Friday, August 12, 2011
What's an Ocean Garbage Patch?
How much trash is in our oceans? And does it look more like a floating landfill or a plastic soup? Anna Cummins, co-founder of the 5 Gyres Project, gives Jorge Ribas the facts about her recent trip into the Atlantic Garbage Patch.
But who's cleaning the oceans up..? In short, NO ONE...!
So the problem is just going to keep getting bigger until it to big to ignore and possibly too late... Surely its too big to ignore now...
The surface of the oceans and seas are the biggest ecosystem (70% of World's surface) and arguably the most valuable on the planet. It contains essential life forms necessary for converting CO2 to O2, having to compete with plastics for space. Plastics just continue to breakdown by exposure to sun and wave action, continuously leaching more toxin during each process. Many of the small fish are found with plastic in their stomach, which larger fish are in turn eating them. So undoubtedly plastic is entering the food chain and if you eat fish, your food chain...
A super thin film of oil almost covers the entire oceans surface and this too changes/interferes with the way that essential to life processes like Photosynthesis, Respiration & many more (below) taking place...
Oil, Shipping, Fisheries and many other Industries continuously take from our Oceans and Planet, but pay nothing for the privilege. This must change..
Companies that make the toxic plastics that last forever but are design to be disposable, take no responsibility for their products ultimately ending up in the ecosystem... This must change also, and the convenience culture that is up to the consumer becoming more conscious of the bigger picture and away from consumerism, brands, status and ego...
This has all got to change, but in the mean time, the power is in the hands of the conscious consumer. Take action with your $$$ and demand alternatives that are far more sustainable...
Should the oceans be cleaned by (paid by) those who profit from them, combined with those who ultimately pollute them..?
Who else can afford to tackle such as large problem...?
Labels:
Sustainability,
Water
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