Wanderlust

Tag: Environment

  • Local Weather amendment talks agree main points to put in force Paris deal

    COP24 President Michal Kurtyka speaks during a final session of the COP24 U.N. Climate Change Conference 2018 in Katowice, Polan Symbol copyright Reuters

    Just About 2 HUNDRED countries have agreed laws on enforcing the 2015 Paris agreement.

    After marathon talks within the Polish town of Katowice the rulebook used to be licensed unanimously on Saturday evening.

    The agreement targets to ship the Paris objectives of restricting world temperature rises to neatly under 2C.

    The ultimate consultation used to be delayed via more than 30 hours amid an ongoing stand-off over carbon markets to scale back emissions. Some accused the hosts of not shepherding the agreement thru.

    “Hanging together the Paris agreement work programme is a large responsibility,” mentioned the chairman of the talks, referred to as COP24, Michal Kurtyka.

    “It has been a long street. We did our greatest to go away no-one at the back of.”

    US, Saudis and Russia block climate file Failure to tackle warming ‘suicidal’

    Rich countries regularly scale back emissions by means of procuring carbon-reducing tasks in other nations. However these programmes are very tough to police.

    Fraud and double accounting have rendered lots of them worthless – they’re steadily dubbed hot air schemes.

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    Media captionNo more pork? Five belongings you can do to help prevent rising world temperatures

    the common rulebook envisages flexibility for poorer international locations.

    Developing nations searching for recognition and compensation for the affect of rising temperatures.

    The idea of being legally chargeable for inflicting climate change has lengthy been rejected through richer nations, who worry large bills smartly into the future.

    Last weekend, scientists and delegates have been stunned while the united states, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected to the meeting “welcoming” a contemporary UN file on holding global temperature upward thrust to throughout the 1.5C limit.

    The document stated the sector is now utterly off course, heading more towards 3C this century.

    Keeping to the most popular function would wish “speedy, some distance-reaching and remarkable changes in all aspects of society”.

    (more…)

  • UN climate talks extended because of sticking points in Poland

    COP24 Image copyright Getty Pictures

    Local Weather talks in Poland have continued during the evening as negotiators attempt to agree the next steps ahead for the Paris local weather settlement.

    Lots of delegates labored well past the legitimate closing date for attaining a deal but key sticking points stay.

    Rows continue over the problem of paying poorer countries for injury as a result of world warming and the use of carbon markets to cut back emissions.

    the chance of a deal greater on Friday after a brand new text was released.

    The outline determination accommodates plans for a typical rulebook for all countries, with flexibility for poorer nations.

    Image copyright Matt Winkelmeyer Image caption Mohamed Nasheed is an influential figure in the UN local weather procedure

    “It’s just insanity for us to allow global CO2 levels (within the surroundings) to head past 450 portions in keeping with million, and temperatures to shoot past 1.5 degrees,” he instructed a press briefing on Thursday.

    “that can nonetheless be avoided. If we come together on the basis of the emergency facing us, we will do it.

    “Every united states at this summit can have hell to pay if we do not.”

    What are the delegates seeking to decide?

    Representatives from 196 states are here looking to deal with a few very tricky questions touching on the rulebook of the Paris settlement which comes into drive in 2020.

    Those are the regulations so that they can govern the nuts and bolts of the way international locations minimize carbon, supply finance to poorer nations and make sure that everybody is doing what they say they’re doing.

    It sounds simple nevertheless it could be very technical. on the moment nations ceaselessly have other definitions and timetables for their carbon chopping movements.

    Alternatively a few development is being observed in shaping the rules.

    “a few of the textual content that is key to the rulebook, in phrases of the transparency of countries reporting their mitigating actions are lovely robust. it is better than it was every week ago,” stated one senior negotiator.

    How years evaluate with the 20 th Century moderate

    However there are important holdups.

    Poorer international locations need some “flexibility” within the rules so that they’re no longer beaten with regulations that they do not have the capability to put into observe.

    “The rulebook right now hangs in the stability, since you want all countries on board and you wish to have to give a boost to growing nations,” stated Jennifer Morgan from Greenpeace.

