Only in ‘dark skies’, away from the bright lights of Australian cities, can we see the Milky Way arcing across the sky, humanity’s most fundamental connection to the cosmos. Our artificial light also masks day length and other cues used by animals to regulate their daily activity and annual reproduction. Under the relentless glare of urban light pollution, behaviours change and instincts falter.

Our oceans are loud places. Whales, dolphins, fish, and even corals produce sounds that shape underwater life. But while some humans love listening to “underwater soundscapes,” the human-made noise that marine animals have to endure is anything but comforting. The noise levels stress over 150 species – not only whales and dolphins, but also invertebrates like jellyfish, octopuses, and coral reefs.

As we continue to pollute the environment with petrochemicals, microplastics, pharmacological products, and other chemicals, we need new solutions to keep ahead of the wave. Bioremediation is the process of using specialised biological organisms or systems – most often bacteria, microalgae, fungi or plants – to break down contaminants into non-harmful compounds.

Air pollution can alter the regulation of immune systems, stunt lung development, and increase blood pressure, demonstrating that even at a young age, human immune, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems are negatively impacted by exposure. Even before birth, the growth, development, and overall health of unborn babies is impacted. So what can we do about it?

It can take hundreds of years for plastic to degrade alone, but nature may already have answers to our problem. For some organisms, plastic debris offers a food source; for many others, a literal life raft. When 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year, some of it provides a home to entire biological communities.