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First Post
6 days ago
- General
- First Post
Can we beat plastic pollution?
Unless we as individuals change our mindset and behaviour towards single-use plastic, neither a global treaty nor national legislation will end plastic pollution read more (File) A man collects plastic and other recyclable material from the shores of the Arabian Sea, littered with plastic bags and other garbage, in Mumbai. AP Plastic, the necessary evil, has become entangled in our web of life, spanning both tradition and modernity, from plumbing to healthcare, from home to Parliament. Invented in 1860, and the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was produced in 1907, the suitability, affordability and availability of the plastic have generated a colossal quantity of plastic waste that is choking the very survival of the living Planet. The plastic pollution is so alarming that the UN has called on a second time in two years (last in 2023) on World Environment Day to end the plastic pollution. Strategically, the World Environment Day's repeat theme of 'beat the plastic pollution' is to ignite the countries to agree on plastic pollution during the forthcoming UN Ocean Conference (June 9-13, 2025) and second part of fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic in Geneva (August 5-15, 2025). Similarly, India steps up its campaign for 'one nation, one mission- End Plastic Pollution'. Can we overcome the intricate dependence on single-use plastic (SUP) or end plastic pollution? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While plastic has been increasingly and immeasurably integrated in our daily lives for the last several decades, littering of SUP items in our ecosphere has severe adverse and hostile effects on terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems. Plastic has become so intertwined that our ecosphere has evolved into a 'plastisphere' – an ecosystem consisting of human-made plastics. The use, abuse and misuse of plastic has become the single most significant and dominant contribution of humankind that transforms the geological era, which is famously termed as Anthropocene- the age of humans. Meanwhile, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that the world produces approximately 413.8 million tonnes of plastic annually (in 2023). Two-thirds of which (more than 280 million tonnes) are short-lived plastic products that quickly become waste, filling the ocean and, often, finding their way into our food chain. Of the more than 8 billion tonnes of plastic waste generated globally to date, less than 10 per cent has been recycled at a snail's pace. About 22 per cent of plastic waste worldwide is neither collected nor properly disposed of, or ends up as litter. However, recycling plastic is not without its risks. One of the recently released studies, Forever Toxic: The science of health threats from plastic recycling, found that this process not only increases the toxicity of plastics but also poses a threat to the health of consumers, frontline communities, and workers in the recycling sector. Is the hype surrounding plastic recycling veering towards myth? Whereas global plastic waste generation has increased more than sevenfold in the past four decades to 360 million metric tonnes per year, projections indicate that waste generation by 2040 will be double the current quantity and may exceed 615 million metric tonnes. Many of us use plastic products every day without even considering where they end up. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Are we truly aware that one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used globally each year? In total, half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes — used just once and then discarded. We are so addicted to single-use plastic that it seems unthinkable to eliminate it immediately. According to the UNEP, plastics contain over 13,000 chemicals, with more than 3,200 of them known to be hazardous to human health, while the safety of the remainder has not yet been assessed. More intriguing is how 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans to date. Every year, two million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean. The sorry state of plastic pollution can be assessed with the most intriguing photo by photographer and naturalist Justin Hofman depicting a seahorse in the ocean near Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, clinging to a bright pink plastic cotton swab. It is projected that if we don't change our behaviour towards the use of plastic, we may seriously intervene with our aquatic ecosystems, with a projected 23-27 million tonnes per year of plastic waste by 2040. