Big win! The 9th Circuit has ruled that the EPA must update its pollution controls--many of which are decades out of date--for oil refineries, chemical plants, and other polluting industries! đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź
#waterPollution
Gulf ghost net patrols fear tide turning in fight to save remote beaches
By Christine Schindler
It's rubbish season in northern Australia, when tonnes of plastic and discarded fishing nets wash ashore in the Gulf of Carpentaria. But the future of funding for clean-up patrols is unclear.
#WaterPollution #Environment #Conservation #OceansandReefs #ChristineSchindler
Students in PFAS 'hotspot' build app to detect contaminated groceries
By Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro
A group of high school students are pushing for change by creating an app prototype that can detect so-called forever chemicals in everyday items.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-16/bowral-high-schoolers-detect-pfas/105382118
#EnvironmentalHealth #WaterPollution #EnvironmentalImpact #Technology #MikaylaMcGuirkScolaro
N. Korea discharges uranium waste into waters flowing to S. Korea
https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korea-discharges-uranium-waste-waters-flowing-south-korea/
#HackerNews #NorthKorea #UraniumWaste #SouthKorea #EnvironmentalImpact #WaterPollution #NuclearSafety
The water plant is nearing capacity to remove nitrates, which is pushed both by higher nitrate levels & higher consumption. To avoid exceeding nitrate limits, starting today, Central Iowa Water Works has issued a total ban on lawn watering as a final act to avoid exceeding federal nitrate limits.
#CentralIowa #DesMoines #WaterPollution #Nitrates #FarmRunoff #FarmPolution #IowaFarms
I remember BIll Stowe clashing with ag-lobbyists, where the lobbyists claimed they were doing exactly the right things to protect water in Iowa, and that further legislation and lawsuits were not necessary.
Now, in 2025, Central Iowans must curtail water usage, not because there isn't enough water, but because the source water is too contaminated with farm runoff nitrates.
#CentralIowa #WaterPollution #BillStowe #Nitrates #FarmRunoff #FarmPolution #IowaFarms
#NOCOAL FORT MACLEOD starting in a few minutes; will post as time . Attending this event this evening, June 11, in Fort MacLeod. #Coalmines #Selenium #Toxicity #OldManRiver #WaterToxicity #Alberta #Lethbridge #FortMcLeod #CrowsNestPass #EasternSlopes #WaterPollution
Dam should be demolished over blue-green algae concerns, residents say
By Rachel Holdsworth
Mannus Lake Dam in southern New South Wales was built in the 1980s for fishing. Landholders want it torn down at a cost of $13 million to stop blue-green algae blooms.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-12/blue-green-algae-concerns-at-mannus-lake-dam/105155046
#Water #DamsandReservoirs #RegionalCommunities #Health #WaterPollution #EnvironmentalHealth #RachelHoldsworth
Attending this event this evening, June 11, in Fort MacLeod. #Coalmines #Selenium #Toxicity #OldManRiver #WaterToxicity #Alberta #Lethbridge #FortMcLeod #CrowsNestPass #EasternSlopes #WaterPollution
#Alberta #coalmines #Disaster #WaterPollution #UCP #DanielleSmith #SaveOurWater #EasternSlopes #RockyMountains #Selenium #Pollution #Toxic
Final stretch of #Walsall Canal to reopen after chemical spill - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd2rvppd5do
UC Riverside: New computer language helps spot hidden pollutants. “Developed at UC Riverside, Mass Query Language, or MassQL, functions like a search engine for mass spectrometry data, enabling researchers to find patterns that would otherwise require advanced programming skills. Technical details about the language, and an example of how it helped identify flame retardant chemicals in public […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2025/05/16/uc-riverside-new-computer-language-helps-spot-hidden-pollutants/
RFK Jr. is full of crap
While the health secretary posts environmental theater, the environmental group he co-founded is fighting Trump. #water #pollution #waterPollution #cleanWater #RFKJr #Trump #RockCreek https://open.substack.com/pub/heated/p/rfk-jr-is-full-of-crap
Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways
Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways | A study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that the expansion of oil palm plantations in West Papua’s Kais River watershed has significantly degraded water quality, increasing sedimentation and nutrient pollution. This environmental harm disproportionately affects downstream Indigenous communities reliant on these waters, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable land management practices and the protection of Indigenous rights.
