Pollution (Page 6)

What you need to know about the gases, toxins, and garbage that make their way into water, air, and land.

Latest in Pollution

COVID-19 raises the stakes for environmental activists in Colombia

By Lise Josefsen Hermann/Undark

protestors of pipelines

Activists have shut down two major fossil fuel pipelines—at least for now

A cluster of spawning sockeye salmon.

The battle over Alaska’s Pebble Mine is about to get more dramatic

By Michael R. Shea/Field & Stream

smog over shanghai

Air pollution has made the COVID-19 pandemic worse

beijing skyline clear skies

COVID-19 has cut air pollution in some countries—but will this blip make a difference?

Smoke stack emitting pollution

Here’s how many pollution-related deaths your state is exporting or importing

smog over LA viewed from plane

Decades of U.S. air quality improvements may be slowing, and these areas have it the worst

a firefly sitting on a leaf

Humans are putting fireflies at risk of extinction

International Fund For Animal Welfare

Even with international protections, the Galápagos Islands are becoming more vulnerable to humans

By Raj Tawney/Undark

coal power plant emitting smoke

We save lives and crops every time a coal plant closes

National Library of Medicine’s Toxmap

U.S. government ‘retires’ (read removes) detailed pollution map from internet

By Michael Schulson/Undark

colorful carrots with locally grown tag attached

Is organic food bad for the environment?

These interactive maps show exactly how nature helps us

These interactive maps show exactly how nature helps us

The EPA’s roll back of the Clean Water Act could impact drinking water for millions of Americans

The EPA’s roll back of the Clean Water Act could impact drinking water for millions of Americans

Everything you should know about methane as regulations loosen

Everything you should know about methane as regulations loosen

Banning mini shampoos from hotels won’t really reduce plastic or save the environment

Banning mini shampoos from hotels won’t really reduce plastic or save the environment

By Yossi Sheffi/The Conversation

New research links air pollution to increased risk of depression and bipolar disorder

New research links air pollution to increased risk of depression and bipolar disorder

By Nicole Wetsman

Fishing nets leave precious marine habitats broken and scarred—but some are coming back to life

Fishing nets leave precious marine habitats broken and scarred—but some are coming back to life

These rare blue clouds could be headed your way

These rare blue clouds could be headed your way

By Jon Perrett/The Conversation

Mt. Vernon tree canopy over road

Urban forests are dying. Baltimore shows us how to bring them back.

By Andrew Zaleski

Wildfire smoke is particularly bad for you—here’s why

Wildfire smoke is particularly bad for you—here’s why

By Nicole Wetsman

Eco-friendly packaging could be poisoning our compost

Eco-friendly packaging could be poisoning our compost

Small improvements to California’s air quality made a big difference in asthma rates

Small improvements to California’s air quality made a big difference in asthma rates

By Nicole Wetsman

Plastic chemicals could harm the ocean bacteria that produce 10 percent of our oxygen

Plastic chemicals could harm the ocean bacteria that produce 10 percent of our oxygen

California’s tap water could be a cancerous cocktail of pollutants

California’s tap water could be a cancerous cocktail of pollutants

By Nicole Wetsman

Your car’s exhaust is giving kids asthma

Your car’s exhaust is giving kids asthma

By Marlene Cimons

Meal kits are full of wasteful packaging—but they might still beat the grocery store

Meal kits are full of wasteful packaging—but they might still beat the grocery store

Flint residents are using fruits and vegetables to combat lead poisoning

Flint residents are using fruits and vegetables to combat lead poisoning

By Marlene Cimons

Filtering diesel exhaust could make it worse

Filtering diesel exhaust could make it worse

Plastic hitches a ride on rain, snow, and wind to pollute the whole planet

Plastic hitches a ride on rain, snow, and wind to pollute the whole planet

By Kaitlin Sullivan

Learn how changes to the Clean Water Act could hurt your region before it’s too late

