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Tag: plastic

Researchers thought larvae could help eliminate our plastic

"The world's worst diet," researcher says.

Belgians use the fewest plastic bags in Europe. Can other countries learn from them?

Belgians only buy four bags a year at the store.

This creature, which has no brain, can clean the ocean and become fuel

The sea squirt starts its life as a small larva with a small brain, but then it finds a place to live.

Girls who had a lot of environmental toxins in their blood started menstruating earlier

A study of young people from northern Norway finds a link between high levels of PFAS in their blood and early menstruation.

Researchers warn of toxins accumulating in the environment

When researchers took samples of animals and the environment in Norway's capital, they uncovered substances that were phased out of production in the 1980s, as well as substances still in use today.

“Our urine is worth its weight in gold,” says researcher

Urine can be used as fertiliser for our plants.

The Earth traps more heat than before. This is partly due to cleaner air

There is a growing imbalance in how much energy the Earth receives and emits back.

Harmful substances have been found in plastic food packaging – but do we ingest them?

Researchers have found plastic packaging to not be safe enough. The research institute Nofima has carried out tests showing that the packaging is completely safe. So, who’s right?

Trees in cities are not always good for air quality

A common argument for more trees in cities is that they improve air quality. A new Norwegian study suggests that trees can also negatively affect air quality.

Are we really running out of helium?

ASK A RESEARCHER: “There has been a lot of talk about the world running out of helium,” says professor.

The «plastic paradox»: Some clean-up technologies do more harm than good

OPINION: The ever-increasing problem of plastic pollution has prompted widespread efforts to combat it through innovative clean-up technologies. These advancements, however, often seen as the silver bullet to solve our plastic crisis, sometimes do more harm than good.

Plastic waste from Norwegian hospitals could fill 100 football pitches every year, according to report

A good part of this plastic waste could be avoided, the report shows.

171 trillion pieces of plastic are floating around in our oceans

In 2005, there were only 16 trillion.

People don't want plastic around their food. Here’s how researchers can solve this problem.

Several approaches are being studied. Fish scales can be made into plastic, or we can go back to paper and cardboard.

Cars pollute much less than before

Emissions of the toxic gases NOx from local traffic in Norway has decreased by as much as 53 per cent from 1990 to 2020.

Hit them where it hurts: Producers of fast fashion should pay the most

OPINION: How best to deal with the negative environmental impact of the clothing industry? The writers behind this opinion suggest a system in which those who sell large volumes of clothes that don't last pay the most.

Your clothes cause water pollution — but now both the water and the pollutants can be reused

The clothing industry uses and pollutes large amounts of water. Now water from textile manufacturers will be treated, cleaned and reused.

Fifty years of plastic trash hidden beneath the sod

“We had to remove a lot of vegetation to get rid of the plastic,” said one of the researchers behind a new Norwegian study.

The COP26 plastic uniforms are a disaster for the environment

OPINION: Recycled plastic clothing will never save the climate.

Making useful products from greenhouse gases

A new plant will use CO2 to both replace oil and be transformed into useful chemicals.

Microplastic comes from car tyres, but people would rather say no to plastic packaging

The strong opinions that consumers have about plastic packaging are misplaced, one researcher says.

Fish in the Arctic deformed by tiny amounts of oil contamination

Polar cod are very sensitive to crude oil contamination, a new study shows.

Browner, but better water in Norwegian lakes

The water flowing through Norwegian Lakes has improved in quality and gotten less polluted over the last 25 years. But at the same time, it’s gotten a lot browner. This has a natural explanation.

We have to clean up our approach to cleaning up beaches, researcher says

The commitment among Norwegians to clean up plastic trash from beaches is enormous. But at the same time, the clean-ups have become chaotic and themselves have to be cleaned up, one researcher says.

The ‘plastic rivers’ of Asia play a key part in the fight against plastic in the ocean

OPINION: Near half of the global plastic leakage from land to sea comes from a few countries in Southeast Asia. To overcome the plastic problem, we need to treat the cause and not just the symptoms. We must turn the spotlight on the sources.

Microplastics generated by road traffic end up in the Arctic

Small plastic particles from car tyres and disc brakes swirl up, are caught up by the wind and float all the way to the Arctic.

High levels of pollutants in polar bears from the Barents Sea – what are the reasons behind?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Levels of exposure vary according to what the polar bears eat, where they move, and how much energy they need to get through a day in their polar bear lives.

Half of Norwegian red foxes eat rat poison

Many people still put out poison baits, even though this form of rodent control is prohibited.

Exhaust gas is to blame: Ground-level ozone is damaging crops

Exhaust gas emissions have doubled the amount of ground-level ozone. Vegetation is being destroyed. Food production is decreasing. Researchers now fear that the damage is greatest in the Arctic regions.

What are the links between exhaust fumes and heart disease?

Several major studies around the globe show that people living in areas with air pollution are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Norwegian researchers have examined potential causes.

Why is so little plastic actually recycled?

A group of Danish and Swedish researchers have now tackled this exact question. Their answer? Money.

Norwegians won’t stop flying, even though they know it’s bad for the planet

Flying is one of the last things that Norwegians want to give up. Should we require people to cut their air travel by one flight a year? One researcher says that won’t work, and that the only solution is electric airplanes.

How knowledge can reduce ocean waste

OPINION: By analysing heaps of trash found at Svalbard's coasts, we can potentially reduce the amount of plastic polluting the ocean, writes researcher.

Is it dangerous to eat food grown right by the road?

A reader wonders how pollution affects the food crops that grow along Norwegian roads.

Thin Arctic foxes suffer more from industrial pollutants

The Arctic may be a long way from the industrial world, but harmful chemical substances find their way northward and concentrate in animals there. Researchers have now found a disturbing trend: concentrations of one harmful chemical family are higher in thin Arctic foxes than in their more well-fed brethern.

Environmental toxins affect infant growth rates

PCB and DDE exposure in the womb or in breast milk can alter the growth development of a child, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Twelve things that can protect you from polluted urban air

Ten times as many people die of urban air pollution as in traffic accidents in Norway. Here are some effective tips for protecting yourself from bad city air.

Four-day forecasts of air pollution

People with cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders often need to stay indoors when air pollution levels get too severe. Meteorologists are working on providing four-day forecasts for air pollutants.

Nuke bomb fallout in Norway sourced

Thousands of nuclear weapons tests have been conducted around the world since 1945. A Norwegian researcher has recently investigated where fallout in Norway came from.

No more recycling blues

Many Norwegians help recycle by placing all their household plastic refuse in special blue plastic bags they get for free from their municipalities. In Romerike, a district on the outskirts of Oslo, smart new machines are making this individual effort obsolete.