Right now the world is pumping out a staggering 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year, and much of it winds up as litter that pollutes our oceans and waterways.

The $1.3 billion project to improve, deepen and widen Port Everglades is still in limbo because of the millions of precious corals and other endangered marine species that will be impacted once the dredging begins.

A consequential vote is happening next week that will impact all of South Florida, and not just the general election.

Scientists have warned that extreme weather events like the rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico are the direct result of climate change, which will only get worse unless we urgently reduce global heat-trapping gases that are warming our planet.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise.

It is the largest grassroots global effort to combat pollution and remove trash from our planet’s ocean, shorelines and waterways.

This Saturday, the spotlight will shine bright on shorelines, beaches, and waterways all over the world as thousands of volunteers roll up their sleeves for International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Beneath the murky surface of the waters at Crandon Marina, a foreign invader has taken root

This crisis in Haiti grows more dire by the day. Gang violence and political uncertainty have engulfed the island nation, and Haiti has also become overwhelmed with garbage.

Concerned Floridians are breathing a sigh of relief after a proposal that would have brought changes to nine of Florida’s state parks was postponed.

Hollywood has really done a number on sharks.

The ongoing effort to save Florida’s endangered coral reefs recently received some extra muscle from wounded US Veterans.

Every morning when Local 10 anchor and environmental advocate Louis Aguirre walks his dog, he picks up all kinds of plastic trash.

It may look green and lush, but among the 23 acres of the Pine Island Ridge in Tree Tops Park, there’s an invasion taking place.

Just hundreds of feet from the beats and bustle of Ocean Drive is a veritable natural treasure that not many people, including scientists, know is there.

Governments around the world are starting to take action to try to curb the role fast fashion clothing plays in the global plastic pollution crisis.

Right now the biggest worldwide campaign that encourages people to reduce their use of single-use plastics is in full swing

A new crop of laws regarding heat regulation will take effect in the state of Florida on Monday. Among them is a highly contested preemption law that will prevent local governments from enacting heat regulations and protections.

It’s deja vu all over again as another fish kill hits Biscayne Bay, the fourth in as many years.

A World Oceans Day celebration on Miami Beach off Collins Avenue and 43rd Street brought out residents from all over South Florida to show their love and reverence for our “Planet Ocean.”

Legendary marine conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle announced this week that her Mission Blue organization has designated Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys, and the Ten Thousands Islands as “Hope Spots."

The potential sale of Bird Key, a tiny island in Biscayne Bay, is causing feathers to fly and has local environmentalists very concerned.

When boaters hit Miami’s waters for Memorial Day weekend, there are some spots that they won't be able to visit.

Last summer’s record-breaking heat resulted in the worst mass bleaching event ever documented in Florida, with thousands of corals lost forever.

Heartbreak at the MOTE Marine Lab and Aquarium in Sarasota after the first rescued smalltooth sawfish from the Florida Keys had to be humanely euthanized on Thursday.

The city of Miami is about to initiate a new strategy to dramatically reduce trash that’s left behind by boaters on the islands of Biscayne Bay. It’s risky and will require all water enthusiasts who enjoy the islands to get on board.

In the past week, the number of reported dead smalltooth sawfish has risen by three in the Florida Keys. That brings the total of dead sawfish to at least 43 since January. This is according to the FWC Abnormal Fish Behavior dashboard.

Wednesday marks three years since Local 10 News first launched Don’t Trash Our Treasure.

More than 400 young environmentalists from Somerset Academy in Miramar gathered to welcome Local 10 News' Luis Aguirre and Local 10 News for a Don't Trash Our Treasure event.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is now reporting at least 40 endangered smalltooth sawfish have died since January of this year. That number is up by two from last week.

“Alright everyone, let’s go clean up the bay," exclaimed Loren Parra, Miami Dade County’s Chief Bay Officer, as she kicked off the 42nd Annual Baynanza Clean-Up event Saturday morning.

It was a critical rescue for a critically endangered animal.

The death toll of the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish continues to climb in the Florida Keys.