Learn how changes to the Clean Water Act could hurt your region before it’s too late

By Kaitlin Sullivan

How to do laundry the green way

How to do laundry the green way

Air pollution from corn production might contribute to thousands of deaths each year

Air pollution from corn production might contribute to thousands of deaths each year

By Alex Schwartz

grimacing at a hotdog

Rat hair, beaver anal secretions, and other surprising things in your food

By Robert Chilcott/The Conversation

air pollution carbon fossil fuels

Coal ash, earthquakes, and other hazards posed by fossil fuels

‘Mermaid tears’ are killing our oceans

By Claire Gwinnett/The Conversation

Children suffer more from air pollution, but our policies don’t reflect that

Children suffer more from air pollution, but our policies don’t reflect that

By Nicole Wetsman

A stream in its natural habitat.

‘Ghost streams’ sound supernatural, but their impact on your health is very real

By Brynn O’Donnell

A crack in a road

Fixing potholes is good for your ride—and the planet

By Marlene Cimons

Fake trees could help us fight climate change

Fake trees could help us fight climate change

By Marlene Cimons

Smog Los Angeles cloud seeding response

To combat smog, Thailand made it rain

By Eleanor Cummins

don't flush these things down your toilet

14 things you should never flush down the toilet

By Amy Schellenbaum

This powder could cheaply capture carbon pollution from power plants

This powder could cheaply capture carbon pollution from power plants

By Marlene Cimons

Multi-colored plastic straws.

The EU just finalized an agreement to ban tons of single-use plastics

Cloudy solar panels smog energy

Air pollution is choking solar energy around the world

By Katarina Zimmer

carbon emissions

The U.S. keeps causing trouble at a crucial climate change summit

california fire air quality

The air quality in San Francisco is so bad, being there for a day is like smoking 10 cigarettes

By Nicole Wetsman

Air pollution might make it harder to get pregnant

Air pollution might make it harder to get pregnant

By Nicole Wetsman

There’s plastic in your poop, but we have no idea how dangerous that is

There’s plastic in your poop, but we have no idea how dangerous that is

By Sara Chodosh

This new device could teach us how the crud in our air affects our health

This new device could teach us how the crud in our air affects our health

By Claire Maldarelli

Cars and buses on busy London street at dusk.

We already know air pollution hurts your heart—and it might also hurt your brain

By Jillian Mock

Charted: Here’s how much your food waste hurts the environment

Charted: Here’s how much your food waste hurts the environment

By Sara Chodosh

two contact lenses on a pink and blue background

Contact lenses don’t belong in your toilet

‘Glider trucks’ are pollution machines, but they might roll past EPA regulations

‘Glider trucks’ are pollution machines, but they might roll past EPA regulations

The EPA might change the way it weighs human health against industry profit

The EPA might change the way it weighs human health against industry profit

You could be eating a side of e-waste with your takeout

You could be eating a side of e-waste with your takeout

The EPA has a new plan that’s good for business and bad for bodies

The EPA has a new plan that’s good for business and bad for bodies

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a drone that loves trash!

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a drone that loves trash!

a blue sky with clouds

The world agreed to ban this ozone killer years ago—but it looks like someone is making more

By Neel V. Patel

Future offshore drilling could wreak havoc on deep sea ecosystems

Future offshore drilling could wreak havoc on deep sea ecosystems

By Sara Kiley Watson

Good job: Arctic sea ice is full of our junk plastic

Good job: Arctic sea ice is full of our junk plastic

We have too many jellyfish, so scientists want to cover them in chocolate

We have too many jellyfish, so scientists want to cover them in chocolate

By Chloe Williams/Scienceline

Scientists stumbled upon a plastic-eating bacterium—then accidentally made it stronger

Scientists stumbled upon a plastic-eating bacterium—then accidentally made it stronger

By Neel V. Patel

Air pollution might be the new lead

By Nicole Wetsman