    “Flexibility can imply a lot of things and that i assume some international locations are the usage of that phrase to prolong having to enforce regulations, and others are involved as a result of they do not have the capability to do it, whilst you do not have a transparent sign from evolved countries that they’re going to offer that fortify it just brings a lot of uncertainty.”

    as well as the rulebook, what else needs to be made up our minds?

    there is a robust push to understand the technological know-how of the IPCC, which in advance this year produced a very important record on how the sector could be impacted through temperatures rising through 1.5C this century.

    the verdict to welcome this document was rejected amid controversy in advance in the conference when Saudi Arabia, The Us, Kuwait and Russia wanted to just bear in mind of the record.

    While consensus couldn’t be discovered, the textual content about the IPCC was once dropped – a lot to the wonder of a majority of nations. there may be a determination here to make certain that at the end of this meeting a “COP decision” will realize the IPCC.

    “There are 196 international locations in the UN and 192 counties agree,” stated Mohamed Nasheed.

    “we are just talking approximately 4 that do not agree, and those 4 are taking us hostage.”

    Guide: Climate crisis - how can I help?

    What approximately cutting carbon faster?

    there may be a big push right here for international locations to up their ambition, to cut carbon deeper and with greater urgency.

    in the light of the IPPC report many delegates need to see a speedy increase in ambition prior to 2020 to maintain the chances of staying underneath 1.5C alive.

    Right now, the plans that international locations lodged as part of the Paris agreement don’t get anywhere near that, described as “grossly insufficient” by way of one delegate from a climate inclined united states.

    it is not just the negotiators and ministers right here who wish to see growth on slicing carbon. Industry is asking for a signal from this meeting about the long term.

    “Companies are able to make investments and banks are able to finance,” stated Carlos Salle from Spanish power conglomerate, Iberdrola.

    “So we want that larger ambition in the policy to enable trade to move additional and quicker.”

    Who Is in reality guilty of those negotiations?

    Poland holds the COP presidency but there’s a lot of shock amongst delegates that they lack an general picture of what should emerge from the assembly.

    the general public want to see a powerful rulebook, a dedication by nations to lift their objectives and carbon cutting promises sooner than 2020 and a few clarity on how a lot money shall be delivered to poorer countries – as well as whilst it is going to arrive.

    While some negotiators say the Poles are doing a good job in difficult instances, many are very important, pronouncing they’re responding to the desires of the wealthy and never the poor.

    “i think the presidency is simply too honed in with the what the prime-emitting nations are in search of at the moment and that would lead to a weak result here,” stated Jennifer Morgan from Greenpeace.

    “Regularly in those talks when it’s slightly complicated, and also you would not have transparent management, that’s when international locations like Saudi Arabia can are available in and simply wreak havoc. That Is why we need the ministers from ECU to come and paintings with poor countries to force that house to counterbalance what the Saudis and the Poles are doing here.”

    When will it all end?

    For the more than 20,000 folks attending these talks, the end cannot come quick enough.

    So Much had been right here for round two weeks. the expectancy is that it will probably be Saturday afternoon on the earliest.

    Some are involved that it will pass into Sunday, but such a lot delegates have flights to trap on that date so the force can be on to finish by way of then.

    Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.

  • Trump on climate amendment record: ‘I don’t believe it’

    What did the report say?

    The Fourth Nationwide Local Weather Evaluate outlines the potential affects of local weather change across each and every sector of american society.

    “With endured expansion in emissions at historic charges, annual losses in some economic sectors are projected to succeed in masses of billions of dollars by means of the tip of the century – greater than the present gross domestic product (GDP) of many US states,” the record says.

    “Without considerable and sustained global mitigation and regional model efforts, climate modification is predicted to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and obstruct the velocity of monetary enlargement over this century.”

    The report notes that the results of climate modification are already being felt in groups across the u . s . a ., including extra widespread and intense extreme climate and climate-similar events.

    But it says that projections of long run catastrophe could modification if society works to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions and “to evolve to the adjustments as a way to occur”.

    Symbol copyright EPA Symbol caption The document warns that the frequency of wildfires may build up if climate modification is unchecked

    What has President Trump previously mentioned on climate change?

    In October, President Trump accused climate amendment scientists of getting a “political time table”, telling Fox News he used to be unconvinced that humans have been answerable for the earth’s emerging temperatures.

