Jedes Jahr enden Millionen Tonnen Abfall auf den Straßen, in den Meeren, den Wäldern, den Naturlandschaften und an den Stränden Europas. Und jedes Jahr sind Millionen europäische Bürger in ihrem Viertel unterwegs, um freiwillig bei Reinigungsaktionen mitzumachen. Mit der Initiative „Let's Clean up Europe“ (Frühjahrsputz in Europa) soll dafür geworben werden, mehr solcher Aktionen durchzuführen, um für das Ausmaß des Verschmutzungs- und Abfallproblems zu sensibilisieren und Verhaltensänderungen zu bewirken.

Chaque année, en Europe, des millions de tonnes de déchets sauvages finissent dans les rues, dans les océans, sur les plages, dans les forêts et dans la nature. Et chaque année, des millions d’Européens vont nettoyer leur quartier dans le cadre d’actions de bénévolat. L’initiative «Let’s Clean up Europe» vise à promouvoir davantage ce type d’actions, à sensibiliser à l’ampleur du problème des déchets (sauvages) et à encourager un changement de comportement. Cet événement est coordonné par la semaine européenne de la réduction des déchets.

Every year, millions of tonnes of litter end up in Europe's streets, oceans, beaches, forests and natural areas. And every year millions of Europeans get out in their neighborhoods to clean up in voluntary actions. "Let's Clean up Europe" is an initiative that aims to encourage more such actions, to raise awareness about the scale of the litter and waste problems, and to encourage changes in behaviour. The event is being coordinated by the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR).

Urgent, coordinated action is needed to restore productive, resilient oceans, ensure food security and support human livelihoods, according to participants at the Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth. The Summit also called for oceans to be embedded in the post-2015 development agenda, preferably in a stand-alone sustainable development goal (SDG) on oceans.

A major new survey of the seafloor has found that even in the deepest ocean depths you can find bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets and other types of human litter.
The litter was found throughout the Mediterranean, and all the way from the continental shelf of Europe to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 2,000 kilometres from land. Litter is a problem in the marine environment as it can be mistaken for food and eaten by some animals or can entangle coral and fish – a process known as "ghost fishing".

Which of these two groups do you think would know the whereabouts of sharks better: local dive guides or professional marine biologists?
In a new paper in PLoS ONE, marine researchers in Australia report on the reliability of data collected by experienced SCUBA divers. Can amateurs report observations of sharks accurately?

世界中のスクーバダイバーが、水中で見つけたゴミを取り除き、報告します