South Florida’s sawfish continue to die right before the very eyes of residents and visitors alike. On Tuesday, crowds gathered as a critically endangered smalltooth sawfish struggled in the shallows of Fort Zachary Taylor Beach in Key West.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at least 28 smalltooth sawfish mortalities have now been recorded in the Florida Keys.

Communities on both Florida coasts are bracing for impact as they monitor the billions of gallons of water being discharged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from Lake Okeechobee since mid-February.

What started as a normal afternoon on the water became a memorable encounter for passengers on the MyKeys Tours of Islamorada on Friday.

As the end of the legislative session came to a close last week in Tallahassee, an item was added to the state budget that would fund research on a marine mystery that’s developing in the Florida Keys.

Something bizarre is happening to the fish in the lower keys.

For the third straight year, Miami Beach is hosting critical conversations about climate change and action as part of the Aspen Ideas Climate 2024 Conference.

Liveaboard boaters in Miami Beach breathed a sigh of relief Monday night after a state Senate bill that would have limited anchoring within 200 yards of any part of Miami Beach, lying between State Road A1A and Palm Island was amended.

A battle between boat dwellers and a city commissioner is brewing in Miami Beach.

For weeks environmental and community activists have been pushing against a pair of bills in the Florida legislature that would ban local governments from regulating single-use plastics.

Plastic pollution continues to strangle our marine environment — and there’s no place where that is more apparent than South Florida.

James Duncan is the special projects administrator for the county’s Division of Environmental Resources Management program, or DERM as most people know it.

“Miami is ground level for sea level rise. We are the example of climate gentrification,” local climate organizer Valencia Gunder explains in the new movie “Razing Liberty Square.”

Crowds come from around the world to see a slice of Cuban culture in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. The historic community has been deemed a national treasure, and yet it is drowning in street litter.

What goes up, must come down.

As 2023 comes to a close, Local 10 News is taking a look back at the top five stories in our ongoing “Don’t Trash Our Treasure” initiative from this year.

Tis the season! It’s the happiest time of the year, but also the trashiest.

When you’re hungry for food, you probably head to the grocery store or restaurant, but for TikTok sensation Gray Davis, the great outdoors are all he needs to satisfy his cravings

Miami Art Week is in full swing and this year a provocative installation is making waves at the Faena Hotel on Miami Beach, putting the climate crisis on center stage.

For decades, scientists have warned about the imminent catastrophic impacts that a rapidly changing ocean will have on coral reefs around the world.

Biscayne Bay activists rejoiced after the city of Miami unanimously passed a resolution that was supposed to protect the marine birds of Mangrove Island last week.

An island in Biscayne Bay’s northern basin that is home to marine birds is at risk because of increased boating activity, and Miami commissioners meeting on Thursday are set to decide whether or not to protect it.

Two recent reports from the Environmental Protection Agency revealed a startling statistic.

With the recent king tides, and hottest summer ever on record, we here in South Florida are already getting a glimpse of what the future holds as our planet keeps getting warmer.

A global alarm in going off regarding plastic pollution. Scientists warn that there are now 21,000 pieces of plastic for each of the Earth's 8 billion residents.

Scientists are calling it the worst coral bleaching event in Florida's recorded history. Millions of corals starving to death because of the extremely hot ocean temperatures over the summer.

This summer has been devastating for Florida's reef tract, with a mass bleaching event mostly impacting corals in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas.

Data shows more and more young people are worried about the state of the planet and are becoming a lot more engaged in conservation efforts.

Thanks to a state grant, Miami-Dade County is launching a new pilot program aimed at cleaning up storm water polluting Biscayne Bay.

Scientists are again warning that Earth’s life support systems have become so damaged by human caused pollution that our ability to maintain a healthy planet is in danger of failing.

A controversial vote is coming up next Tuesday before the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners on whether to approve a new lease to build a water theme park right next to Zoo Miami, abutting land conservationists say is a critically important biodiversity hotspot.

Every week on Local 10 News' Don't Trash Our Treasure report, we show you ways your neighbors are taking action to protect our fragile Biscayne Bay.

