#minderoo

[montereybayaquarium]

Let’s chat about the facts ✅

Plastic pollution is a global issue affecting the health of humans as well as the ocean. Plastic and plastic additives contain many harmful chemicals that can have negative effects on human health.

We believe this complex issue needs to be addressed from the local to the global scale. In just the past two years, our Conservation & Science team has worked with multiple organizations, including the Environmental Law Institute, the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health, and the State of California, to bring awareness to the intersection of plastic pollution, human health, and ocean conservation.

Check out this link for more info on the impact of plastic pollution on human and ocean health–as well as ways that you can limit your exposure to plastic pollution.

Together, we can ensure a healthier future for all, one action at a time! 🌊

[loneberry]

A sea lily marine animal on the sea floor of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone at a depth of 4,800m

“The deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean have rested undisturbed for millennia. But now creatures living thousands of metres beneath the surface may be confronted by new visitors: companies mining minerals key to the green energy transition.

“The International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN-backed regulator, is preparing to consider the world’s first commercial deep-sea mining application as soon as July, despite many member states warning it is too soon for extraction to leap from land into water.”

///

“Ecological treasures on the seabed include creatures such as the transparent ghost fish, dumbo octopus and giant sea anemone, as well as microscopic worms that scientists say could hold the key to understanding human evolution.”

“The Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, where most exploration has taken place, is ‘one of the most biodiverse sedimented marine habitats on our planet’.”

“Environmentalists say the plume of waste water emitted by deep-sea mining machinery could disturb ‘marine snow’, or carbon and nutrient-rich particles of biological matter, that usually settles on the seabed. Noise pollution may also disturb marine mammals.”

“Deep-sea ecosystems ‘take millennia to establish and can take seconds to destroy’, said Tony Worby, a marine scientist at Australian non-profit Minderoo Foundation. ‘We’re playing with fire to think we can go down to the deep sea and strip-mine it without massive repercussions.’”

.

.

Capitalism is becoming post-terrestrial. The next stage of primitive accumulation is beginning—there’s currently a scramble for mineral resources in the deep seas…all in the name of the bullshit ideology known as “green capitalism.”

My heart breaks thinking about all the ways we abuse our precious oceans.

Rachel Carson has this to say about marine snow:

“When I think of the floor of the deep sea, the single, overwhelming fact that possesses my imagination is the accumulation of sediments. I see always the steady, unremitting, downward drift of materials from above, flake upon flake, layer upon layer—a drift that has continued for hundreds of millions of years, that will go on as long as there are seas and continents.

“For the sediments are the materials of the most stupendous ‘snowfall’ the earth has ever seen.”

“The sediments are a sort of epic poem of the earth.”

(Read the entire chapter “The Long Snowfall” in The Sea Around Us—it is breathtakingly beautiful.)

Now imagine, instead of that gentle silent accrual of marine snow, you have plumes of industrial waste and the infernal racket of machines in a world where so many creatures use sound to orient themselves. It makes me sick.

[victoria-may-art]

Trash In Beauty

Oil & Mixed Media on canvas

15 x 30 x 1 in.

2021

Victoria May

This piece was inspired by the many bodies of water that continue to become toxic from human actions. Using my own plastic and paper wastage as part of the piece, I wanted to show how these everyday wastes can dirty the beauty of nature and life. Now, I do not believe that the everyday person is responsible for the many forms of global wastage. The ‘Plastic Waste Makers Index’ published by Minderoo Foundation, reported an analysis in May 2021 that supports my belief. They found that just 20 companies - supported by a small group of financial backers - are responsible for producing over 50% of ‘throwaway’ single-use plastics. Showing my own actual plastic and paper wastes as part of this piece, along with anyone who views and thinks of their own, we have admitted something a simple 20 companies have not. Admittance of a problem, a need and want for solutions. We as everyday people of this world try to change in ways to lessen the environmental impact. But the 1%, many governments, and the top companies in the world couldn’t care less. Oh wait, it doesn’t matter to them because Elon Musk will just get them to mars so we’re left with the toxic planet they made. This beautiful planet will outlast all of us, we are only poisoning ourselves and the symbiotic life systems that we are part of. I have no clear answer to these problems. The only thing I do know is to hold those who are truly responsible for this, to the mark. Hold onto that rage you feel and use it to RESIST.

