Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

Ocean heating breaks record, again, with disastrous outcomes for the planet

Elizabeth Claire Alberts, MongaBay Plastics & Pollution

New research shows that ocean temperatures are hotter than ever in the modern era due to human-driven global warming.

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New Study Finds Microplastics in Nearly 90% of Proteins Sampled, Including Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

Ocean Conservancy Plastics & Pollution

Researchers at Ocean Conservancy and University of Toronto estimate that American adults could be consuming up to 3.8 million microplastics per year from protein alone.

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Plastics treaty negotiators must have access to the latest science: Global Plastics Summit

Economic Impact Plastics & Pollution

Economist Impact convened the Global Plastics Summit and provided an opportunity for stakeholders to debate the details of the draft treaty.

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Amsterdam could ban cruise ships to tackle overtourism. What are other holiday destinations doing?

Gabi Thesing, World Economic Forum Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism

Amsterdam is the latest tourist destination to consider banning cruise ships in a fight against overtourism and pollution.

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Corporate Climate Commitments Miss on Plastics, Ocean Group Says

Christine Zhu, Bloomberg Law Plastics & Pollution

More companies and investors need to consider plastics in their climate commitments, according to a report released last week by environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy.

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Building sustainable waste-management systems to combat plastic pollution

Andre Kuncoroyekti & Anthony Berthold Plastics & Pollution

Plastic waste pollutes our environment at an annual rate of over 8m tonnes. However, amid the global conversations surrounding plastic reduction and reuse, one critical aspect often goes overlooked: the lack of formal waste collection for more than 2bn people in the global south.

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Celebrating Plastic Free July: 5 Tips from the IO Team

Investable Oceans Plastics & Pollution

Plastic Free July is an annual challenge organized by the Plastic Free Foundation that has been attracting millions of participants worldwide since 2011. Here are 5 tips to help kick-start your journey! 

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Can we ethically reduce the amount of plastic in our ocean by keeping it in our economy?

World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group Plastics & Pollution

A guest blog on creating ethical and socially responsible supply chains by Emy Kane, managing director of Lonely Whale, and Michael Sadowski, executive director of The Circulate Initiative.

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News Spotlight: Just How Big Is The Ocean Plastic Problem?

Emma Cummings-Krueger, Conservation International Plastics & Pollution

Plastic is choking the world’s oceans — threatening vital ecosystems, coastal economies and the health of billions of people who eat contaminated seafood.

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To Save The Oceans We Need To Map Their True Value, Then Share The Wealth

Oliver Balch, Reuters Plastics & Pollution

The latest expedition in National Geographic's Pristine Seas initiative has set sail in quest to map and protect the world's oceans.

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World must ‘work as one’ to end plastic pollution: Guterres

United Nations News Plastics & Pollution

“Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one third of which is used just once”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

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Opinion: Reducing Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans Is Simpler Than You Think

Boyan Slat, The New York Times Plastics & Pollution

The world is finally getting serious about plastic pollution. Next week, delegates from U.N. member states will gather in Paris to debate the shape of what some hope will become the plastic-pollution equivalent of the Paris climate agreement.

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New Innovation Alliance Calls For Pragmatic Global Plastics Treaty

Jamie Hailstone, Forbes Plastics & Pollution

More than 60 leading plastic waste innovators have joined forces to form a new alliance, as preparations begin for the next round of negotiations for a UN-led treaty to tackle the issue.

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Stem the tide of ocean pollution to save billions of lives, dollars, and our coral reefs

World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group Plastics & Pollution

The health of coral reefs, our most biodiverse ocean ecosystem, is fundamentally interconnected with human health. We need urgent global action to tackle the pollution crisis to protect both, explain Stacy Jupiter, Bodhi Patil and Christopher Corbin.

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Winners Of The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize Are All Using Seaweed

Jeff Kart, Forbes Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution

Making bioplastics from seaweed is becoming fashionable. And that’s not a dig.

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Plant-based seafood and plastic-eating insects among EIT Food’s Marketed Innovation Prize winners

Oliver Morrison, Food Navigator Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution

EIT Food, the world’s largest food innovation community, has announced the results of its Marketed Innovation Prize, designed to reward innovative food start-ups that have successfully brought products or services to market.

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Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize Winners Announced

Tom Ford, plasticprize.org Plastics & Pollution

In 2020, Tom Ford partnered with Lonely Whale to launch the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize, the only global competition focused on creating scalable and biologically degradable alternatives to traditional thin-film plastic polybags.

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More than 170 trillion plastic particles found in the ocean as pollution reaches ‘unprecedented’ levels

Laura Paddison, CNN Plastics & Pollution

The world’s oceans are polluted by a “plastic smog” made up of an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles that if gathered would weigh around 2.3 million tons, according to a new study.

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Is ocean conservation the next climate tech? 7 investors explain why they’re all in

Tim De Chant, TechCrunch Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports

For an ecosystem that covers a majority of the planet, the oceans have basically been ignored by startups and investors alike.

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The top 5 sustainability and climate trends to watch in 2023

Economic Impact Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism

Economist Impact’s Martin Koehring highlights why stronger collaboration will be required to accelerate progress in 2023.

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