Chronic exposure to microplastics impairs blood-brain barrier, induce oxidative stress in the brain, and damages neurons, finds a new study on rats. These particles are now widespread in oceans, rivers, soil, and even the air, making them difficult to avoid. : r/science
Over the last 10,000 years, the world has lost one-third of its forests. Half occurred in the last century, but the world passed ‘peak deforestation’ in the 1980s and it has been on the decline since then. A future with more people and more forest is possible. : r/OptimistsUnite
Solar panels that fit on your balcony or deck are gaining traction in the US. These small-scale solar systems could become attractive to more homeowners now that Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package will scrap residential rooftop solar tax credits. : r/climate
The consequences of climate change aren't years or even decades away. They're here now. And everyone alive today will face that reality, whether we want to or not.
Plastics Can Lead to Disease, Disability & Premature Death, Research Finds
Negotiations are underway in Geneva on a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that has been in the works for several years, as the crisis of pollution from plastics worldwide has grown more acute. An estimated 8 billion metric tons of plastic waste now pollute the planet. Without changes, the production of plastic is expected to triple by 2060 — much of it driven by single-use plastics.
This comes as a new report by The Lancet has found that plastics are a “grave threat” to human health. “Waste plastic contains thousands of toxic chemicals that cause human exposure and result in disease and disability and premature death,” says Dr. Philip Landrigan, an author of the report and the director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College. He also notes that plastic is especially harmful to children, who are at risk for “decreased IQ, injury to the reproductive organs” and liver damage when exposed to plastics during early development.
‘It’s not over’: An open letter to David Suzuki - The famed scientist and environmentalist recently said the fight against climate change is over. That’s not honest realism – it’s depressing cynicism. : r/climate
Extreme Weather Events are the New Frontline of Online Climate Denial – Report - DeSmog
Climate science deniers are flooding social media with false claims during extreme weather events, drowning out reliable information and putting lives at risk. A new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which researches and campaigns against online hatred and disinformation, finds that anti-climate figures are increasingly spreading false information about wildfires and hurricanes […]
Power, Profit, and the Planet: The Story We Must Change
What if the greatest threat to life on Earth isn’t ecological or climate collapse, but the invisible systems of power that shape everything we do, deciding who survives, who suffers, and who profits?