~Victoria

Link to purchase painting

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/victoria-may-b-1999-trash-in-beauty-1

[qnewsau]

Fortescue boss Mark Hutchinson issues apology to gay staff

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/fortescue-boss-mark-hutchinson-issues-apology-to-gay-staff/

Fortescue boss Mark Hutchinson issues apology to gay staff

Mark Hutchinson, the CEO of Australian mining giant Fortescue’s energy business, has apologised to the company’s gay staff over his ties to an anti-LGBTQIA religious group.

The Australian Financial Review recently asked Hutchinson about how Fortescue’s diversity and inclusion policy aligns with the views of the evangelical church he leads, Alpha International.

Alpha International calls for a “re-evangelisation of the nations” and strongly opposes same-sex marriage, the AFR reported.

In sermon videos aimed at teenagers, Alpha International claims Jesus wants to “guide” them in their sexuality.

The sermons preach the Bible makes “clear” that sex should exclusively occur between men and women within marriage and can “cause a lot of damage when it is misused”.

Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest responds

Mark Hutchinson declined to comment but when the AFR published a story, he sent an all-staff email on Thursday.

“Our entire global workforce come from different faiths, religions and backgrounds – and what I love is our diversity in all of its forms,” he wrote at the time.

“Fortescue has an industry-leading commitment to diversity and human rights, and of course, our values underpin all that we do. I love our values and our diversity. These values guide me as CEO in everything I do.”

But that email lacked any mention of LGBTQIA+ people, something Fortescue staff raised with the company’s Board.

On Sunday, Fortescue’s billionaire chairman Andrew Forrest responded to the disquiet on behalf of the Board.

“I would like to reassure you all on behalf of our Board, that we are resolutely committed to the cause of equal rights. We expect and require the same of our leadership,” Forrest wrote in his email.

“We uplift, empower, and celebrate every employee and protect each of them from all kinds of discrimination; this categorically includes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including the freedom, to choose your partner.

Forrest wrote that Fortescue “deeply values Fortescue’s LGBTQIA+ community. At a personal level, I stand with you.”

‘I apologise unreservedly’

On Sunday, Mark Hutchinson also sent a separate all-staff email to “clarify” his previous comments.

“After speaking with some of you over the past few days, I am aware that by failing to clarify my views on same-sex relationships in my comments last week that I’ve let you down,” his email reads.

“This was certainly not my intention, and I apologise unreservedly. I wish to state clearly that I am supportive of everyone in a same-sex marriage and same-sex relationships and value the LGBTQIA+ community.

He went on, “I believe that all of us are equal and I accept and support every member of our team. I want everyone to have the freedom to be who they are.”

Meanwhile, a Fortescue spokesperson said, “All our staff live by the Fortescue values in every aspect of their employment, fostering an inclusive, safe working environment for all employees.”

Mark Hutchinson joined Fortescue in July 2022 and is currently the boss of Fortescue’s green energy arm, Fortescue Energy.

He and his partner became directors of Alpha International last year. The AFR reports they are two of the organisation’s 17 directors.

Andrew Forrest’s child Sophia is non-binary and married their partner Zara Zoe (both pictured below) in August at the family’s Minderoo station.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Sof Forrest (@sophia.forrest)

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[gazetadoleste]

Criatura rara (e misteriosa) é avistada no fundo do mar; veja

Um câmera instalada a cerca de mil metros de profundidade na Fossa de Tonga, segunda fossa oceânica mais profunda do mundo atrás apenas da Fossa das Marianas, captou imagens de um animal bastante raro: a lula chicote. O vídeo foi filmado no mês passado por pesquisadores do Centro de Pesquisa de Mar Profundo Minderoo-UWA e Inkfish como parte da Expedição Tonga Trench 2024. Criaturas podem caçar…

[agentfascinateur]

Bravo to Mindaroo's Mr & Mrs Forrest for donating $28M in total, to feed Gazans

[mattnicholls69]

Australian billionaire's Minderoo Foundation pledges $18 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza - https://www.9news.com.au/world/israel-gaza-war-minderoo-foundation-pledges-millions-to-address-food-water-scarcity-sanitation-in-gaza-world-news/0ba31066-21fc-4c7f-98d7-b47ed72e398a

