Deirdre McKay
@dccmckay.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Curious... about geography, migration and development... and the plastic waste it generates....
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
New research reveals an unappreciated public health crisis: people living in slums in the developing world are increasingly burning the toxic plastic trash that surrounds their communities as a last-resort fuel to cook and heat their homes.
Burning Plastic Waste for Household Fuel Endangers Millions - Inside Climate News
People in low-income urban communities in the Global South without access to reliable energy sources are burning the toxic plastic waste inundating their communities to cook and heat their homes.
insideclimatenews.org
January 10, 2026 at 12:16 AM
New research reveals an unappreciated public health crisis: people living in slums in the developing world are increasingly burning the toxic plastic trash that surrounds their communities as a last-resort fuel to cook and heat their homes.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Are our bodies full of #microplastics or not? There’s a way to resolve this debate, and scientists must hurry, writes Debora MacKenzie
- This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the plastics lobby will step into the breach
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the plastics lobby will step into the breach
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Are our bodies full of microplastics or not? There’s a way to resolve this debate, and scientists must hurry | Debora MacKenzie
This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the powerful plastics lobby will step into the breach, says science journalist and author Debora MacKenzie
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Are our bodies full of #microplastics or not? There’s a way to resolve this debate, and scientists must hurry, writes Debora MacKenzie
- This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the plastics lobby will step into the breach
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the plastics lobby will step into the breach
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Q How pervasive are micro and nanoplastics, really? A. Not yet known.
Sensible advice: ."..squabbles in science can... throw out common-sense policies that curtail plastic use... we do not know what the future of microplastics research holds. We will have to keep doing it to find out."
Sensible advice: ."..squabbles in science can... throw out common-sense policies that curtail plastic use... we do not know what the future of microplastics research holds. We will have to keep doing it to find out."
I wrote about @dpcarrington.bsky.social's Guardian report on microplastics research, and what i think is the real problem with these kinds of studies slate.com/technology/2...
Good News: You Probably Don’t Have a Spoon’s Worth of Plastic in Your Brain After All
You don’t have to throw away that plastic spatula, either.
slate.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Q How pervasive are micro and nanoplastics, really? A. Not yet known.
Sensible advice: ."..squabbles in science can... throw out common-sense policies that curtail plastic use... we do not know what the future of microplastics research holds. We will have to keep doing it to find out."
Sensible advice: ."..squabbles in science can... throw out common-sense policies that curtail plastic use... we do not know what the future of microplastics research holds. We will have to keep doing it to find out."
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Interesting to see the Guardian's @dpcarrington.bsky.social weighing in on this. My take, as someone covering microplastics heavily for the past year (and currently sitting at a 200+ person conference with many of the scientists in question):
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Interesting to see the Guardian's @dpcarrington.bsky.social weighing in on this. My take, as someone covering microplastics heavily for the past year (and currently sitting at a 200+ person conference with many of the scientists in question):
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
⚠️ A new study, based on information collected through a survey of 1,018 informants from cities in 26 countries in the Global South, finds that the use of waste plastics as fuel (for heat or cooking) by low-income households is much more prevalent than previously thought.
rdcu.be/eYJWj
rdcu.be/eYJWj
January 12, 2026 at 6:21 PM
⚠️ A new study, based on information collected through a survey of 1,018 informants from cities in 26 countries in the Global South, finds that the use of waste plastics as fuel (for heat or cooking) by low-income households is much more prevalent than previously thought.
rdcu.be/eYJWj
rdcu.be/eYJWj
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Don’t miss our blog and special report, “How Plastics Fuel Wildfires & How to Rebuild Better,” exploring the link between plastics and wildfires 👉 bit.ly/RebuildWithLessPlastic
#PlasticPollutes #LAWildfires #BreakFreeFromPlastic
#PlasticPollutes #LAWildfires #BreakFreeFromPlastic
One Year Later: Los Angeles Wildfires Reinforce Why We Must Rebuild with Less Plastic
On the anniversary of the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles, California, experts stress the need to reduce plastics in buildings.
bit.ly
January 8, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Don’t miss our blog and special report, “How Plastics Fuel Wildfires & How to Rebuild Better,” exploring the link between plastics and wildfires 👉 bit.ly/RebuildWithLessPlastic
#PlasticPollutes #LAWildfires #BreakFreeFromPlastic
#PlasticPollutes #LAWildfires #BreakFreeFromPlastic
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Microplastics interfere with photosynthesis in phytoplankton & impair zooplankton metabolism - both are central in ocean carbon cycling
Oceans absorb about 1/4 of CO2 released by human activity
If you're against climate change, you have to be against plastic
www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...
Oceans absorb about 1/4 of CO2 released by human activity
If you're against climate change, you have to be against plastic
www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...