    After taking place of job he announced the united states might withdraw from the Paris climate modification settlement, which commits another 187 different countries to holding rising world temperatures “well under” 2C above pre-commercial ranges.

    At the time, Mr Trump said he wanted to negotiate a brand new “truthful” deal that may no longer downside US businesses and workers.

    During his election campaign in 2016 Mr Trump said climate change used to be “a hoax”. Alternatively he has because rowed back on that statement announcing in a contemporary interview: “i do not suppose it’s a hoax, i feel there may be most probably a difference.”

    Risk of ‘Hothouse Earth’ despite CO2 cuts Climate and miscarriage in Bangladesh

    How nice is the climate risk?

    A record launched in October by way of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the major global frame evaluating climate modification – stated it would be stopped only if the sector made major, and costly, changes.

    That method lowering international emissions of CO2 by FORTY FIVE% from 2010 levels by 2030, and decreasing coal use to just about zero and the usage of as much as seven million sq km (2.7 million square miles) for land energy plants.

    If the world fails to behave, the researchers warned, there can be a few significant and threatening adjustments to our world, including emerging sea levels, significant impacts on ocean temperatures and acidity, and the ability to develop plants such as rice, maize and wheat.

    (more…)

  • France gas protests: Macron calls pressing security assembly

    A person takes a picture outside a vandalised restaurant the morning after Paris riots over fuel taxes, December 2, 2018 Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption Restaurants and stores had been burnt in the course of the riots

    French President Emmanuel Macron will lead an pressing security meeting on Sunday, following an afternoon of riots via hundreds of anti-government protesters in Paris.

    A govt spokesperson stated a state of emergency could be imposed to tackle the unrest.

    Protests over fuel tax have grown into common anger at upper residing costs.

    While a few demonstrators have remained non violent, others clashed violently with police and scaled the Arc de Triomphe.

    More than 100 people had been injured, including 23 individuals of the protection forces, on Saturday.

    Symbol copyright AFP / Getty Photographs

    Who’re the protesters?

    The protesters are known as the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests), because they have got taken to the streets wearing the prime-visibility apparel that may be required to be carried in each vehicle by French law.

    Their core complaint is a hike in petrol taxes. President Macron says his motivation for the increase is environmental, however protesters name him out of touch – specifically with non-town dwellers who depend on their vehicles.

    Image copyright AFP / Getty Pictures Symbol caption Riot police had been splattered with yellow paint

    Nearly A HUNDRED NINETY fires had been placed out and 6 buildings have been set ablaze, the internal ministry said.

    Department retail outlets and metro stations were closed as a results of the violence.

    What has President Macron mentioned?

    On Saturday, Mr Macron mentioned the protests “had completely nothing to do with a relaxed demonstration of a legitimate sadness or discontent.”

    He stated the ones accountable did not want modification, but instead supposed to “wreak chaos”.

    Symbol copyright Getty Images / AFP Symbol caption The blank-up is under way. The graffiti here says: “The yellow vests will triumph”

    He has long maintained that his gasoline insurance policies are had to combat world warming and has accused his political combatants of hijacking the motion in order to block his reform programme.

    Earlier this week, Mr Macron attempted to strike a conciliatory tone, announcing he used to be open to ideas about how the gasoline tax might be applied.

    What has angered drivers?

    the associated fee of diesel, probably the most standard gas in French cars, has risen via around 23% over the prior one year to a typical of €1.51 (£1.32; $1.71) per litre, its perfect aspect because the early 2000s.

    Global oil costs did upward thrust earlier than falling back once more but the Macron govt raised its hydrocarbon tax this 12 months through 7.6 cents in step with litre on diesel and 3.9 cents on petrol, as a part of a marketing campaign for cleaner automobiles and gasoline.

    The choice to impose a further build up of 6.5 cents on diesel and 2.9 cents on petrol on 1 January 2019 used to be noticed as the ultimate straw.

    (more…)

  • Disposable nappies: What Is their environmental cost?

    Symbol copyright Getty Pictures

    Disposable nappies have been in the firing line at the Conservative Birthday Party convention, as Atmosphere Secretary Michael Gove hinted at a long run ban.

    He later clarified his feedback to say that nappies wouldn’t be banned however advised they could be part of plans to “take on waste higher”.

