Plastic Bags and the marine environment

Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contributes to More 'Super Bacteria'

A new University of Minnesota study reveals that treated municipal wastewater even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology can result in significant quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbacteria," in surface waters.


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Wales is the only UK attendee at global sustainable development summit

Quebec is hosting a three-day global conference from August 29-31 on climate change and sustainable development, that is being attended by environment ministers and other representatives of subnational governments from over 35 countries - but Wales is the only attendee from the UK.


Wales' environment and sustainable development minister, John Griffiths, is attending the organisation's General Assembly. In a statement he said this was partly "to promote and develop Wales’ work on sustainable development and climate change".


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Human Feces Bacteria Could be the Cause of Death in Caribbean Elkhorn Corals

A mysterious disease that ravaged coral populations in the Caribbean and Florida Keys for more than a decade came from microbes living in human feces, a new study reveals. Elkhorn coral was once the most common coral in the Caribbean Sea, but now its populations have been reduced by nearly 90 percent over the past 15 years and it now faces great risk of extinction in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Turning the Tide

Preserving 4 Percent of the Ocean Could Protect Most Marine Mammal Species

Preserving just 4 percent of the ocean could protect crucial habitat for the vast majority of marine species, from sea otters to blue whales, according to research at Stanford University and the National autonomous University of Mexico.

Their findings were published in the Aug. 16 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Scientists call for protected areas to conserve deep sea environment

On Monday at the Census of Marine Life (COML) project, the 10 year assessment of the world's oceans completed in 2010, published their analysis of the impact humans are having on the deep sea. Their conclusions were stark: the largest habitat on Earth is being damaged by pollution, resource exploitation and climate change.

Lack of detailed scientific knowledge about the deep sea makes it a difficult environment to protect. One way to stop the damage is to create a network of marine protected areas.

The establishment of a network of marine reserves would safeguard the extraordinary and vulnerable deep sea environments that we are only just beginning to understand.

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Falmouth could become test site for wave devices

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) has submitted a licence application for an energy test site in Falmouth Bay, Cornwall. The application has been made to the Marine Management Organisation to undertake Marine Energy Works.

The Falmouth Bay test site, known as FabTest, would enable developers to cost-effectively trial wave energy devices in calm waters with easy access to the shore, prior to linking up to Wave Hub. It would not be connected to the grid.

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Diving the EX-HMAS Brisbane (July 2010)

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Scientists Say Marine Life Facing Mass Extinction

Growth of Cities Endangers Global Environment

The explosive growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades poses significant risks to people and the global environment, according to a meta-analysis published August 19 in PLoS ONE.

According to researchers at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies it is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse. These ares include forests, biological hotspots, savannas, coastlines, sensitive and vulnerable places.

Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. Research suggests that of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most vulnerable. People and infrastructure are at risk to flooding, tsunamis, hurricanes and other environmental disasters.

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Reform of EU fishing policy

The EU Commission has proposed major changes to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), designed to cut waste and stop overfishing in European waters.

Under the plan, the existing system of fishing quotas, which often leads to tonnes of perfectly good fish being dumped at sea, will be reformed.

The European Commission says the current policy is wasteful, 75% of stocks are still overfished and catches are only a fraction of what they were 15-20 years ago. Catches of cod for example have declined by 70% in the last 10 years.

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