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's one nation, one mission to end plastic pollution Plastic is ubiquitous in India. India has become the world's largest contributor to plastic pollution, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the total global plastic waste. With 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste generated annually in India, a staggering 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are mismanaged. Among the States and Union Territories, Tamil Nadu has produced the largest plastic waste, while Sikkim generated the lowest in 2023. India's per capita plastic consumption has grown to approximately 11 kg per year and is expected to rise significantly with the increasing consumerism. However, India has been specifically addressing the plastic menace through various policy initiatives domestically and globally by engaging in two important treaty negotiations- a global plastic treaty and the Open Seas Biodiversity treaty. Unilateral 'casual' measures date back to the early 2000s when states had imposed a ban on plastic bags. Those state-wide initiatives failed due to a lack of awareness and unpopularity, and non-enforceability. However, the Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWMR), 2016, provide the statutory framework for plastic waste management in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, India has banned 19 identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, since 1st July 2022 through the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. India also prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having a thickness less than seventy-five microns from September 2021, and having a thickness less than one hundred and twenty microns from December 2022. The Guidelines on the Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging instruct mandatory targets on recycling of plastic packaging waste, reuse of rigid plastic packaging and use of recycled plastic content. Even so, we keep on using and abusing our surroundings and asking vendors to provide the banned products. Simple awareness programs are not yet effective. Therefore, who will oversee the enforcement of the implementation of the ban on identified single-use plastic items and on plastic carry bags? We must not expect the special task forces of states and Union Territories and the National Level Taskforce to monitor and implement successfully a complete ban on single-use plastic. When estimated against a business-as-usual scenario by one billion Indians in 2022-23 to 2027-28, the impact of LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) actions can be significant in ending 375 million plastic waste if using a cloth bag instead of plastic. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is India's position on the global plastic treaty? In the meantime, India's official position from the beginning of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC), the group established to negotiate an international agreement on plastic pollution, has been to ensure the 'fairness, equity, shared responsibility, collective commitments and consensus-based actions' rather than majority-based decision making. India argues, as a common strategy in all multilateral environmental negotiations, that it must be acknowledged that countries have different levels of development, unique circumstances and differential contribution to plastic pollution as we are witnessing now. Therefore, India prefers a mix of both global mandates and largely voluntary approaches to tackle the plastic menace. Many external stakeholders have commented that India, with other countries, has become obstructionist to a global legally binding plastic treaty. After US President Donald Trump reversing the federal push away from plastic straws in February this year, all eyes will be on India during the UN Ocean Conference and final meeting on plastic in Geneva for a successful global plastic treaty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the meantime, a multi-prong strategy both within and beyond can be justified to end plastic pollution. Ultimately, it has been reflected in various goals under SDGs- responsible consumption and production (Goal 12), climate action (Goal 13), life below water (Goal 14), life on land (Goal 15), to end the plastic pollution. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution, in its 58th session (April 4, 2025), recognising, for the first time, the critical connection between plastic pollution, ocean protection and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. To reach a successful global treaty, countries must thrash out principles of reuse, reorient, regulate and diversify the dependence on plastic. The ambitious treaty, expected to progress during the final meeting in Geneva in August, may anchor on provisions for re-designing and rethinking the way we package, affordable and accessible alternatives to plastics, improving the waste management infrastructure, the principle of polluters pay, a predictable financial mechanism and access to technology and so on. Likewise, it is time to change how we produce, consume and dispose of the plastic we use. This is possible when we change our mindsets and behaviours. Let's start with reducing our dependence on single-use plastic from this World Environment Day onwards. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dr Avilash Roul, International Advisor on Transboundary Water and Climate Change Risk, is a Senior Fellow at the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC), a Delhi-based think tank. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
New York Post
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Royal bride reveals the most ‘disgusting' part about her wedding, says husband ‘still gets upset about it'