    So what is the environmental value of unmarried-use nappies?

    An expected three billion nappies are thrown away once a year within the UK, accounting for two-3% of all family waste, consistent with recycling charity Wrap.

    that is a reasonably old estimate based on the selection of babies and toddlers within the population and the way many nappies an afternoon the common child uses.

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  • Amazon citizens talk out about deforestation

    Brazil has been battling deforestation and illegal logging for years.

    After managing to force down the rate of deforestation for four consecutive years as much as 2012, latest figures counsel the wooded area is being destroyed at a sooner tempo once more.

    a few of the areas such a lot critically affected are indigenous reserves within the Amazon region.

    The BBC’s Sarah Robbins spoke to an expansion of individuals there about their issues and the issues they face.

    Amadeus Cinta Larga

    Amadeus Cinta Larga is a 25-yr-vintage Cinta Larga tribe member who research sustainability on the Flower of the Forest village.

    “We really feel like now we have been forgotten. the world lined by the reserve is so large that it is difficult for us to police all of it ourselves.

    “That Is why there are still such problems with illegal logging in the reserve.

    “And we can’t risk our own lives, we have families, too.”

    Siderlei Mason

    Siderlei Mason is the director of SM Wood Sawmill, the biggest producer of tropical wooden in Latin The United States.

    “We paintings with right kind certification but the out of doors world perceives this sector to be one that works mainly illegally.

    “The wooded area is rich and wonderful, it advantages other folks here, and it is advisable to the sector. But I Think it’ll be exploited legally.

    “We within the logging sector can take advantage of it in a low-have an effect on approach. this is done in various places round the arena.

    “If the federal government had been to provide out more concessions in public forests and indigenous spaces, it would create a way for individuals to worth the wooded area extra.”

    Lauriano Umbelino Martins

    Lauriano Umbelino Martins is the consultant in Matto Grosso state of Funai, the federal government body answerable for insurance policies in relation to Brazil’s indigenous peoples.

    “we don’t have enough people working on this space as a result of budget cuts.

    “I’m in charge of eleven villages but i cannot monitor all of them.

    “there’s a lot of picket robbery, because of the prime worth of the picket in the indigenous areas.

    “and even though the indigenous other people recognize it is wrong, sometimes they help the loggers – as a result of their poverty.

    “they want food, they want clothes or medication, or they would like a motorcycle.

    “However issues are becoming higher, with the assistance of Ibama the state-funded institute responsible for environmental protection and the National Protect and their patrols.”

  • Magnitude 5.9 quake shakes northern Haiti

    A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook northwestern Haiti late Saturday, damaging homes, a church and at least one hospital. Officials reported that people had been injured, but had not confirmed local medi

    PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook northwestern Haiti late Saturday, damaging homes, a church and at least one hospital. Officials reported that people had been injured, but had not confirmed local media reports of deaths.

    The U.S. Geologic Survey said the quake hit at 8:11 p.m. (0011 GMT) and was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix on Haiti’s north coast. It was 7.3 miles (11.7 kilometers) below the surface.

    The country’s civil protection agency issued a statement saying several people were injured and some houses destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Among the structures damaged was the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance.

    Other rescue workers reported the collapse of part of a hospital and an auditorium as the quake hit on a rainy evening.

    The quake was felt lightly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

    Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is especially vulnerable to earthquakes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people.

  • Desperation explodes to anger as Indonesia quake toll rises beyond 1,200

    Desperation exploded into anger four days after an earthquake and tsunami decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving hungry residents grabbing food from damaged stores on Tu

    PALU, Indonesia (AP) — Desperation exploded into anger four days after an earthquake and tsunami decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving hungry residents grabbing food from damaged stores on Tuesday and begging the president for help. The confirmed toll exceeded 1,200 dead with hundreds severely injured and still more trapped in debris.

    Most of the attention of rescuers so far has focused on the biggest affected city, Palu, which has 380,000 people and suffered considerable damage. Other hard-hit areas have been largely cut off due to impassable roads and downed power and phone lines after the magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Friday and generated a tsunami said to have been as high as 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in places.

    “We feel like we are stepchildren here because all the help is going to Palu,” said Mohamad Taufik, 38, from the area of Donggala, who said five of his relatives are still missing. “There are many young children here who are hungry and sick, but there is no milk or medicine.”

