Speaks for itself. I will add that the global ocean comprises 99% of the Volume of the Biosphere. Also that the best way to reduce this impact is simply produce less plastic ::: I imagine we are only seeing the very tip of this problem, and perhaps there is a considerable time lag too. For instance: how long does it take for a piece of plastic entering the ocean to sink to the bottom, perhaps go into the sediment, then to re-emerge and eventually wash onshore, or converge with one of the ‘garbage patches’? To my mind landfills are not a good solution either: dis-assembling the molecules might be better? Mike
2 thoughts on “More data on oceanic plastic pollution”
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I have been thinking about this very topic since a while. Could we (with our network) perhaps identify the manufacturers of plastic bottles on global scale? I guess it’s not to hard after one can dig in this topic a little bit. Than having an extensive list of producers, we could organize a campaign targeting to get them fined and/or taxed severely. And of course rise global awareness.
Another thought is that because plastics are a by-product of the hydrocarbon industry ~ if we make a rapid & determined shift to renewable energy (wind, tide & solar) then we could reduce the need to utilise all the residue from fossil fuels. Not only eases greenhouse gas emissions, but also reduces plastic pollution. We would need alternative forms of packaging, such as cellulose or folk taking their own containers when they go shopping, but that would not be too difficult. Mike