scotland

Why it’s a good idea to protect our underwater kelp forests

Posted by Willie Mackenzie - 20th November 2018
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A kelp forest on Treshnish Isles, Scotland.

The Scottish Government has just announced it will block controversial proposals for a new industry into Scotland’s coastal waters – mechanical kelp dredging. But why do we care about kelp anyway? Kelp is the biggest and most abundant seaweed around our coasts. It’s found in cold seas around the world,… Read More

New Greenpeace Research Finds Microplastics in Scottish Seas

Posted by Tisha Brown - 7th March 2018
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Last year, Greenpeace sailed around the coast of Scotland to investigate the impact of ocean plastic pollution on iconic Scottish wildlife. Starting in Edinburgh, the MV Beluga II sailed through the Caledonian canal to the Outer Hebrides. On the way there, we encountered many marine wildlife hotspots like… Read More

Tiny pieces of plastic represent a huge problem for ocean giants

Posted by Willie Mackenzie - 7th March 2018
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A Manta Ray can be seen swimming in plastic waste on Nusa Penida in Indonesia.

Recently humpback whales have been hanging around in the Firth of Forth, the tidal estuary in Scotland near Edinburgh where the river becomes the North Sea. These gentle giants have drawn gaping crowds locally, amazed to see such impressive beasts so close to shore. On the other side of… Read More

Artist Mandy Barker onboard Beluga II

Posted by Marcela Teran - 29th August 2017
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This summer, the Greenpeace Beluga II set sail along Scotland’s coast to investigate and document the impact of plastic pollution in these areas. We felt it was vital that both the wonder of the marine environments we would visit, and the indignation at the plastic… Read More

A rubbish truck of plastic in the ocean every minute  –  and how you can help

Posted by Fiona Nicholls - 17th November 2016
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With the ebb and flow of the tides, thousands of miles of coastline around the UK testify to the devastation that plastic pollution is having on the marine environment. The oceans are at their choking point, for every mile of beach surveyed there are 159 plastic bottles found washed… Read More

A deposit return scheme for Scotland?

Posted by Alice Hunter - 11th November 2016
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All rights reserved. Credit: mark ferguson / Alamy Stock Photo

A truckload of plastic waste enters our oceans every minute. When I first heard this statistic I couldn’t believe it. But the evidence is all around us – from tiny microbeads in our toothpaste to images of seabirds with stomachs full of plastic. Plastic pollution is out of control. Read More