[newsnoshonline]

L'elusivo "calamaro polpo" con la luce biologica più grande del mondo attacca la telecamera in un nuovo sorprendente video Il misterioso incontro con il calamaro polpo luminoso Un raro video mostra un calamaro polpo Dana, noto per il suo display bioluminescente, attaccare una telecamera subacquea nelle profondità dell’Oceano Pacifico, a oltre 1.000 metri di profondità. La scoperta della creatura sfuggente Il team di ricercatori della Minderoo Foundation e del Centro di ricerca sul mare profondo dell’UWA ha catturato l’incontro mentre esplorava la zona adal, documentando la diversità marina nella regione del Samoan Passage. Caratteristiche del calamaro polpo Dana Il calamaro polpo Dana, membro della famiglia Octopoteuthidae, si nutre di pesci pelagici e crostacei. Con otto braccia, è noto per

[indoorverticalfarmingnews]

FarmInsect Secures €8M for Protein-Rich Animal Feed from Insects

Key Takeaways FarmInsect has raised €8 million in a Series A financing round led by Sandwater, Bayern Kapital, Minderoo Foundation, and the EIC Fund. The startup aims to replace conventional animal feeds like soy and fishmeal with protein-rich feed made from insect larvae. FarmInsect’s technology allows farmers to produce this alternative feed directly on their farms, reducing costs and CO2…

[researchbuzz]

Plastic Health Map, Cities in Fiction, Boston Slavery, More: Monday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, October 16, 2023

NEW RESOURCES Environmental Health News: Massive new database on how plastic chemicals harm our health. “Experts from the Minderoo Foundation published today a large, open-access database, called the Plastic Health Map, that includes the findings from more than 3,500 studies from 1961 to 2022 on how plastic chemicals impact human health.” Scroll (India): An archive project is creating a database…

[webseriesviral]

NYC’s new law on takeout utensils is a way to start We have a plastic problem — and we know... #movie quote #movies #movie line #movie line #movie scenes #cinema #movie stills #film quotes #film edit #vintage #movie scenes #love quotes #life quotes #positive quotes #vintage #retro #quote #quotes #sayings #cinematography

[earaercircular]

Plastic: 5 initiatives to fight pollution

Countries have been meeting end of May to try to agree on an “international treaty on plastic pollution”[1]. Companies and associations are also trying to fight against this global scourge, but the result is not always there.[2]

The planet crumbles under plastic waste. From the highest glaciers to the depths of the sea, no place on earth is spared from this pollution. The international community has been meeting in Paris end of May to try to agree on an “International Treaty on Plastic Pollution”.[3] Companies and associations are also mobilising to develop solutions.

1. Plastic weather to raise awareness

Just before the negotiations, an awareness-raising operation was inaugurated by the former presenter of France Télévisions, Chloé Nabédian, and the French Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu. To alert and put an end to plastic pollution, they launched a “plastic weather”.

A persistent heavy drizzle, made up of billions of microplastic particles, should fall on Paris next week, according to the very first forecasts of this new kind of weather. This precipitation, under a nevertheless radiant sky expected in the next few days, should represent daily between 40 and 48 kilograms of pieces of plastic suspended in the air above the French capital.

The method developed by the Minderoo Foundation[4], however, does not really measure the plastic floating in the atmosphere in real time. It extrapolates research carried out in Paris since 2015, which has collected samples from several places throughout the year.[5]

In nature, microplastics - less than five millimetres in diameter - have been found in ice near the North Pole and in the guts of fish swimming in the deepest reaches of the ocean.[6] According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)[7], plastic debris kills more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. In humans, microscopic pieces have been detected in blood, breast milk and placenta. It is therefore urgent to act and put pressure on the international community so that a binding agreement is sealed at the end of this week of negotiations.[8]

2. “Compostable” plastics, a false good idea

Companies have started producing “compostable” plastic. But they are "not a solution", warns Ademe, the ecological transition agency.[9]

It recalls in particular that these plastics do not have an "ability to biodegrade in a natural environment" but only under very specific composting conditions (temperature, specific micro-organisms, etc.). In addition, Ademe emphasizes that composting a plastic is not recycling (the material is no longer available to manufacture a new product) and that its decomposition has no fertilizing value.

