Deirdre McKay
@dccmckay.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Curious... about geography, migration and development... and the plastic waste it generates....
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
What are we doing to the planet - environmental catastrophe near Rye, East Sussex
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
‘Environmental catastrophe’ fears as millions of plastic beads wash up on Camber Sands
MP asks for explanation from Southern Water amid concerns the spill could have dire impact on rare sea life
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:51 AM
What are we doing to the planet - environmental catastrophe near Rye, East Sussex
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Which biofilm-coated microplastics do sea creatures not mistake for food?
Among various kinds of plastic pollution, I am most concerned about those that animals mistake for food.
‘Environmental catastrophe’ fears as millions of plastic beads wash up on Camber Sands
Southern Water is being investigated amid concerns the spill could have dire impact on rare sea life
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Which biofilm-coated microplastics do sea creatures not mistake for food?
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
'Human nature' is the capacity to categorize others as part of self. Extending the boundaries of concern, people often help strangers in emergencies.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
‘Heroic actions are a natural tendency’: why bystander apathy is a myth
Modern research shows the public work together selflessly in an emergency, motivated by a strong impulse to help
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
'Human nature' is the capacity to categorize others as part of self. Extending the boundaries of concern, people often help strangers in emergencies.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
This new paper documents a tenfold increase in research papers using community-collected iNaturalist data over just five years: tr.ee/89Ot3I
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
July 28, 2025 at 4:37 PM
This new paper documents a tenfold increase in research papers using community-collected iNaturalist data over just five years: tr.ee/89Ot3I
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
I had dinner with a colleague from @inaturalist.bsky.social yesterday and Jeanne shared that their users are discovering an average of one brand-new-previously-unknown-to-science species EACH MONTH!
Citizen Scientists Are Accelerating Ecology Research, Study Suggests
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I had dinner with a colleague from @inaturalist.bsky.social yesterday and Jeanne shared that their users are discovering an average of one brand-new-previously-unknown-to-science species EACH MONTH!
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Homes from straw, beer and bread from grains, clothes from beer brewing... That's a good amount of solution capacity from one crop.
Researchers extracted proteins from spent beer-brewing yeast and spun them into strong textile fibers that avoid the environmental impact of petroleum-based polymers, and the ethical as well as land- and water-use concerns of cotton and wool. cen.acs.org/materials/Br... #chemsky 🧪
Brewing waste: The solution to sustainable fashion?
Biodegradable fibers spun from yeast protein avoid the resource use and pollution of cotton, wool, and polyester
cen.acs.org
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Homes from straw, beer and bread from grains, clothes from beer brewing... That's a good amount of solution capacity from one crop.
Vale, Jo. We'll miss you very much next summer on Skye. And we'll raise a dram in your memory...
Incredibly sad news from our Geography community at Loughborough www.lboro.ac.uk/subjects/geo...
Professor Joanna Bullard (1969-2025)
We are incredibly sad to share news of the recent passing of Joanna Bullard, Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment, School of Social Sciences and Humanities at...
www.lboro.ac.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Vale, Jo. We'll miss you very much next summer on Skye. And we'll raise a dram in your memory...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Scientists in Japan made a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours and biodegrades in dirt in 10 days.
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
November 6, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Scientists in Japan made a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours and biodegrades in dirt in 10 days.
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
This is so good from Cory Doctorow on all the tricks Amazon uses to get both consumers to pay more, and how businesses on the platform end up paying it 45-51 cents on every dollar.
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?
Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...
www.theguardian.com
October 5, 2025 at 8:19 AM
This is so good from Cory Doctorow on all the tricks Amazon uses to get both consumers to pay more, and how businesses on the platform end up paying it 45-51 cents on every dollar.
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
A plan to limit plastics pollution globally is in crisis. But disagreements can be resolved with a more formal role for science and more informal spaces for delegates.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
What now for the global plastics treaty?
What now for the global plastics treaty?
Ending plastic pollution will mean embracing the complexity of political and economic realities.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
What now for the global plastics treaty?
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Most plastic items are too small for recyclers to bother sorting and processing, or they're assembled in such a way that it's less expensive to just make new plastic.
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means.
Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label “recyclable” on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaran...
www.propublica.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Most plastic items are too small for recyclers to bother sorting and processing, or they're assembled in such a way that it's less expensive to just make new plastic.