'Disgusting.' That's not a word you hear too often when it comes to the royal family unless it's some anonymous Windsor source huffing down a Bakelite phone about Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's latest home shopping network juicer side-hustle. Advertisement That or someone has left oat milk in the palace fridge again. But not today with a royal bride having come out and given a shockingly (and wonderfully) candid interview, revealing she didn't pick out her own wedding dress, knew very few people at the reception, and even admitted that there was one detail she found 'disgusting.' 6 This week, Sophie Winkleman, who is also Lady Frederick Windsor, has given a new interview and admitted some wonderfully indiscreet details about her own royal wedding. WireImage Everyone says a polite hello to Sophie Winkleman, who is also Lady Frederick Windsor, and while she might not be a household name in Australia, she is very much in the royal bosom. Advertisement Back before it was restricted to working members of the royal maily, she used to be able to be spotted the Buckingham Palace balcony, and these days you are likely to spy her having a jolly old time of it with 'dear friend' King Charles in the royal box at Ascot or doing her bit to support Kate, The Princess of Wales' annual Christmas concert. Extra points if you knew her daughter, Maud Windsor, used to be in the same London class as Prince George and was a bridesmaid at Princess Eugenie's wedding. 6 Lord Freddie Windsor poses with his bride Sophie Winkleman in the Base Court, after their wedding in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace on September 12, 2009, in Richmond upon Thames, England. PA Images via Getty Images Specifically, Sophie is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the King's second cousin, and while Freddie is so far down the line of succession you have to squint at number 54, but still, the couple are very much in the titled thick of it. Advertisement (Lord Frederick was 17th in line when he was born.) This week, Sophie, who also happens to be a working actress, has given a new interview and admitted some wonderfully indiscreet details about her own royal wedding. The year was 2009, long before the Windsors would 'welcome' another TV gal into their midst, and with Prince William yet to pop the question to long-time squeeze Kate Middleton, what the UK needed was a royal wedding. Advertisement A guest list was assembled about the length of an abridged copy of Burke & Peerage, Hampton Court Palace was rightfully booked for the affair, and various HRHs were assembled (Princess Eugenie, the Duke and Duchess of Kent). However, now Sophie has admitted that there was a part of the day she found 'disgusting.' Speaking to the Telegraph this week, she said: 'It was such a blur because we had to move to Los Angeles the day after and I had to start a brand new job the day after that…I'd been so concentrating on the work that I hadn't thought about the wedding.' Enter unto the breach her future mother-in-law and longtime Buckingham Palace balcony stalwart Princess Michael of Kent, who 'sort of took it all over,' said Sophie. 'I actually didn't mind at all. I thought, 'Great, do everything''. The end result, based on photos, is of a frou-frou-y affair that even diehard Cinderella-stans might have considered OTT; 'fairytale' was never going to be used as an adjective. In the cold light of 2025, Sophie does not sound exactly enamoured of all that bugle-beaded 'everything'. 'My hair was so disgusting, and Freddy still gets upset about it. It was just disgusting. And my mother-in-law chose my dress, which was very sweet and puffy, but I looked barking,' she told the Telegraph. Advertisement 6 'My hair was so disgusting, and Freddy still gets upset about it. It was just disgusting. And my mother-in-law chose my dress, which was very sweet and puffy, but I looked barking,' she said. Getty Images 'I look back on it and think I should have worn a simpler dress, and I should have got my hair blow-dried by someone who'd done it before'. This is not the first time that deliciously unfiltered Sophie has pulled back the curtain on her Windsor nuptials and what goes into planning a royal hitchin.' 'I didn't know anyone at my wedding. I had my best pals there, but basically it was full of faces I'd never seen before,' she told Tatler in December last year. Advertisement During that same interview, she enthused about Princess Michael having 'brilliantly' 'taken full personal charge' of the 400-person event and said, 'I was so determined not to be a bridezilla, I didn't even work out my hairstyle and I cannot tell you how disgusting it looked.' Coming up the aisle, the first thing I said when I saw Freddie was, 'I'm so sorry about the hair.'' He said, 'Yes, what on earth have you done?'' Advertisement While the Sussexes have hardly been tight-lipped about what a rough trot Meghan had joining Crown Inc., Sophie has only ever raved about her extended in-laws. She told Tatler last year: 'Behind the camera, they're really fun, clever, kind people…I love Catherine and William, but they're so busy and don't live in London, so I don't see them much.' Meanwhile, Charles 'is a very dear friend.' 