France plans 'eco-tax' for air fares

France is set to introduce an "eco-tax" for all flights from French airports, the government has said. The money raised by the tax will be invested in in less-polluting transport, such as rail.

Malaysia vows to send plastic waste back to countries of origin

Last month Philippines ordered Canada to take back 69 shipping containers filled with Canadian trash. And now Malaysia has announced that it will be shipping out 450 metric tonnes of plastic trash to its countries of origins.

There’s no getting away from microplastic contamination

Wherever that plastic is ending up, we know that it's breaking down over time, disintegrating into micro particles less than 5mm in size, and some even breakdown to the nanoscale at less than one micrometer (size of bacteria).

Millions of children develop asthma due to traffic-related pollution

About 4 million children worldwide develop asthma each year because of inhaling nitrogen dioxide air pollution, according to a study published today by U.S. researchers.

50 years later, Agent Orange toxic byproducts found in Vietnam soil

New research has revealed that toxic byproducts of the herbicide Agent Orange used by the US military continue to contaminate soils in Vietnam today.

Breathing polluted air is like losing a year's education

Researchers found that males, old people and low-income people may actually be losing more like a few years of education the longer they breathed dirty air.

Excessive Pollution Causes Toxic Black Snowfall In Siberia

Three cities in the coal-mining region in Siberia have turned into a ghostly dark snowscape after being covered with black snow. The blame has been pointed at coal plants which have failed to filter its fumes.

Tasmania's lakes among most contaminated in the world

Metal contamination levels in some of Tasmania’s lakes are among the highest in the world, a new study has found, while those within the state’s Wilderness World Heritage Area have also been badly polluted by mining.

Childhood lead exposure linked to poor adult mental health

Previous studies have identified a link between lead and intelligence, but this study looked at changes in personality and mental health as a result of exposure to the heavy metal.

Underground pollution in London is 30 times higher than busy roads

UK report has found that spending one hour on the London tube is more toxic than spending all day on above ground in ambient London air.

Living with air pollution

Globally, long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization, and 9 out of 10 people breathe outdoor and/or indoor polluted air.

Air pollution linked to autism: study

The study of children in Shanghai found that exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) from vehicle exhausts, industrial emissions and other sources of pollution increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by up to 78%.

Large source of banned ozone depleting substance uncovered

Recent studies have shown that global emissions of carbon tetrachloride, that contributes to the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer, have not declined as expected, with about 40,000 tonnes still being emitted each year.

India is trying to prevent apocalyptic air pollution

According to a study, stubble burning contributs up to 26 percent of the most harmful particulate matter to Delhi’s winter pollution and even as much as 50 percent on certain days during the burning season.

Mass Die-Off of Orcas Feared Due to Chemicals Banned in the '70s

A group of industrial chemicals humans started banning decades ago could cause many of the world’s orca whale populations to collapse over the next century, an alarming new study has found.