1 . Masses of ocean plastic are providing artificial habitat (栖息地) for otherwise coastal species, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study’s authors observed floating water bottles, old toothbrushes and waste fishing nets. The possibility exists that species may be evolving to better adapt to life on plastic.

A decade ago, marine researchers believed coastal species could not survive a trip across the inhospitable open ocean. Yet Japan’s 2011 tsunami (海啸), which sent some 300 species of Asian marine life riding floating plastic garbage onto North American shores, disproved that assumption.

Ocean plastic is “creating opportunities for coastal species’ biogeography to greatly expand beyond what we previously thought was possible”, Linsey Haram, a researcher and co-author of the study, said in a report.

The concept of species-covered plastic may sound like the story of ocean species’ victory in spite of human pollution. But that’s not quite the case, explains Juan José Alava, PhD, an expert at the University of British Columbia. In addition to transporting non-native species to new habitats where they may become invasive and destructive, the plastic is “basically an ecological trap”, says Alava. “That’s because small species on the floating structure may attract bigger animals to come for food. When these creatures enter garbage areas for food, they run a high risk of eating and/or becoming caught in plastic and dying.”

While scientists have found some types of bacteria (细菌) are able to break down plastic, thereby cleaning up garbage, it’s unlikely that the marine animals will have any such effect. “The 2021 UN report was clear that the increasing plastic pollution is putting the health of all the world’s oceans and seas at risk,” says Alava.

2 . Tens of thousands of lives would be saved every year in the United States if common air pollution from burning fossil fuels (矿物燃料) is got rid of, according to a new study. The research stresses the huge health benefits of moving away from coal, oil and gasoline.

Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimate (估计) that about 50,000 premature (过早的) deaths would be avoided every year if microscopic air pollutants called particulates were got rid of in the U.S..

Premature death and hospitalization are also extremely expensive for the U.S. economy. The study estimates that getting rid of such air pollution would save about $600 billion each year.

Burning fossil fuels are a main source of fine particulate pollution in the U.S.. The new study is the latest reminder that climate change and public health are closely related, and that cutting greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t just reduce long-term risk from global warming; it can save lives immediately by cutting pollution.

Fine particulates, also known as PM 2.5 by scientists and regulators, are pollutants generated by the burning of fossil fuels, wildfires, and some industrial processes. They are about 1/30th the width of human hair, which means they can go deep inside the lungs.

Worldwide, millions of people are estimated to die prematurely every year because of outdoor air pollution, the World Health Organization estimates. More than 1 million global deaths from fine particulate air pollution could be avoided in just one year if fossil fuel burning were got rid of, according to a separate study published last year.

Air quality in much of the U.S. is better than the global average. But the remaining pollution is still deadly, especially to those living in hotspots next to factories, power plants and highways.

“Even with the Clean Air Act in the United States, we still have more than 100,000 Americans who die prematurely from air pollution each year,” says Patz, who has studied the connections between climate change and human health for many years. “It’s a striking health threat.”