'I spend a bit of time with him,' she told the Times in 2020. Advertisement 'You see how he works all day long, has a quick supper, and then disappears until about 4 am to write letters. 6 Frederick Windsor and Sophie Winkleman arrive for the Lord Mayor's reception for the National Service of Thanksgiving at The Guildhall on June 03, 2022, in London, England. Getty Images 'He cares about so many things, and he comes up with brilliant solutions. 'I've been incredibly welcomed with open arms by all of them. I haven't had a single negative experience. 'They'd never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some [racy] role. Everyone's looked after me.' And she means that quite literally. 6 Lady Sophie Windsor, Queen Camilla, King Charles III, and Lord Frederick Windsor watch the racing from the Royal Box as they attend day 5 of Royal Ascot 2023 at Ascot Racecourse on June 24, 2023, in Ascot, England. Getty Images The late Queen and Charles both offered practical support after Sophie broke her back in a 2017 car crash, as she thought she was 'a goner.' After the accident, Charles (then the Prince of Wales) tasked his Clarence House cook to provide Freddie and Sophie's family with twice-a-day meals, 'for weeks on end . . . It was life-saving.' Then, during her recuperation, Queen Elizabeth suggested a solution to help her manage the pain of rehab. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters As Sophie told Tatler: 'She said, 'We can't have that. You have to go in the water.' She told us that when horses had broken backs, they swam, and so she let me use her pool at Buckingham Palace. 'That's the reason I got better. It was so typically thoughtful.' Blimey. The Palace pool. 'Disgusting' hair. Looking 'barking.' 6 Lord Frederick Windsor and Sophie Windsor, with Maud Windsor and Isabella Windsor, attend the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on December 6, 2024, in London, England. Samir Hussein/WireImage It would be remiss of me here not to play a quick game of Sussex Subbing. What if all of this had come out of Meghan's mouth instead? Imagine a lit match going off in a fireworks factory built on top of an oil refinery. Kablooey. There is a lesson in all of this for any Cinderella-ish aspirants. Don't overlook the very clear benefits to being wed to No. 54 rather than anyone in the single digits, of marrying far farther down the royal rung. Just think, all the invitations to Ascot and Westminster Abbey, none of the wing-clipping self-sacrifices of senior royaldom, and the occasional chance to do a lap in the palace pool.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Eagle's Nest memorial: Hitler's former holiday home renovated
The Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg, once a retreat for Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders, has been a mountain restaurant with a stunning view and a memorial since 1952. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the site, known as the Eagle's Nest in English, in the Bavarian Berchtesgaden Alps every year. The site was expanded during Adolf Hitler's rule of terror between 1933 and 1945 to become the second seat of the Nazi government, according to the tourism association in Obersalzberg. New lift motor after 50 years Visitors can reach the site either via a hiking trail or through a tunnel, followed by a lift that was inaugurated alongside the house in 1938. This lift has now been fitted with a new motor, approximately 50 years after its last engine replacement, according to the Berchtesgaden Tourism Association. The new motor cost approximately €500,000 ($562,000), replacing the previous one from 1973. The lift cabin weighs around 4.4 tons and can carry up to 46 people over the 124-metre distance from the tunnel to the house. It retains its original features, including Venetian mirrors, polished brass panels, green leather upholstery, a mechanical clock and a Bakelite telephone. The house, located just below the Kehlstein summit, was part of the Führer's former restricted area on the Obersalzberg. Situated at an altitude of 1,834 metres, it can be reached via several hours of hiking or from the Obersalzberg car park via the Kehlstein Road. Cars are prohibited from driving on the road, which features steep gradients and several tunnels. Only special buses from the Kehlstein line are allowed. Exhibition explains the site's Nazi history An exhibition in the Kehlsteinhaus showcases the site's history. The residence was was intended to serve as a political representation site away from the public eye, but was reportedly used far more often by the Nazi entourage for recreation and private celebrations. For those wishing to delve deeper into the subject, the tourism association recommends visiting the Obersalzberg Documentation Centre, which features an interactive permanent exhibition "Idyll and Atrocity." This exhibition, like the one in the Kehlsteinhaus, was designed by Germany's Institute of Contemporary History and provides in-depth insights into the history of Obersalzberg. It is advisable to purchase tickets online in advance. From the Kehlstein car park, visitors can either walk or take the lift for the final stretch to the house. The lift ride is included in the bus ticket price, and entry to the Kehlsteinhaus itself is free. The road and the house are closed from late October to early May.
