As the chatter of my keyboard clashes with the crackle of the fire, the clocks have drifted an hour from summer savings and the Scottish nights are drawing in. The first winter storm has battered our shorelines, ripping the memory of summer from now barren branches. I’m settling into an adjusted routine, trying to make the most of limited daylight, juggling the desire for the briskness of the great outdoors, with the necessity to write, study, read, plan, edit; the delicate dance of creating a job from the unfettered joy of a passion.

My biggest challenge this month was narrowing down potential stories from so many worthy candidates. I won’t even have time to cover the discovery that platypus are biofluorescent, or talk about a species of chameleon last seen a hundred years ago and recently re-discovered in Madagascar. Let’s dive straight into this month’s eclectic mix, from plastics in our oceans to alleged human rights abuses funded by the WWF.

Are You Polluting The Oceans?

It has been argued by scientists and journalists alike, that the concerted focus on plastic pollution — despite being well-intentioned and necessary — has distracted and diverted focus and resources from the more significant threat of climate change. While I share similar sentiments, the extent and impact of plastic pollution on our planet traverses an escalating course as science plumbs ever greater depths of understanding.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — discovered in 1997 to beand twice the size of Texas — was at the cusp of a growing public awareness of the damaging impact plastics were having in our oceans. While a 2018 investigation showed that as much as half of the items in the patch were related to industrial fishing — and not from household use — a UNESCO summary on