#Microplastics found in every human testicle in study. Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in sperm counts in men around the world. Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades, with CHEM POLUT such as pesticides implicated by many studies. Microplastics: discovered in human blood, placentas & breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of people’s bodies -shown to cause damage to human cells in the lab. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/20/microplastics-human-testicles-study-sperm-counts
Hopes for a worldwide plastics treaty gained some momentum at the fourth of five scheduled summits to hash out an agreement. But while the week-long session of the UN International Negotiating Committee made some headway, it didn’t leave environmentalists feeling overly optimistic.
In the wake of the plastics treaty talks in Ottawa, a new report highlights the severe impacts of plastics and petrochemicals on Arctic Indigenous communities.
Indigenous delegates were left with bittersweet feelings that negotiations did not lead to commitments to cut plastic production, while oil companies and producing countries say more recycling is the answer.
56 Companies Responsible for Half of Global Plastic Pollution That Researchers Could Trace
A new study on plastic pollution in 84 countries has linked half of branded plastic pollution to only 56 firms, with about 24% of the branded plastic waste analyzed connected to only five companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria.
Fewer than 60 multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution, with five responsible for a quarter of that.
The top five brands globally were The Coca-Cola Company (11%), PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%), and Altria (2%), accounting for 24% of the total branded count
Almost a 2 #Timmies/ m² (on @saskboy 's scale) in one area during the plog today.
Found a few of these thin plastic strips, which are from the tar lines on asphalt shingles. They easily get caught in the wind and blow away. Often find them wrapped around tall grasses. Can they not use paper strips instead? #PlasticPollution#PlasticPollutionTreaty
Coca-Cola by itself is responsible for 11% of all identifiable plastic pollution. Eleven percent! And they've fought tooth and nail against any legislation that makes them responsible for it.
Global plastic pollution treaty talks hit critical stage in Canada - “Each day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. People are increasingly breathing, eating and drinking tiny plastic particles.” If these talks don’t include product caps, manufacturing constraints, they won’t work. #Recycling is not enough by itself to stem the tide of #PlasticPollution#PFAS#plastic#environment#oceans#capitalism#pollutionhttps://apnews.com/article/aad9d558ffaaab65a7e6a9cdd1ebe50f
Which foods have the most plastics? CNN says ninety percent of animal and vegetable protein samples tested in research published in February tested positive for microplastics. Other studies said vegetables can absorb microplastics through their root systems, and salt and sugar can also contain plastic. Here's the full story, including some advice on reducing your exposure. Tell us: Which of these proteins do you think contains the most plastic?
The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. CNN explores one place where a lot of it ends up: the Western coast of Java in Indonesia.
And, the fourth stop on the drafting of a global plastics treaty is presently underway in Ottawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F77XFvSMTVo
A fifth and final summit will be held in South Korea later this year. Hopefully, whatever is decided upon has a binding, meaningful purpose, and isn't just a feel-good exercise. #PlasticPollution#PlasticPollutionTreaty#Oceans
Norwegian-Swiss research team has ID'd "more than 16,000 chemicals in plastic products in the first comprehensive database of all known plastic chemicals [it hopes will inform] international negotiations for a treaty to curb plastic use & production"
“at least 25% of these are chemicals of concern [with] tendency to persist without degrading, ability to build up in [living] organisms, mobility through the environment & toxicity"
As Calgary experiences a backlash against its single use plastics bylaw, this report is pretty relevant:
"But as DeSmog reported last year, advanced recycling is an industry concept, not a scientific one. In fact, according to CCI, “‘Advanced recycling’ is the industry’s most recent false solution intended to shield petrochemical companies from backlash associated with the plastic waste crisis they have created.”
Am I alone in being completely unsurprised by any of this?
Of course they knew. But free market capitalism doesn’t care about waste. It’s external to the money flow model. It only cares about capital and there were (arguably still are) no market incentives to fix the waste problem. So they haven’t.