Business Wire
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Bakelite Synthetics Named Top Level Industry Partner of Louisiana Tech's Soon-to-Open Forest Products Innovation Center
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bakelite Synthetics ('the Company'), announced today that it is proud to support the Louisiana Tech University's new Forest Products Innovation Center as the design and construction 'Top Level' Industry Partner. The collaboration establishes the Company as a prominent industry leader, providing industry-relevant testing and research needs to countless students and industry experts. As an industry partner, Bakelite Synthetics will collaborate with students, faculty, and other industry leaders to advance ideas and technologies. The Company will also work with research teams to develop scientific discoveries that lead to innovative and valuable solutions for the forest products industry. 'We are proud to support Louisiana Tech University's Forest Products Innovation Center as a 'Top Level' Industry Partner. This partnership underscores Bakelite's commitment to advancing sustainable innovation and fostering collaboration with universities and the forest products industry,' said JP Aucoin, President and CEO of Bakelite Synthetics. 'By partnering with students, faculty, and industry leaders, we aim to drive innovation and develop valuable solutions that will benefit the timber industry and our planet while empowering the next generation of aspiring scientists.' With a rich history of more than 100 years, Bakelite Synthetics is committed to advancing sustainable product development by leveraging innovative chemistry to create materials that improve everyday life and protect the planet. Bakelite Synthetics serves multiple industries, including wood and forest products, with a focus on safety, sustainability, and long-term community impact. The Forest Products Innovation Center will serve as a hub for developing new methods to capture, produce, and utilize Louisiana's renewable and sustainable forest resources. As part of Louisiana Tech's Tech 2030 strategic initiative, the center will foster interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students in fields such as forestry, chemical and industrial engineering, and sustainable supply chain management. This collaborative approach will help address the evolving needs of the timber industry while benefiting the state, region, and global economy. Dr. Gary Kennedy, Dean of the College of Applied and Natural Sciences at Louisiana Tech, said, 'We are excited to have Bakelite join our Forest Products Innovation Center team. Bakelite's strategic approach to innovation and sustainability aligns perfectly with our vision for the center. Bakelite is the first corporation of its kind to partner with us, as it is not directly a forest products company. Instead, it supports the forest products industry through the development of resins, coatings, and adhesives. In addition to an engineered wood products lab and a testing lab, the center will also have multiple chemistry and analytical labs, which will be a great fit for Bakelite's product line and research interests.' The Center is expected to generate greater economic opportunities for the state, create a lasting impact on academic and professional development, and provide a space for solving challenges in the timber industry through a transdisciplinary approach. About Bakelite Synthetics Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Bakelite Synthetics is a leading global integrated producer of thermoset specialty resins, solutions and engineered thermoset molding compounds serving a variety of segments and end markets across geographies. Additional information about Bakelite Synthetics and its products is available at
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Louisville creek turns red, smells of chemicals as officials investigate spill
A chemical spill turned a creek red in Riverside Gardens on Sunday afternoon, as nearby residents reported an intense chemical smell in the area. As of Sunday night, local officials had not confirmed the specific chemicals, quantities or source of the spill. The affected waterway is an unnamed intermittent stream flowing through Riverside Gardens and into the Mill Creek cutoff to the south, which in turn empties to the Ohio River. Bakelite Synthetics, a chemical plant handling formaldehyde, methanol, phenol and other hazardous chemicals in its operations, sits just north of the neighborhood — only a few hundred feet from homes along Wilmoth Avenue, where some residents spotted the discoloration. Neighbors noticed the spill by at least 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Mary Pichardo, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, described "a really strong paint thinner" smell before seeing the creek's color. Officials from the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department, Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District and other agencies responded to reports from neighbors Sunday. "At this time, no leak or other origin that would result in this discovery has been found," a Bakelite spokesperson said in a statement Monday morning. "We continue to search our property and run tests and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation of this potential leak in the area." The company received a call around 5 p.m. from "Louisville's emergency management system reporting what looked to be pink or reddish foam in the drainage ditch on Camp Ground Road, the same road our Louisville site is located," according to the statement. A LENSAlert notification was sent out close to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, warning "residents and pets" within a half mile of the Bakelite plant, at 6200 Campground Road, to "avoid contact with natural streams and bodies of water until further notice." "There is otherwise no threat to the public, air quality, or drinking water," the alert said. "Officials will continue to monitor." The notification to the public came several hours after officials were aware of the spill. In the wake of past chemical incidents, local advocates have called on the city to bring more transparency and clarity to its notifications of chemical spills, particularly where residential areas are in proximity. Fire and emergency management officials did not immediately respond to calls or emails from The Courier Journal seeking further information. This story may be updated. Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@ or on X @byconnorgiffin. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville creek turns red as officials investigate chemical spill
