Air pollution causes serious damage to our bodies, sometimes resulting in premature death, and it’s also messing with our minds. Depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder are among the mental health problems that researchers have linked to air pollution.

Also, a groundbreaking meta-study correlates exposures to plastics containing phthalates with a wide variety of diseases including mental health problems as well as obesity and diabetes.

And plastic is wreaking havoc on the health of the planet, too, especially in the oceans. Now a group of YouTube influencers calling themselves “Team Seas” are working together to raise $30 million to try to collect 30 million pounds of trash from the world’s oceans.

Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on December 9th at 6:30 p.m.! We'll be speaking with diver-filmmaker Craig Foster about his book Underwater Wild, which captures the underwater world of wonder seen in the Academy Award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” Register at loe.org/events

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