In 2024, Indonesia and Spain signed an agreement focusing on protecting the rights of Indonesian migrant fishermen and combating modern slavery on fishing vessels. Indonesian migrant fishermen are often in a difficult situation overseas, suffering exploitation and violations of their basic human rights. Spain, with its influence in the fishing industry, has taken up the…

The 2024 study found that bottled water contains high levels of plastic particles, with an average of 240,000 plastic fragments detected per liter of water. Nanoplastic particles, ranging in size from 5.5 to 26.4 microns and with fibers averaging 21.4 microns in length, cannot be filtered out even by advanced municipal drinking water treatment technologies,…

Following the devastation and trauma caused by floods and forest fires in Europe in 2024, the Council of the European Union agreed on 27 November on a proposal for assistance focusing on a cohesive fund and ensuring its rapid and flexible mobilization. This will help affected Member States to repair washed-out infrastructure, restore fire-ravaged forest…

The report issued by the United Nations states that climate change poses a serious threat to the survival of humankind. Sea-level rise, the increase in extreme weather events and food security issues are all closely related to climate change. For example, in some Pacific island countries, rising sea levels have already caused some islands to…

In November 2024, the New York State wildfires caused smoke to billow over the Hudson River and yellow haze to blanket New York City, prompting authorities to issue an Air Quality Health Surveillance Bulletin for the metropolitan area and the Hudson Valley, warning of unhealthy levels of air pollution throughout the tri-state area.

In November 2024, air quality continues to deteriorate in India’s capital city, New Delhi, where haze is a serious problem. The Chief Minister of Delhi announced a complete shutdown of elementary school and shifted to online teaching. According to relevant data, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeded 1000, making it the most polluted city in…

According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported on November 4, Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, appeared serious haze. 3 November, the highest PM2.5 concentration measured locally reached 610 micrograms per cubic meter, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s announced safety line. The government took measures such as suspending classes in elementary school and keeping some employees…

 On October 29, 2024, U.S. media reported that two U.S. consumers filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s Corporation in the U.S. over an E. coli outbreak caused by onion slices in one of the company’s burgers. Since the end of September, several states in the U.S. have reported cases of infections associated with consumption of…

In September 2024, dozens of tons of “antique” unexploded bombs were found at the bottom of Lake Gerardmer in the Vosges Mountains of France. Samples of the lake water contained high concentrations of TNT explosive composition and metallic elements such as iron, titanium and lead, contaminating the surrounding environment. The bombs, which originated during the…

Research in the American journal Environmental Science & Technology shows that a toxic “persistent compound” called PFAS is widely found in the air and rainwater of the North American Great Lakes Basin, and that nearly 95 percent of the basin’s freshwater is contaminated with PFAS. The compound, which does not break down naturally, has been…