There is an ongoing mission to save Biscayne Bay, but frustrations are mounting after another disheartening video went viral showing boaters trashing the watershed.

A recent study found that overfishing is driving reef sharks to extinction. The study comes as NOAA is considering raising the limits of how many sharks and what species of sharks can be fished in federal waters.

It's just after daybreak on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

From day one when Local 10 News launched Don't Trash Our Treasure, we've been documenting the growing litter problem plaguing South Florida that causes street flooding, poisons our bay and waterways and kills wildlife.

South Florida's coral reefs continue to suffer the effects of this unprecedented summer heat wave, that shows no end in sight.

There's an urgent rescue of corals to bring them to safe havens as warm water temperatures are causing devastation

For 45 straight days Miami has been in the grips a heat index of over 100 degrees, and that spells danger for fragile Biscayne Bay.

Biscayne Bay is in crisis, and it's all hands on deck to save it.

Florida has been sizzling in record, crushing heat, and it is already having destructive impacts on our local ecosystems.

You may have heard of “Dry January” or “No Shave November” — but what about “Plastic-Free July”? It’s a challenge each of us can take in order to help protect our planet.

While celebrations will be on and popping throughout South Florida, it can also be one of the most harmful holidays for our environment. But it doesn’t have to be.

Local 10 News' recent story on the trash problem in Little Havana seems to have struck a nerve.

Just blocks away from the salsa beats, the clickety-clacks of domino tiles and the tourist-filled sidewalks of Calle Ocho is the real Little Havana — and it’s in big trouble.

Thursday is World Oceans Day, a day to celebrate our planet ocean and amplify global efforts to preserve and restore it.

Last week, Local 10 News reported on fish in South Florida waters that are swimming around in a cocktail of drugs.

A pair of studies revealed startling information about the prolific presence of pharmaceuticals in water.

This Saturday is World Bee Day, but our global bee population is facing daunting challenges.

With the upcoming start of Hurricane season, there is an effort to clean up the coast by picking up trash, and eliminating invasive plants — to help shore up protective sand dunes.

A group of Fort Lauderdale students in the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Marine Science Club were out on their monthly cleanup when they found something, unlike anything they had seen before.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Don't Trash Our Treasure is focusing on how the impacts of climate change are affecting the emotional wellbeing of millions around the world, particularly young people.

Earth Day marked two years since Local 10 News launched Don't Trash Our Treasure, and ever since it debuted, it continues to showcase South Floridians who are out there in the community, trying to make a difference with innovations and advocacy to restore balance to our natural world.

Earth Day is coming up on Saturday and as we look for opportunities of service to show our love for our planet, thousands did just that last weekend, cleaning up the shores of Biscayne Bay.

The recent rain soaking South Florida illustrates once again how all our pollution just dumps into the watershed every time there is a heavy downpour.

April is Earth Month, and we can think of no better way to honor our planet than to sit down with conservation legend and United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall.

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall spoke on Friday night at Florida International University in Miami-Dade County.

When Local 10 News first launched Don’t Trash Our Treasure on Earth Day 2021, we did so with the intention of engaging more people to be mindful about how and where they dispose of their waste and hopefully be more conscious of the environmental footprint their everyday choices leave behind.

Wednesday is World Water Day, a day that highlights the importance of fresh water and the sustainable management of fresh water resources.

South Florida has already experienced record heat so far this year, and it’s only going to get hotter.

Abandoned boats are a big problem in South Florida, especially in Hollywood.

Vice President Kamala Harris is coming back to South Florida to talk about climate action.

If you go to Zoo Miami and happen to catch a glimpse of Mahala, the five year old Florida panther who was rescued as a cub, consider yourself a very lucky human.

It's a beautiful day on Miami Beach's Parkview Island, but taking a closer look at the water, it's evident there is something wrong.

Local 10 News was granted an exclusive first-hand look at the manatee protections in place at the Miami International Boat Show.

Slogging through the slough on what was a very chilly Saturday morning, Luca Martinez is in his element.

The Miami International Boat Show is back next week, and with it the controversy over the staging of sea trails over a protected manatee habitat in Biscayne Bay.