The health security agency (Anses)[10] had also called last year to "ban plastic materials from household compost", noting a risk of "contamination" of the environment or crops.

The public agency recalls that the order of priority must be to prevent, reuse and then recycle packaging. Plastic pollution is a major problem globally since only 9% of plastic waste is ultimately recycled.

3. The deposit, double advantage

Recording objects so that they can be recycled is a commonplace gesture[11]  in some countries. Whether reusing the bottle or recycling it, the principle is the same: a few cents are added to the price of the product, which will be returned when the consumer returns it to the deconsignment location. The advantage is twofold: in addition to a reduction in litter, the expected advantage is a progression towards a circular economy where the bottles are reused or produced with 100% recycled materials (reduction of the carbon footprint of the entire cycle ).

Civilisations are struggling to detox from plastic because its advantages are numerous (lightness, ease of shaping, low cost, etc.). The packaging sector is the largest user, mainly to manufacture single-use packaging, with 39% of plastic consumption in the European Union. Ahead of building and construction (19.7%), automotive (10%) or electrical and electronic products (6.2%).

Reducing the use of single-use plastic via deposit systems is a step in the right direction. But in France, the French communities that collect and sort waste oppose to it. The system proposed by the State is decried by the latter and their loss of earnings would be high.[12]

4. Microplastic filters: the second best

Microplastic filters on washing machines will soon be mandatory to prevent pollution caused by synthetic fibres in clothing. These microplastics then end up in the oceans.

This pollution is far from being anecdotal because textiles are responsible for nearly 35% of global plastic pollution of the oceans, according to a study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)[13] in 2017.

The idea of these filters on the machines therefore seems interesting on the condition, however, of finding an effective solution capable of recovering microscopic materials. Some manufacturers such as the Beko group, Grundig or Electrolux already offer it.

5. Banning plastics, the radical solution

Rwanda is one of the countries that consumes the least plastic in the world. [14]This feat is due to very strict regulations. Since 2008, a law prohibits the import, export or use of single-use plastic. [15]  "They go so far as to search the luggage of tourists to avoid bringing in plastic," says Sabine Roux de Bézieux, president of the Fondation de la Mer. The penalties are severe and can go up to 6 months in prison.

The country has also raised public awareness of the challenges of plastic pollution through campaigns in schools, businesses and the media. If the solution seems effective, its brutality is perhaps hardly compatible with less authoritarian political systems.

Source

Mathilde Golla, Plastique : 5 initiatives pour lutter contre la pollution, in : Les Echos, 27-05-2023, https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux-internationaux/plastique-5-initiatives-pour-lutter-contre-la-pollution-1947175

[1] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/702450001797873664/negotiations-on-agreements-against-plastic-waste?source=share

[2] Read also : https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/677098990634991616/three-quarters-of-the-worlds-population-calls-for?source=share

[3] https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/historic-day-campaign-beat-plastic-pollution-nations-commit-develop

[4] Established by Dr Andrew Forrest AO and Nicola Forrest AO in 2001, Minderoo Foundation is proudly Australian, and one of Asia Pacific’s largest philanthropic organisations, with over AUD 2.6 billion committed to a range of global initiatives. The Plastic Waste Makers Index is a project of Minderoo’s Plastics initiative, which aims to create a world without plastic pollution – a truly circular plastics economy, where fossil fuels are no longer used to produce plastics. A critical step towards this goal is to bring greater transparency to the plastics supply chain – to better understand its material and financial flows, its environmental impacts, the commitments its companies have made to sustainability, and the effectiveness of government policies. https://cdn.minderoo.org/content/uploads/2023/02/04205527/Plastic-Waste-Makers-Index-2023.pdf 

[5] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/711715587856924672/meet-emerging-leaders-reinventing-how-canada-does?source=share

[6] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/709041803165417472/guess-what-more-plastic-trash?source=share

[7] The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. For over 50 years, UNEP has worked with governments, civil society, the private sector and UN entities to address humanity’s most pressing environmental challenges - from restoring the ozone layer to protecting the world's seas and promoting a green, inclusive economy. https://www.unep.org/about-us

