oceans

EU Nature Restoration Plan Postponed Indefinitely

EU Nature Restoration Plan Postponed Indefinitely

The European Union’s nature restoration law, which had set out to restore 20% of land and sea areas in the EU by 2030, has now been postponed indefinitely after a vote to pass the bill on Monday was canceled. The nature restoration law was initially proposed in June 2022 and has spent the last several […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    ‘An Underwater Bushfire’: Major Coral Bleaching Event in Northern Parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

    ‘An Underwater Bushfire’: Major Coral Bleaching Event in Northern Parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

    In the past eight years, the Great Barrier Reef — the largest coral reef in the world, stretching 1,429 miles — has experienced five mass bleaching events, tied by scientists to climate change. Most recently, corals around six islands in Turtle Group National Park, located about 6.2 miles off Australia’s Queensland Coast, have seen extensive […]

    Endangered Species 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Endangered Species 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts The Endangered Species Act To understand what “endangered species” means, it’s important to unpack the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which followed the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the first piece of federal endangered species legislation. Enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1973, the ESA states that the federal government has a […]

    Heavy Metals and Other Toxins Found in Stranded Whales and Dolphins

    Heavy Metals and Other Toxins Found in Stranded Whales and Dolphins

    A new study has detected heavy metals and other toxins in whales and dolphins that became stranded in Florida and Georgia over a 15-year timeframe. Researchers analyzed tissue and fecal samples of 90 odontocetes (toothed whales), spanning nine different species, that had stranded in Florida and Georgia from 2007 to 2021. In total, the team […]

    Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Coral Reefs’? Coral reefs consist of hundreds of thousands of coral polyps — marine animal invertebrates with hard calcium carbonate exoskeletons. Different species grow to form a variety of measurements and shapes — from the size of a pinhead to as large as a foot in diameter. Coral colonies are […]

    California Bill Would Ban Single-Use Cups for Some Dine-In Restaurants

    California Bill Would Ban Single-Use Cups for Some Dine-In Restaurants

    A bill proposed in California takes aim at single-use cups used for dining in at chain restaurants in the state. The proposed Senate Bill 1167 (SB1167) would require that chain restaurants provide reusable, non-toxic cups for customers that dine in the restaurant, rather than offering paper, plastic or other single-use cups. “California has a massive […]