The filtering of pharmaceutical derivatives from water is a problem for almost the entire world. That was part of the reason for the international interest elicited at the Budapest Water Summit by the results of a National Competitiveness and Excellence Programme (NVKP) project led by the Geographical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science’s Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, which cover the complete set of associated problems.
30 km from Budapest, Hungary, near the town of Vác and the village of Sződliget, there is a hidden treasure: a romantic little fishpond that is a veritable entrance to the world of fairy tales. The lake’s shore is composed of a series of tiny coves, with idyllic little lodges of reeds and wood hidden under the gigantic floodplain trees.
For the first time ever, living polyps were discovered in Mediterranean coral colonies that were previously thought to be completely dead by researchers who published their finding
in the periodical Science Advances.
The Trappist monks of Koningshoeven Abbey have been brewing beer since 1881, and in recent years, they have also been baking bread and making chocolate, honey and cheese. The water to be treated is the wastewater from these brewing and manufacturing activities, together with the municipal wastewater from the Abbey and the visiting centre.
Only 1 percent of the World’s water is available fresh water and 70 percent of that is used by agriculture. Morocco is one of the countries facing the crises of less rain, drier topsoil and increasing population.
It was announced in 2010 that the Vietnamese government would like to build a water treatment plant in Central Vietnam. Hungary is famous for its water treatment technology so they decided on a Hungarian partner.
French designer and illustrator Mlle Hipolyte builds complex sculptures from vibrantly colourful paper. Her latest tree-dimensional work is inspired by coral reefs; the sculpture titled Coralium, which is almost one metre tall and 3 metres wide, was built using various techniques. The purpose of the work is to highlight the increasing fragility of the marine ecosystem caused by climate change.
“Ice is the canary in the global coal mine. It’s the place where we can see and touch and hear and feel climate change in action.” Internationally recognised nature photographer James Balog believes it is extremely important to pay attention to the processes underway in the polar regions.
Specialists believe almost 30 kilograms of microplastics has eroded from such a quantity of golf balls into the water.
British illustrator Mat Miller has produced a piece of art for the PangeaSeed Foundation to highlight the challenges that the oceans face today. His piece, entitled Equilibrium, was published in the foundation’s latest publication, with the aim of focusing attention on the vulnerability of the oceanic ecosystem and the rapid extinction of marine species.
The ocean is the greatest inspiration for New Zealand artist Ben Young: he has been making stunning glass sculptures that offer a new perspective on the beauty of massive bodies of water for 15 years. He grew up in the Bay of Plenty on the northern coast of New Zealand, and has been captivated by the clear blues of the ocean since his childhood.
Protecting our waters against pollution is in all our interests. It is no accident that an increasing number of initiatives are trying to engage society at large in taking part in the protection of the environment. The Danish NGO GreenKayak, for instance, offers free kayaking in locations around Northern Europe and all they ask in return is that kayakers should pick up waste they find in the water along the way.
Coca-Cola has presented its first bottle made by recycling marine waste. At its test facility, it has so far produced 300 bottles that contain 25% plastic waste fished out the Mediterranean Sea.
Many studies have shown that time spent in nature, fresh air and a green environment has benefits not only for our bodies but also for our souls and minds. In addition to mountains, forests and meadows, waterfronts are particularly attractive destinations.
Over the last three decades, summer algal blooms in all large fresh-water lakes around the world have grown more severe – this is the conclusion of a global study, the longest ever of its kind, conducted by researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science and NASA.
Climate change is increasingly depleting the water resources of the world – in many places, drinking water shortages are already a serious problem. The shocking images below tell a story about Earth’s largest bodies of water that we can no longer ignore.