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
Colonial tropes of exploration redux. Canadian territorial waters, first navigated by Inuit? Nope. Possibly this representation of depopulated landscapes open for discovery is payback for all that 'exploring' on the Amazon..?
🇧🇷 VIDEO Brazil woman sails solo through Arctic
Brazilian navigator Tamara Klink says she encountered "very little" sea ice on her solo sail through the Northwest Passage -- a rare feat that would have been impossible without an icebreaker ship three decades ago.
Brazilian navigator Tamara Klink says she encountered "very little" sea ice on her solo sail through the Northwest Passage -- a rare feat that would have been impossible without an icebreaker ship three decades ago.
October 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Colonial tropes of exploration redux. Canadian territorial waters, first navigated by Inuit? Nope. Possibly this representation of depopulated landscapes open for discovery is payback for all that 'exploring' on the Amazon..?
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Oh, for fork's sake.🍴 "Men who use plastic cutlery and tableware have a higher accumulation of #microplastics in their semen, which is linked to lower sperm count," according to a recent paper in the J. of Nanobiotechnology. Via @ehnewsroom.bsky.social #plasticstreaty
www.ehn.org/microplastic...
www.ehn.org/microplastic...
Plastic tableware use linked to microplastics in semen
Men who use plastic cutlery and tableware have a higher accumulation of microplastics in their semen, which is linked to lower sperm count, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of Nano...
www.ehn.org
October 22, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Oh, for fork's sake.🍴 "Men who use plastic cutlery and tableware have a higher accumulation of #microplastics in their semen, which is linked to lower sperm count," according to a recent paper in the J. of Nanobiotechnology. Via @ehnewsroom.bsky.social #plasticstreaty
www.ehn.org/microplastic...
www.ehn.org/microplastic...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
34,000 Years Ago: the first blue
In Dzudzuana Cave in the Caucasus foothills, archaeologists have uncovered the very first evidence of indigo dye on wild flax fibres. This discovery shows that early humans were not only skilled in survival, but in colouring their world. #naturaldyes #archaeology
In Dzudzuana Cave in the Caucasus foothills, archaeologists have uncovered the very first evidence of indigo dye on wild flax fibres. This discovery shows that early humans were not only skilled in survival, but in colouring their world. #naturaldyes #archaeology
October 21, 2025 at 7:52 AM
34,000 Years Ago: the first blue
In Dzudzuana Cave in the Caucasus foothills, archaeologists have uncovered the very first evidence of indigo dye on wild flax fibres. This discovery shows that early humans were not only skilled in survival, but in colouring their world. #naturaldyes #archaeology
In Dzudzuana Cave in the Caucasus foothills, archaeologists have uncovered the very first evidence of indigo dye on wild flax fibres. This discovery shows that early humans were not only skilled in survival, but in colouring their world. #naturaldyes #archaeology
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
⚠️🚨Texas A&M study shows seawater-altered nanoplastics can camouflage themselves to sneak past skin cells’ defenses.🚨⚠️
interestingengineering.com/health/nanop...
interestingengineering.com/health/nanop...
Plastic threat runs skin-deep as ocean alters particle behavior
Texas A&M researchers find nanoplastics exposed to seawater can slip past skin defenses by mimicking natural coatings.
interestingengineering.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:53 AM
⚠️🚨Texas A&M study shows seawater-altered nanoplastics can camouflage themselves to sneak past skin cells’ defenses.🚨⚠️
interestingengineering.com/health/nanop...
interestingengineering.com/health/nanop...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Plastics are more than a waste problem - they’re tied to social-ecological issues and disrupt Earth’s systems. Join Patricia as she defends her thesis revealing plastics’ links to fossil fuels, toxins, and injustice.
📅 Oct 31, 09:00 | 📍 Hörsal 6, Albano | 🔗 stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/67745468019
📅 Oct 31, 09:00 | 📍 Hörsal 6, Albano | 🔗 stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/67745468019
October 20, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Plastics are more than a waste problem - they’re tied to social-ecological issues and disrupt Earth’s systems. Join Patricia as she defends her thesis revealing plastics’ links to fossil fuels, toxins, and injustice.
