AI’s Growing Environmental Footprint. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integrated into everyday life, demand for the infrastructure needed to power it is rapidly growing. Processing the vast amount of data required by AI consumes volumes of electricity in specialised data centres, fuelling a data centre building frenzy that contributes to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and pressure on natural resources. According to the International Energy Age

At first, you may wonder what gender has to do with plastic pollution. The chemicals in plastic harm everyone’s health with recent studies linking plastic-related chemicals and particles to reproductive disorders, cancers, neurological impacts and other long-term health risks. However, the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s research shows that women are more likely to be exposed to the dangerous chemicals involved in plastic production and consumption. But why is that? Labour The

Globally, cigarette butts are by number the largest form of plastic pollution in the world, with trillions being cast away annually. Few people are aware of the damage to our lives, waterways and ecosystems after cigarette ends are released into the environment. Why are filters so awful? Cigarette filters contain; residual nicotine, heavy metals and other harmful materials but it's an engineered plastic product. Cellulose acetate, the main component of a filter, can withstan

Reuse means using packaging multiple times instead of discarding it after one use. That sounds simple, but making it work requires collection, washing, transport and return systems — all of which cost money. This helps explain why some businesses remain cautious. However, a Zero Waste Europe and Searious Business study⁠ suggests the economics can change when reuse operates efficiently and at scale. Importantly, the study does not compare today’s average reuse system with toda

Europe is falling behind on its promise of a healthy ocean by 2030. That is the warning from the 2026 Blue Manifesto assessment, published by a coalition of environmental organisations. It highlights a widening gap between the EU’s international commitments and what happens in its own waters. Destructive fishing continues, pollution remains inadequately addressed, and marine protection needs stronger enforcement. For anyone concerned about plastic pollution, the assessment of

The first part in this two part series established what microplastics are. In this second part we are looking at whether they are harmful to humans, and if so, should we be worried? Microplastics are very likely present in our bodies. Dr Dušan Materić of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research says ‘We do have plastics in us … I think that is safe to assume’. Plastic is closely tied to our food and drink. Research by Retail Economics found that 70% of UK food packagin

The UK produces an exorbitant amount of plastic packaging waste (such as food and snack wrappers and single-use plastic bags).In 2024, the UK produced an estimated 2.3 million tonnes of plastic waste. Only 17% of that plastic waste was recycled, while over 58% was burned in incinerators and the remainder was sent to other countries to be dumped in landfills, according to The Big Plastic Count by Greenpeace. Despite increased customer awareness of plastic packaging’s harmf

Latest research shows that patients who suffer heart attacks have more micro and nanoplastics in their blood. When we talk about plastic and health, the conversation usually revolves around the stomach and digestion. But microplastics don't stay in the gut. Nanoplastics are small enough to pass through the lungs or gut into the bloodstream, where they can travel throughout the body, and they have been found in the blood vessels supplying the heart. The first big warning came

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic measuring less than five millimetres in length, are everywhere. They are in our clothes, our homes, and even the food we eat. Small enough to go unnoticed, and near impossible to clean up once they have entered the environment, they have infiltrated the food chain at every level. The main route via which microplastics enter the environment is through our waterways. Water degrades large plastic waste into tiny fragments, which are quic

Chemical recycling breaks down plastic and turns it into its plastic components. It is a collection of technologies using heat, solvents, enzymes and sound waves to do so. The idea is that chemically recycled plastic can be used for new plastic products., but some of the messaging around it makes this method seem more ecologically sound than it really is. Chemical recycling uses pyrolysis, a process of heating material in a sealed chamber without oxygen. In this case, shred

In January 2026, the Guardian reported that the ‘bombshell’ research paper claiming to have found microplastics in the human brain has been strongly refuted by academics, due to what they call insufficient ‘methodological’ precautions taken by the original research team to arrive at their conclusion. The article concluded, with interviews from experts, that the presence of microplastics in the human body is not fully proved, but according to some experts, very likely to be pr

Plastic pollution is easy to see on a beach—but much harder to measure, understand and prevent. Artificial intelligence, or AI, can be used as a tool to collect and analyse information on plastic pollution. This can help guide positive action. Not all AI is the same “AI” is often discussed as though it is one single technology. That can be misleading. Much of the current debate focuses on generative AI: tools that produce text, images, audio or video. These systems are linked

Disinformation and the ongoing concerns of greenwashing continues to present as a key barrier to transitioning to greener and more sustainable ways of living. This is certainly true of the plastics industry. Plastic use in healthcare is undoubtedly widespread and we’re often led to believe that plastic is the only solution. We all know that plastics are bad for the environment, but could this widespread application also be contributing to ill-health? Initiatives that promote

What if your latest purchase wasn’t really a choice? What if the product was designed to be replaced, the promise of “free” delivery, and the item you threw away never really went away? What if the problem isn’t that we aren’t buying the wrong things, but that we have been encouraged to buy far more than we actually need? These are the questions at the centre of Netflix's Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy, a thought-provoking documentary that takes a critical look at modern co

Fatty liver disease, also known as Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, is caused by a build up of fat in the liver and affects one third of the adult global population. Many factors contribute to fatty liver disease including diet, obesity, insulin resistance, genes, and gut dysbiosis. There are four stages of fatty liver disease: Steatosis: Accumulation of fat, with no damage to the liver Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: Accumulation o