Tackling the Problem of Plastic Waste on World Oceans Day

June 8 is World Oceans Day an opportunity to reflect on the importance of our oceans as well as solutions to the numerous threats they face. In 2017 the action focus is plastic pollution. Our oceans are indispensable to life of Earth and fate of humanity is intimately tied to their well-being. Our oceans are hotter and more acidic and they are increasingly unable to serve as carbon sinks. Coral reefs are dying and entire aquatic ecosystems are being destroyed. Norwegian billionaire and ocean advocate Kjell Inge Røkke aptly summarized situation when he said, "the oceans are also under greater pressure than ever before from overfishing, coastal pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and ocean acidification, and one of the most pressing challenges of all, plasticization of the ocean. The need for knowledge and solutions is pressing."

Infographic - Plastic and the 5 Ocean Gyres

The Problems and Solutions of e-Waste (Video)

This video reviews the issues related to e-waste, it also addresses some of the solutions. This video specifically reviews how Sprint, through its buy-back program, is helping to solve the monumental problem of e-waste.

Since 2001, Sprint's takeback program has collected more than 4,000 metric tons of electronic waste which comprises more than 40 million wireless devices. These programs not only keep phones out of landfills they have helped the company avoid more than $1 billion in costs. In 2011 Sprint recycled more than 11 million wireless devices, over 211,000 on average per week. Sprint is the first and only US wireless carrier to outline specific commitments that address electronic waste (e-waste) holistically.

US e-waste is Polluting Toxic Dumps in Ghana (Video)

How are the west's 'recycled' TVs and computers ending up in a toxic dump in Ghana? Dateline investigates the trade in e-waste which is poisoning a once picturesque part of Africa.

The US Desire to be "Green" is Causing an e-waste Hell China (Video)

The best intentions to be green can flow from the United States into a e-waste hell. In with the new, means out with the old. The US throws out over 100 million cell phones per year and while people may think they are disposing of the phones in an eco-friendly fashion, the truth of where this waste actually ends up is a far different story.

Greenpeace e-Waste Investigation (Video)

Greenpeace has been investigating the immoral and illegal e-waste dumping in developing countries since 2002. After China, India, Pakistan and Ghana, this is the story of how one very broken TV managed to avoid being tested and recycled according to EU regulations and instead ended up in Nigeria as "second hand goods.

Whats the Fracking Problem?

Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” has been associated with water contamination, global warming-causing air pollution, health problems, falling property values and even earthquakes. Each year fracking pumps billions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground under high pressure to force open cracks and release natural gas.

According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the chemicals used in fracking fluids include over 750 different chemicals. Some are innocuouse (salt, gelatin) while others pose significant human health hazards (methanol, isopropanol and 2-butoxyethanol). About 650 of the 750 chemicals used in fracking operations are known carcinogens, according to the report filed with the U.S. House of Representatives in April 2011. They include toxic chemicals like benzene and tholuene.

Natural Gas is Not Clean Energy

Natural gas has garnered a lot of attention, but the research reveals it is anything but clean. To increase domestic energy production and reduce reliance on coal, there is a natural gas boom in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, reliance on natural gas is not a panacea to our energy woes. According to a February 2012 study published in Nature, extracting and producing natural gas releases enough methane into the atmosphere to negate any greenhouse gas advantages that its somewhat cleaner burning chemistry provides.

Clinton Working to Cut Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

During her visit to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is continuing her efforts to cut short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) and launching an awareness campaign to protect the Arctic. Short-lived climate pollutants are the low hanging fruit of greenhouse gas emissions. According to UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization, eradicating them with existing technologies could cut the rate of global warming in half for the next 30 to 40 years and in the Arctic by two-thirds.