-- Amazon deforestation in Brazil is increasing rapidly as the right-wing Brazilian President, Bolsonaro, favors road building to open up the forest for economic development, such as farming, cattle ranching, timber harvest and mining. The amount of forest cleared in April 2022 was 74% higher than in April 2021. Source: Apple News, 5/7/22 

-- Many farmers in the U.S. are now unable to farm their land due to contamination from using sewage sludge as fertilizer, which is legal in many states. The problem is PFAS contamination, a huge class of toxic chemicals used to make commercial products more resistant to heat, water and stains. These "forever chemicals" remain in sewage sludge when applied to fields and then contaminate crops and cattle. Source: The Guardian, 5/5/22 

-- The rate of plastics recycling in the U.S. has decreased from 8.7% in 2018 to 5-6% in 2021, due to increased volumes produced and a declining demand for recycled resins. The plastics recycling industry is a dismal failure, despite the promises of the plastics manufacturers. Source: Grist, 5/4/22

-- Microplastics are now ubiquitous on earth, occurring in most organisms, humans, and every ecosystem. They are so small that organisms consume them in food, water and from the air. Recent studies are finding plastic microparticles in human organs, lungs and blood. Toxicologists are uncertain of the risk, but worry about the contaminants that are in the plastic and those that the particles adsorb from nature. Source: The Guardian, 4/6/22