April 2026 : Environment news round-up

For the first time, 56 governments gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia to begin planning a fossil fuel phaseout – outside the usual UN process. Notably, calls to reduce petrochemicals were also on the table, with GAIA and others pushing for declining caps on plastic production as part of the transition. A second conference is already planned – in Tuvalu.

With Gaza’s waste infrastructure destroyed, 2,000 tonnes of rotting garbage is piling up daily next to camps of displaced families. The health consequences are only just beginning.

A global survey of 6,000 data centres found they are warming the land around them by up to 9C – and the problem is largely underreported, even as they boom in number.

A new report maps microplastic exposure across five areas of daily life – from children’s toys and household paint to hospital equipment and breast implants. Premature babies in neonatal units are estimated to receive up to 115 microplastic particles in just 72 hours. If you want to reduce your own exposure at home, the BBC has a practical guide on where to start.

Microplastics in the soil are being absorbed by roots, and spread through the plant; polyester clothing fibres from laundry were found to be most harmful – and also the most prevalent in the sewage sludge used as fertiliser.

Two major new studies have found that 80 million people are already living on coastal land below sea level – and in many river deltas, the land is sinking faster than the sea is rising.