[8]Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/718030014908694528/80-percent-less-plastic-pollution-is-possible-by?source=share

[9] The Agence de la Transition Écologique (Ecological Transition Agency) - ADEME is a public institution under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.It participates in the implementation of public policies in the fields of the environment, energy and sustainable development. It makes its expertise and advice available to companies, local authorities, public authorities and the general public, in order to enable them to progress in their environmental approach. The Agency also helps finance projects, from research to implementation, in the following areas: waste management, soil preservation, energy efficiency and renewable energies, material savings raw materials, air quality, the fight against noise, the transition to the circular economy and the fight against food waste. ADEME is a public institution under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

[10] ANSES is the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety. It is a public administrative body reporting to the Ministries of Health, the Environment, Agriculture, Labour and Consumer Affairs. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/our-identity

[11] The French law on the fight against waste and the circular economy (Agec) sets a collection rate target for recycling plastic beverage bottles of 77% in 2025 and 90% in 2029. Ambitious targets with regard to the rate collection, which is around 59%. This means that 41% of the 315,000 tonnes of plastic bottles consumed per year end up in the household waste bin (therefore incinerated or buried) or in wild dumps.. https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/editos-analyses/economie-circulaire-la-solution-de-la-consigne-plastique-1946930

[12] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/699160865298104320/the-returnable-deposit-system-relies-on-a-change?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/655768694138552320/now-is-the-time-for-the-deposit-on-cans-in?source=share

[13] IUCN is a membership Union of government and civil society organisations. Together, we work to advance sustainable development and create a just world that values and conserves nature. https://www.iucn.org/about-iucn

[14] Read also https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/679987553565376512/transforming-african-economies-to-sustainable?source=share

[15] Meghan Werft: Eliminating Plastic Bags In Rwanda Saved Lives and the Economy, in: Global Citizen, 22-09-2015, https://www.globalcitizen.org/fr/content/how-eliminating-plastic-bags-in-rwanda-saves-liv-2/

[zehub]

La #météo du #plastique, le bulletin qui annonce la quantité de #microplastiques dans l'#atmosphère

Températures, couverture nuageuse et pluie… de plastique. Voilà les prévisions données par "The plastic forecast", un nouveau genre de bulletin lancé par la Fondation Minderoo pour alerter sur la pollution liée à notre consommation de plastique. Une météo pour l’instant disponible uniquement pour Paris, où se déroulent jusqu’au vendredi 2 juin les négociations pour un Traité international sur les pollutions plastiques.

[businessguysonline]

Forrest group Walk Free warns of slavery threat in Australia's solar panel supply chains

A human rights group funded by mining magnate Andrew Forrest has warned of the rapidly rising risks of modern slavery and forced labour in the world's renewable energy supply chains.

Walk Free, an arm of Mr Forrest's Minderoo Foundation, will on Wednesday release a report outlining how Australia imports $US17.4 billion [$26 billion] of products that may have used coerced labour.

And it is warning that renewable energy products led by solar are increasingly susceptible to the risks, particularly those made in China.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-24/forrest-group-walk-free-warns-slavery-threat-solar-panels/102383470

[jclaro1956]

REVISÃO

Revisão A Comissão de Saúde Humana Minderoo-Monaco diz que substâncias químicas encontradas em plásticos causam câncer, alteram hormônios, prejudicam sistemas reprodutivos humanos e levam à obesidade e diabetes.

A Comissão de Saúde Humana Minderoo-Monaco diz que substâncias químicas encontradas em plásticos causam câncer, alteram hormônios, prejudicam sistemas reprodutivos humanos e levam à obesidade e diabetes.Leia em Notas de AZ :https://notasdeaz.blogspot.com/

[egelwan]

These are the world's deepest fish ever filmed and caught (video)

‘Researchers have captured on film and caught the world’s deepest fish—species of snailfish. A research ship from the Minderoo-University of Western Australia Deep Sea Research Centre found the animals swimming at depths of eight kilometers (approx 5 miles) down in the undersea trenches around Japan. The film, below, shows an unknown species of snailfish….’ — via These are the world’s deepest…