    The death toll for all affected areas reached 1,234, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in Jakarta. More people remain trapped in Sigi and Balaroa, meaning the toll is likely to rise.

    “With all the logistical aid coming in, the service to the refugees is better,” Nugroho said. “We still need more time to take care of all the problems.”

    He said 153 bodies were buried Monday in a mass grave and the operation continued Tuesday.

    A special aircraft carrying 12,000 liters (3,170 gallons) of fuel had arrived and trucks with food were on the way with police escorts to guard against looters. Nugroho said many gas stations were inoperable either because of quake damage or from people stealing fuel.

    In Donggala, the frustration of waiting for days without help boiled over for some.

    “Pay attention to Donggala, Mr. Jokowi. Pay attention to Donggala,” yelled one resident in a video broadcast on local television, referring to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the lack of aid reaching his town. “There are still a lot of unattended villages here.”

    The town’s administrative head, Kasman Lassa, all but gave residents permission to take food – but nothing else – from shops.

    “Everyone is hungry and they want to eat after several days of not eating,” Lassa said on local TV. “We have anticipated it by providing food, rice, but it was not enough. There are many people here. So, on this issue, we cannot pressure them to hold much longer.”

    Desperation was visible in Palu as well. Signs propped along roads read “We Need Food” and “We Need Support,” while children begged for cash in the streets and long lines of cars snarled traffic as people waited for gas.

    Teams were searching for trapped survivors under destroyed homes and buildings, including a collapsed eight-story hotel in the city, but they needed more heavy equipment to clear the rubble. Nearly 62,000 people have been displaced from their homes, Nugroho said.

    Many people were believed trapped under shattered houses in Balaroa, where the earthquake caused the ground to heave up and down violently.

    “I and about 50 other people in Balaroa were able to save ourselves by riding on a mound of soil which was getting higher and higher,” resident Siti Hajat told MetroTV, adding her house was destroyed.

    In Palu’s Petobo neighborhood, the quake caused loose, wet soil to liquefy, creating a thick, heavy mud that resulted in massive damage. “In Petobo, it is estimated that there are still hundreds of victims buried in mud,” Nugroho said.

    Residents who found loved ones – alive and dead – over the weekend there also expressed disgust that it took rescue teams until Monday to reach the area.

    President Jokowi authorized the acceptance of international help, Nugroho said Monday, adding that generators, heavy equipment and tents were among the most-needed items. The European Union and about 10 countries have offered assistance, including the United States and China, he said.

    Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday that his government has given $360,000 to help victims and is in talks with Indonesian authorities about a second round of aid. The initial funds are to go to the Indonesian Red Cross for the most obvious emergency aid needs, such as tarpaulins.

    Nugroho said only two of the 122 foreigners in the area remained unaccounted for – one from South Korea and the other from Belgium.

    The coastline at Palu was strewn with rubble and a few brightly colored cargo containers poking out of the water. Buildings near the water were ruined shells. The arches of a large yellow bridge rested in the water and eerie drone video showed a Ferris wheel, untouched, on a beach scraped bare by the waves.

    In Petobo, Edi Setiawan said he and his neighbors rescued children and adults, including a pregnant woman. His sister and father, however, did not survive.

    “My sister was found embracing her father,” he said. “My mother was able to survive after struggling against the mud and being rescued by villagers.”

    Indonesia is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. A powerful quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people in August, and two moderate quakes near an eastern island on Tuesday reportedly damaged a bridge.

    The vast archipelago is home to 260 million people on more than 17,000 islands that stretch a distance similar to that between New York and London. Roads and infrastructure are poor in many areas, making access difficult in the best of conditions.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Margie Mason and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

  • Seoul: North Korea estimated to have 20-60 nuclear weapons

    A top South Korean official told lawmakers that North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s secrecy-clouded weapons arsenal

    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top South Korean official told lawmakers that North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s secrecy-clouded weapons arsenal.

    Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told parliament Monday the estimates on the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range from 20 bombs to as many as 60. He was responding to a question by a lawmaker, saying the information came from the intelligence authorities. The National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s main spy agency, couldn’t immediately comment.