Microplastics are making it harder for oceans to absorb greenhouse gases, study warns
Researchers say tackling plastic pollution is now part of fight against global warming
www.independent.co.uk
January 8, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Microplastics interfere with photosynthesis in phytoplankton & impair zooplankton metabolism - both are central in ocean carbon cycling
Oceans absorb about 1/4 of CO2 released by human activity
If you're against climate change, you have to be against plastic
www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...
Oceans absorb about 1/4 of CO2 released by human activity
If you're against climate change, you have to be against plastic
www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
[PODCAST]
Plastic pollution is no longer abstract.
Microplastics are now found in our brains, blood and breast milk — and across all parts of the planet.
On the Mongabay Newscast, Judith Enck explains why governments can’t wait, and how they can act now to cut plastic at the source.
Plastic pollution is no longer abstract.
Microplastics are now found in our brains, blood and breast milk — and across all parts of the planet.
On the Mongabay Newscast, Judith Enck explains why governments can’t wait, and how they can act now to cut plastic at the source.
Plastic pollution requires urgent action, says author Judith Enck
Judith Enck is a former regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, appointed by President Barack Obama, and the founder of Beyond Plastics, an organization dedicated to…
news.mongabay.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:21 PM
[PODCAST]
Plastic pollution is no longer abstract.
Microplastics are now found in our brains, blood and breast milk — and across all parts of the planet.
On the Mongabay Newscast, Judith Enck explains why governments can’t wait, and how they can act now to cut plastic at the source.
Plastic pollution is no longer abstract.
Microplastics are now found in our brains, blood and breast milk — and across all parts of the planet.
On the Mongabay Newscast, Judith Enck explains why governments can’t wait, and how they can act now to cut plastic at the source.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Plastic hasn’t just polluted the land and oceans. Research has found microplastics in cloud water, which are influencing how clouds form by acting as seeds for ice crystals, thereby accelerating the formation of storms and increasing their strength. #WetTribe #TidetotheOcean #MicroplasticMonday
January 5, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Plastic hasn’t just polluted the land and oceans. Research has found microplastics in cloud water, which are influencing how clouds form by acting as seeds for ice crystals, thereby accelerating the formation of storms and increasing their strength. #WetTribe #TidetotheOcean #MicroplasticMonday
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
In case you need another reason to not drink bottled water…
People Who Drink Bottled Water on a Daily Basis Ingest 90,000 More Microplastic Particles Each Year
Drinking water in plastic bottles contains countless particles too small to see. New research finds that people who drink water from them on a daily basis ingest far more microplastics than those who ...
www.wired.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:18 AM
In case you need another reason to not drink bottled water…
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Sciences like anthropology are so valuable because they provide refutations to "this is the way it always was, and thus the way it has to be" type assertions. Its very different to the science I do, but perhaps even more valuable.
honestly something i'm noticing is that whenever a midwit hack wants to make an empirical claim about "the way humanity is" without reading any social science they always just go to primatology
December 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Sciences like anthropology are so valuable because they provide refutations to "this is the way it always was, and thus the way it has to be" type assertions. Its very different to the science I do, but perhaps even more valuable.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particle...
www.pbs.org
December 24, 2025 at 4:49 AM
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
The best way to reduce plastic waste is to use less plastic (including synthetic fibers) in the first place and support research into truly biodegradable plastics (that do not require toxic additives) for those applications for which plastics are truly the best material.
December 23, 2025 at 9:16 AM
The best way to reduce plastic waste is to use less plastic (including synthetic fibers) in the first place and support research into truly biodegradable plastics (that do not require toxic additives) for those applications for which plastics are truly the best material.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Cheap (subsidized) virgin #plastics are undercutting the market for recycled plastics in the EU, leading to the shuttering of numerous (mechanical) recycling plants. In response, the EU has announced additional checks and stricter rules on claims of recycled content in #plastic imported from abroad.
EU moves against cheap plastics imports as recycling plants shut
European Commission plans additional checks and stricter rules to shore up ailing industry
www.ft.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Cheap (subsidized) virgin #plastics are undercutting the market for recycled plastics in the EU, leading to the shuttering of numerous (mechanical) recycling plants. In response, the EU has announced additional checks and stricter rules on claims of recycled content in #plastic imported from abroad.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
“It becomes increasingly evident that humans have been integral to ecological processes for millennia… Many of us ecologists & biogeochemists need to ask ourselves if we are sufficiently incorporating our own species into the work we do.”
[viz fire-making 400,000 years ago! shorturl.at/zX6tj]
[viz fire-making 400,000 years ago! shorturl.at/zX6tj]
Editorial introducing the Special Collection: #Anthromes and terrestrial carbon – from the deep past to net-zero
Anthony P. Walker, et al.
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
@ultracricket.bsky.social @kathrynbaragwanath.bsky.social @ymalhi.bsky.social
#PlantScience
Anthony P. Walker, et al.
