure suggested by the Supreme Court in 2008.

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We may not be right about our estimates of the worst polluting commuters, at least I wasn’t, with the airplane topping my list. A study conducted by Mikhail Chester and Arpath Hovard of the University of California, Berkeley, has revealed that all our assumptions aren’t correct and it is the train not the plane that causes maximum damage.

Steam Train

The study took into consideration aspects that we never thought of before, comparing 11 modes of transportation on an equal footing. The comparison is well drawn as it considers the pollution created by factories whilst manufacturing the commuters, the distance traveled in the lifetime and even the number of passengers on each commuter in a lifetime.

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Some confidential data from maritime industry insiders (based on engine size and the quality of fuel typically used by ships and cars) shows that just 15 of the world’s biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as the entire 760m cars on world’s roads today. And it’s not just an environmental issue, but also a health problem for people exposed to shipping pollution.

Image by akpt

Following the recent decision by the US government to impose a strict 230-mile buffer zone along the entire US coast, pressure is now mounting on the UN’s International Maritime Organization and the EU to tighten laws governing ships emissions.

With low-quality fuel being used to cut on costs, the pollution from the 90,000 ocean-going cargo ships that operate 24 hours a day and 280 days a year is so huge that it puts the combined pollution from both aviation and auto industry to shame. Apparently coastal pollution leads to about 60,000 deaths a year in the US alone and sums up to $330 bn in health costs.

So will the emission standards for marine carriers across the planet be set anytime soon? Looks unlikely for now, isn’t it? [via Guardian]

Pollution seems to be having more adverse effects than once thought and with each passing day one is finding new ways and means in which it destroys life and causes harm both to humans and animals.

However, this is something that will concern all the guys across the planet. New findings suggest that if water pollution continues at the rate it is going and if the rivers continue to become a cocktail of chemicals, then fertility problems in guys could only start growing!

It’s no new fact that the female sex hormone estrogen found in contraceptive pills, is causing the feminization of fish and in some cases can lead to male fish changing sex. Researchers now believe that Anti-androgens, which are found in a number of medicines including cancer treatment drugs and pesticides used in agriculture, could have the same impact on humans – though not to an extent where it could change our sex. Found in most of the English rivers, they could have a serious effect on fertility of men as they have tendency to block the male hormone.

While this will not be the singular source for growing infertility in men, a long list of chemicals that were previously though to be ‘not too harmful’ could be causing more damage than before, so better get yourself some clean water guys … Clean Water!

Source: TheTelegraph
An amazing image by crazscout

When people consider relocating simply because of the health threats air pollution brings up, there is something wrong with that city. We’re talking about large metropolis like Hong Kong where a study conducted by the think tank Civic Exchange revealed that 1 in 5 citizens – a total of 1.4 million – are considering fleeing the city, while 500,000 of these are “seriously considering or already planning to move”.

Most of those aware of the air problem include highly affluent, top earners and educated professionals who care about their health – and Singapore (long rivalry) wants them. Though breathability is a highly important chapter for cities to compete for, Hong Kong agrees on the fact that air quality is a “matter of life and death” but there aren’t any real measures taken.

Would you move out if you were living in Hong Kong?

GreenDaily via Yahoo!
Image by vagrantant

57 activists belonging to an environment organization called Plane Stupid were taken into custody by the Police after they broke on to the Stansted Airport runway area and caused trouble in the restricted region.

The protests lead to dozens of planes being canceled as the air traffic was halted for over 5 hours at the airport causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers who were eager to catch up with their holiday flights. The protesters are opposed to the government’s decision to allow the expansion of Stansted with a second runway as it would cause further damage to the planet, but the authorities refute their claim by saying that the aviation industry had become more fuel efficient in the last few years.

The protesters may be right, but the way they took action in their own hands, wasn’t the best option.

Source: Guardian

Everyone is aware that noise pollution is a source of irritability in most people. A recent study in San Francisco reveals that 1 out of 6 people living in San Francisco face risks of heart diseases, blood pressure and high stress. Any readers from SF that can comment on that noise pollution issue? Check out the video below.

The concern is not only of noise pollution from cars and trucks, which are the root causes, but also from trains, sirens and exhaust fans. A plan is being drafted with these considerations in mind so as to restructure building codes, land use regulations and transportation policy, thereby cutting down on the noise.

A second method to help reduce noise pollution would be to electrify the transportation system and use more and more hybrid vehicles that produce minimal or no sound at all. They are a more feasible choice.

Since cyclists, walkers and mass transit users cut down on the greenhouse effect and thereby creating a healthier environment, this means we should all make an effort to bring in this change. – via SFGate.com

I don’t know what interested me more, the fact that China has some areas that aren’t polluted or that a top rate Chinese news site doesn’t know how to spell: ” Yellow River presents beautifal autumn scenery “

Doesn’t matter in the long, I suppose … but we can marvel at the beauty that China has to offer. It’s not just about economic development, or destroying the planet’s resources, or even human rights issues. China has some beauty to boast of as well. I mean, how can you go wrong with a name like “Yellow Riiver?” the mother river, China’s second longest.

But then, autumn is pretty everywhere, no? Why not in China, too?