🌴 #News: #Research reveals #palmoil plantations in #WestPapua are degrading water quality, harming #Indigenous communities relying on the waters. Researchers call for urgent #landrights #humanrights protections #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🔥⛔️ https://wp.me/pcFhgU-9Om @palmoildetect
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. (2024, May 2). Oil palm plantations are driving massive downstream impact to watershed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240502153115.htm
The global demand for palm oil, prevalent in products from instant noodles to cosmetics, is driving extensive tropical deforestation. Beyond biodiversity loss, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst uncovers significant disturbances to watersheds caused by oil palm plantations, particularly affecting Indigenous populations.
Focusing on the Kais River watershed in West Papua—a region covering over 1,000 square miles where approximately 25% has been converted into oil palm plantations—the study highlights the environmental repercussions of such land-use changes. This area is also home to various Indigenous Papuan groups who depend on the watershed for their daily water needs.
Lead author Briantama Asmara, during his graduate studies at UMass Amherst, and senior author Professor Timothy Randhir employed an enhanced Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) to simulate the watershed’s hydrological responses under different land-use scenarios. They analyzed historical data (2010-2015), current conditions with extensive oil palm plantations (2015-2021), and projected future scenarios up to 2034, considering ongoing plantation expansion and climate change.
Findings indicate that the shift from tropical rainforest to oil palm plantations has led to increased precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture. Notably, water quality has deteriorated, with sedimentation rising by 16.9%, nitrogen levels by 78.1%, and phosphorus by 144%. Although future projections suggest a slight moderation in these effects, water quality is expected to remain significantly compromised compared to pre-plantation conditions.
Professor Randhir emphasizes the disproportionate impact on downstream Indigenous communities, stating, “They are bearing all the environmental and public health costs, while the international palm oil companies are reaping the rewards.” Asmara adds that the research aims to provide accessible data to those most affected, enabling informed decision-making.
The study advocates for regulatory measures, including limiting pesticide use during flood periods, continuous water quality monitoring, maintaining riparian buffers, and, critically, ensuring that downstream communities are informed and involved in land management decisions.
This research underscores the pressing need for sustainable land-use practices that protect both environmental integrity and Indigenous rights. As the demand for palm oil continues to rise, balancing economic interests with ecological and social responsibilities becomes increasingly vital.
For a detailed exploration of the study, read more.
University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2024, May 2). Oil palm plantations are driving massive downstream impact to watershed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240502153115.htm
ENDS
Read more about human rights abuses and child slavery in the palm oil industry
Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways
Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways | A study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that the expansion of oil palm plantations in West Papua’s Kais River watershed has significantly degraded…
New Research: Indigenous Communities Reduce Amazon Deforestation by 83%”
Although #deforestation rates in the Brazilian #Amazon have halved, this globally critical biome is still losing more than 5,000km² every year. That’s an area three times larger than Greater London. By combining satellite…
Concerns Mount Over Palm Oil Expansion in Nagaland
Concerns Mount Over Palm Oil Expansion in Nagaland | The Nagaland Climate Change Adaptation Forum (NCCAF) has raised grave concerns about the environmental and social impacts of expanding palm oil plantations in the…
Palm Oil Is Ruining Kalangala Uganda — Locals Paying the Price
A catastrophic storm in #Uganda’s Kalangala district left nearly 1,000 households homeless. The real culprit? Rampant #deforestation for #palmoil. Once rich in native forests that buffered storms, Kalangala is now a fragile landscape…
Violence for Palm Oil Against Peasant Communities in Honduras Meets Resistance
In the Aguán Valley of northern Honduras, peasant communities reclaiming ancestral lands face increasing violence and intimidation from armed groups linked to organised crime. The Dinant Corporation, a prominent palm oil producer, is…
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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
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Pledge your support#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #childLabour #childSlavery #humanRights #HumanRights #indigenous #indigenousRights #landRights #landgrabbing #landrights #News #PalmOil #palmoil #Paraquat #pesticide #pollution #research #slavery #waterPollution #WestPapua
Africa: Tiny Technology That Can Find Pollution in South Africa's Water and Trap It: [The Conversation Africa] Nanotechnology is the use of materials that are one-billionth of a metre (a nanometre) in size. One of its potential uses is to clean up whatever is contaminating water supplies. Analytical chemist Philiswa Nomngongo, a leading researcher in nanotechnology for water in South Africa, tells… http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TKVpJd #Nanotechnology #WaterPollution #CleanWater #SouthAfrica #PollutionControl
San Diego County releases dashboard compiling info on Tijuana River sewage
https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-county-releases-dashboard-compiling-info-on-tijuana-river-sewage
Only three people ever prosecuted for covering up England’s illegal sewage spills
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/24/only-three-people-prosecuted-for-covering-up-sewage-spills #WaterPollution #SewagePollution
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