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
@ultracricket.bsky.social @kathrynbaragwanath.bsky.social @ymalhi.bsky.social
#PlantScience
December 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
“It becomes increasingly evident that humans have been integral to ecological processes for millennia… Many of us ecologists & biogeochemists need to ask ourselves if we are sufficiently incorporating our own species into the work we do.”
[viz fire-making 400,000 years ago! shorturl.at/zX6tj]
[viz fire-making 400,000 years ago! shorturl.at/zX6tj]
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
“If someone says ‘AI is here to stay,’ nail them down on what the precise claim is they’re making. Details. Numbers. What do you mean by ‘being here?’…
I mean, they won’t answer. They never answer. They never had a claim in mind. They were just making promotional mouth noises.”
@davidgerard.co.uk
I mean, they won’t answer. They never answer. They never had a claim in mind. They were just making promotional mouth noises.”
@davidgerard.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
“If someone says ‘AI is here to stay,’ nail them down on what the precise claim is they’re making. Details. Numbers. What do you mean by ‘being here?’…
I mean, they won’t answer. They never answer. They never had a claim in mind. They were just making promotional mouth noises.”
@davidgerard.co.uk
I mean, they won’t answer. They never answer. They never had a claim in mind. They were just making promotional mouth noises.”
@davidgerard.co.uk
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
ET&C IN THE NEWS: Household dryers 🧺 are significant sources of #MicrofiberPollution
NEWS: bit.ly/4pPTfA2
Study in ET&C: doi.org/10.1093/etoj...
#SETACJournals #environmentalscience #Microfiber #FastFashion
NEWS: bit.ly/4pPTfA2
Study in ET&C: doi.org/10.1093/etoj...
#SETACJournals #environmentalscience #Microfiber #FastFashion
Researchers issue warning after making disturbing discovery in household appliance: 'It's important for us to understand'
Scientists have also noted that some of the chemicals used can interfere with how the body grows and reproduces.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
ET&C IN THE NEWS: Household dryers 🧺 are significant sources of #MicrofiberPollution
NEWS: bit.ly/4pPTfA2
Study in ET&C: doi.org/10.1093/etoj...
#SETACJournals #environmentalscience #Microfiber #FastFashion
NEWS: bit.ly/4pPTfA2
Study in ET&C: doi.org/10.1093/etoj...
#SETACJournals #environmentalscience #Microfiber #FastFashion
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Working with place over time is rarely tidy. Certain patterns appear when long-term, multi-actor work starts to find its footing.
A reflective post drawing out eight lessons for place-based practice. 🧪
🔗 learningforsustainability.net/post/working...
#Collaboration #Learning #LfSinsights
A reflective post drawing out eight lessons for place-based practice. 🧪
🔗 learningforsustainability.net/post/working...
#Collaboration #Learning #LfSinsights
Working across cultures - learningforsustainability.net
Learn how cultural awareness and communication skills improve collaboration across diverse settings.
learningforsustainability.net
December 14, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Working with place over time is rarely tidy. Certain patterns appear when long-term, multi-actor work starts to find its footing.
A reflective post drawing out eight lessons for place-based practice. 🧪
🔗 learningforsustainability.net/post/working...
#Collaboration #Learning #LfSinsights
A reflective post drawing out eight lessons for place-based practice. 🧪
🔗 learningforsustainability.net/post/working...
#Collaboration #Learning #LfSinsights
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
And this is particularly odd given the claims of the paper.
December 14, 2025 at 11:45 AM
And this is particularly odd given the claims of the paper.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
I wholeheartedly agree—though after laying out a good initial argument this paper takes a strange turn with the final two sentences that seems to undercut most of its own force.
December 14, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I wholeheartedly agree—though after laying out a good initial argument this paper takes a strange turn with the final two sentences that seems to undercut most of its own force.
"use gen(AI) for writing assistance [and] those whose work is absorbed into training datasets may shape scholarship without ever being cited, while AI-proficient scholars may enjoy reputational gains built partly on others’ uncredited ideas." www.nature.com/articles/s42...
LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
Nature Machine Intelligence - LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
www.nature.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:52 AM
"use gen(AI) for writing assistance [and] those whose work is absorbed into training datasets may shape scholarship without ever being cited, while AI-proficient scholars may enjoy reputational gains built partly on others’ uncredited ideas." www.nature.com/articles/s42...
"Humans... commit what is some-times called ‘cryptomnesia’... reproduce[ing] ideas that they have encountered previously but mistakenly believe to be original.... once an idiosyncratic risk of interpersonal exchange....now a systemic feature [with genAI]" www.nature.com/articles/s42...
LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
Nature Machine Intelligence - LLM use in scholarly writing poses a provenance problem
www.nature.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:51 AM
"Humans... commit what is some-times called ‘cryptomnesia’... reproduce[ing] ideas that they have encountered previously but mistakenly believe to be original.... once an idiosyncratic risk of interpersonal exchange....now a systemic feature [with genAI]" www.nature.com/articles/s42...