📅 Oct 31, 09:00 | 📍 Hörsal 6, Albano | 🔗 stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/67745468019
📅 Oct 31, 09:00 | 📍 Hörsal 6, Albano | 🔗 stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/67745468019
In another (non)-surprise on the unanticipated contaminants in apparently safe plastics, things marketed 'BPA-free' contain... BPA..... www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Chemical linked to low sperm count, obesity and cancer found in dummies, tests find
BPA, a synthetic chemical used in production of plastics, found in baby products made by three big European brands
www.theguardian.com
October 18, 2025 at 8:49 AM
In another (non)-surprise on the unanticipated contaminants in apparently safe plastics, things marketed 'BPA-free' contain... BPA..... www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
🧵 3/ These cancellations aren’t coincidences — they’re warning signs. ⚠️ The plastics market is unstable, overbuilt, and fraught with financial and environmental risk.
It’s time for a strong #PlasticsTreaty that caps production and ushers markets into stable and sustainable solutions.
👇🏽 Read more.
It’s time for a strong #PlasticsTreaty that caps production and ushers markets into stable and sustainable solutions.
👇🏽 Read more.
Propping Up a Failing Industry: How Overcapacity, Tariffs, and Subsidies Are Masking the Plastics and Petrochemical Crisis - Center for International Environmental Law
Published on July 24, 2025. By Ximena Banegas, Global Plastics and Petrochemicals Campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law. The petrochemical industry is facing a financial crisis...
bit.ly
October 17, 2025 at 3:49 PM
🧵 3/ These cancellations aren’t coincidences — they’re warning signs. ⚠️ The plastics market is unstable, overbuilt, and fraught with financial and environmental risk.
It’s time for a strong #PlasticsTreaty that caps production and ushers markets into stable and sustainable solutions.
👇🏽 Read more.
It’s time for a strong #PlasticsTreaty that caps production and ushers markets into stable and sustainable solutions.
👇🏽 Read more.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
🧵 2/ ExxonMobil’s Coastal Plain Venture project in Texas would have added 5B pounds of new polyethylene production capacity/year — now it's off the table.
Weeks ago, Dow delayed a $4 billion expansion planned for Alberta, Canada.
⚠️ The message is clear: Petrochemicals are a toxic investment.
Weeks ago, Dow delayed a $4 billion expansion planned for Alberta, Canada.
⚠️ The message is clear: Petrochemicals are a toxic investment.
October 17, 2025 at 3:49 PM
🧵 2/ ExxonMobil’s Coastal Plain Venture project in Texas would have added 5B pounds of new polyethylene production capacity/year — now it's off the table.
Weeks ago, Dow delayed a $4 billion expansion planned for Alberta, Canada.
⚠️ The message is clear: Petrochemicals are a toxic investment.
Weeks ago, Dow delayed a $4 billion expansion planned for Alberta, Canada.
⚠️ The message is clear: Petrochemicals are a toxic investment.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
🧵1 / ExxonMobil just hit pause on a massive plastics project in Texas, blaming “market conditions” 👀
📉 Another sign that plastics are a bad investment — a market fraught with oversupply, debt, and declining demand.
📉 Another sign that plastics are a bad investment — a market fraught with oversupply, debt, and declining demand.
ExxonMobil scraps plans for $10 billion Texas plastics plant
The company plans to reevaluate the complex down the line.
finance.yahoo.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:49 PM
🧵1 / ExxonMobil just hit pause on a massive plastics project in Texas, blaming “market conditions” 👀
📉 Another sign that plastics are a bad investment — a market fraught with oversupply, debt, and declining demand.
📉 Another sign that plastics are a bad investment — a market fraught with oversupply, debt, and declining demand.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Here's some good news that should get more attention: establishing a zero-discharge standard for #plastic nurdle pollution -- and the fines and technology to back it up! reasonstobecheerful.world/plastics-pol...
The Landmark Settlement That Could Get Plastic Pellet Pollution Out of America's Rivers
The legal ruling this month requires a leading U.S. plastics firm to fix its mess — and prevent it from ever happening again.
reasonstobecheerful.world
October 16, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Here's some good news that should get more attention: establishing a zero-discharge standard for #plastic nurdle pollution -- and the fines and technology to back it up! reasonstobecheerful.world/plastics-pol...