    Cho may have unintentionally revealed the information. His ministry said Tuesday Cho’s comments didn’t mean that South Korea would accept North Korea as a nuclear state, suggesting Seoul’s diplomatic efforts to rid the North of its nuclear program would continue.

    The South Korean assessment on the North’s arsenal is not much different from various outside civilian estimates largely based on the amount of nuclear materials that North is believed to have produced.

    According to South Korean government reports, North is believed to have produced 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of weaponized plutonium, enough for at least eight bombs. Stanford University scholars, including nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker who visited North Korea’s centrifuge facility at Nyongbyon in 2010, wrote earlier this year that North Korea is estimated to have a highly enriched uranium inventory of 250 to 500 kilograms (550 to 1,100 pounds), sufficient for 25 to 30 nuclear devices.

    Many foreign experts say North Korea are likely running additional secret uranium-enrichment plants.

    The North entered talks with the United States and South Korea earlier this year, saying it’s willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal. Nuclear diplomacy later stalled due to suspicions over how sincere North Korea is about its disarmament pledge, but U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to visit Pyongyang this month to set up a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

  • ‘A single piece of plastic’ can kill sea turtles, says study Ask a question

    sea turtle Image copyright Google

    A new study suggests that ingesting even a single piece of plastic can be deadly for sea turtles.

    Researchers found there was a one in five chance of death for a turtle who consumed just one item – rising to 50% for 14 pieces.

    The team found that younger turtles are at a higher risk of dying from exposure to plastic than adults.

    The authors say their research raises concerns over the long term survival of some turtle species.

    The never ending surge of plastic into the world’s oceans is taking an increasing toll on iconic marine species.

    Image copyright BBC Sport

    From that information they were able to deduce the role of plastic in causing death – if an animal had ingested more than 200 pieces of plastic, death was inevitable.

    Fourteen pieces meant a 50% chance of dying – while one piece gave a 22% chance of mortality.

    “Because of their digestive tract, they don’t regurgitate anything,” lead author Dr Britta Denise Hardesty from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), told BBC News.

    “If it ends up in the wrong place, even one little thin, filmy piece of plastic can block that canal and mean that nothing can pass and ultimately the blockage can result in death.”

    As well as causing blockages, harder pieces caused internal injuries which often lead to death as well.

    The research team also found that younger turtles were taking in far more plastic than adults. Around 23% of juveniles and 54% of post-hatchling turtles had ingested plastic compared to 16% of adults. The scientists say that this greater susceptibility is down to where they live and how they feed.

    Image copyright Kathy Townsend

    “Young small turtles actually drift and float with the ocean currents as does much of the buoyant, small lightweight plastic,” said Dr Hardesty.

    “We think that small turtles are less selective in what they eat than large adults who eat sea grass and crustaceans, the young turtles are out in the oceanic area offshore and the older animals are feeding in closer to shore.”

    While sea turtles can live until they are about 80 and reproduce for decades, researchers are concerned for the longer term impact of so many juveniles consuming so much plastic.

    “We know that disproportionately finding it more in younger animals who won’t make it to the reproductive state will have long term consequences for the survival of the species,” said Dr Hardesty.

    “It’s very concerning.”

    Other experts in this field say the new study is an important step towards quantifying the scale of the threat that plastic poses to the lives of sea turtles.

    Image copyright Brazil Photo Press Image caption Turtles face external and internal dangers from plastic – this one was found wrapped in plastic, washed ashore in Brazil

    “The authors offer a very defensible framework for allowing us to measure the mortality risk resultant from plastic ingestion,” said Prof Brendan Godley, from the University of Exeter, who wasn’t involved with the study.

    “It also points to the likelihood that plastic may be a key threat to the smallest life stages. This is of particular concern as pieces of plastics and baby turtles are both likely to be aggregated together in similar areas.”

    The authors of the new study want to raise awareness among consumers and political leaders about the threat from plastic and to encourage creative solutions to the issue. One option may well be a plastic tax or deposit scheme.

    “Let’s rethink our relationship with plastic,” said Dr Hardesty.

    “Let’s put a true cost on plastic so they have a similar value to aluminium cans which we don’t find lost in the environment, they get picked up and they don’t get mismanaged and find their way out into the ocean,” she added.

    The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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