An international law enforcement operation against maritime pollution has revealed hundreds of violations and exposed serious cases of contamination worldwide. Codenamed 30 Days at Sea, the month-long (1 to 31 October) operation saw some 276 law enforcement and environmental agencies across 58 countries detect over 500 offences, including illegal discharges of oil and garbage from vessels, ship-breaking, breaches of ship emissions regulations, and pollution on rivers and land-based runoff to the sea.
At least ten people were killed on Saturday when a hillside collapsed in a poor neighborhood near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The mudslide buried six homes in the municipality of Niteroi following days of heavy rains in the area. Among those killed were a 3-year-old child and a 10-month-old baby.
President Philippe Germain of New Caledonia committed to protecting 200,000 to 400,000 square kilometers of marine waters within the Coral Sea Natural Park, which the government established in 2014.
The earth's protective ozone layer is finally healing from damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants, a new United Nations report said. The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Scientist raised the alarm and ozone-depleting chemicals were phased out worldwide.
A tiny parasite is leading Australian scientists to rethink how they view Antarctic food chains, after a research showed these microscopic organisms were present in quantities far larger than previously thought, it was reported Monday.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has again failed to take action to protect the Southern Ocean, with no progress made on the critical issues of marine protected areas, climate change, and transshipment.
Shale gas has flowed for the first time at the UK's only fracking site currently in operation, energy firm Cuadrilla says. Operations began at the Lancashire site in October for the first time since 2011 when it was suspended because of earth tremors. There have been suspensions of the renewed underground drilling operations after further tremors in the area.
The world’s oceans may be heating up faster than previously thought — meaning the planet could have even less time to avoid catastrophic global warming than predicted just weeks ago by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
British overseas territories hit by natural disasters could get access to foreign aid under plans agreed by the richest nations, according to a report from the BBC. Some Caribbean islands damaged last year by hurricanes did not get official development assistance because their national incomes were too high.
An organization that promotes responsible tourism in Antarctica is embarking on its own digital adventure after partnering with Leeds agency Elementary Digital. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) represents more than 100 Antarctic tour operators who are committed to minimizing the impact of travel to this remote and vulnerable region.