WAR ON MOTHER NATURE: We Are Rapidly Approaching An Environmental Catastrophe - Plastic Waste In The Ocean WILL OUTNUMBER FISH BY 2050! [VIDEO]

The study says that plastic waste entering the ocean is one to three orders of magnitude greater than the reported mass of floating plastic debris
in high-concentration ocean gyres and also globally.

April 16, 2016 - OCEANS - A dump truck full of plastic is unloaded into the sea every minute, and experts say the situation is growing worse, with plastic debris expected to outnumber fish by 2050.

With plastic production currently at a twentyfold increase since 1964, generating 311m tonnes in 2014, a new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has revealed we are rapidly approaching an environmental catastrophe — especially where the world's oceans are concerned. This number is expected to double in the next 20 years and almost quadruple by 2050.

New plastics will use 20% of all oil within 35 years, which stands at around 7% today. And, despite the increasing demand, a mere 5% of all plastics are recycled successfully — with 40% ending up in landfills and a third in delicate ecosystems like the ocean. The remainder tends to be burned to generate energy, which has its own environmental impact not only in the pollution this practice generates, but also because it causes more fossil fuels to be used in order to make new plastic products like bags, cups, tubs and consumer devices.

A sea of plastic

One of the more shocking details in the report addresses how, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish. Sit with that for a moment. The day will come in the not so distant future where the sea will be so clogged with plastic debris, fish will be in the minority.

The report states that every year "at least 8m tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean - which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050. In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish [by weight]."

This scenario isn't only horrifying from an aesthetic point of view, the environmental impact has far-reaching ramifications. Think bisphenol A (BPA), DDT, PCBs — three exceptionally toxic chemicals present in plastic. BPA causes a number of disorders, including cancer, diabetes, infertility and obesity. DDT is linked with cancer, miscarriages, low birth weight, male infertility, developmental delay, nervous system and liver damage. PCBs also contribute to cancer and are linked with disorders of the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.

All three poisons endanger wildlife as well. So much so that UK whales and dolphins are at risk of extinction because of high levels of PCBs in the environment. Another example that illustrates how utterly toxic our oceans have become is when scientists discovered yogurt cups, food wrappers and a shoe in the stomach of a dead orca. How did we arrive at such a point of madness?

Unfortunately, when plastic breaks down, poisons leach into the environment — especially the ocean. Fish are also attracted to these colorful bits and eat them, which invariably saturates their tissues with toxins. In the end, the chemicals arrive on our dinner plates.

As observed in Plastic is Killing the Planet and Our Health — Here's How We Can Turn the Tide:

"Here's the catch: every piece of plastic that was ever made is still with us today as it was designed to last — and it does, for hundreds of years. The ecosystem and our health are choked by it. What will the planet look like in the not so distant future with the ever increasing influx of this hardwearing material? It's a sobering thought and one that doesn't have an easy answer."

What can we do?

The first step in reducing our plastic load is to become informed. The documentary Plastic Paradise is an excellent place to start. We can also get industry on-board to help mitigate the problem.

"One part of the solution is to rethink the way goods are packaged, cutting the demand for plastic. Water-soluble film, for example, can be used to wrap small items. Hard-to-recycle plastics such as PVC and expandable polystyrene could be phased out. [...]

Manufacturers could redesign plastic items so they can be reused better, and rethink their production methods to make recycling easier. More products could be made out of plastics which can be composted on an industrial scale, including rubbish bags for organic waste and food packaging for outdoor events, canteens and fast food outlets." [source]

As consumers, we have tremendous power in turning the plastic tide. Environmentally friendly ideas include:

• Reject single use plastic bags, food containers and bottles
• Rethink shampoo, dish and laundry soap
• Petition your favorite brands to fa

• vor biodegradable packaging like paper and glass
• Contact your local stores and educate them about the damaging effects of plastic
• Avoid synthetic fabrics and opt for hemp, wool, cotton or silk instead
• Swap out plastic wrap and bags
• Seek out supplement brands that aren't housed in plastic
• Don't purchase or consume canned food
• If you have children, choose natural toys

For further details about the above suggestions, click here.

There are several bright spots on the eco-friendly horizon, such as a plastic eating mushroom and a small household device developed in Japan that converts plastic waste into heating oil, gasoline, kerosene and diesel.

As wonderful as these developments are, we are still faced with an overload of plastic - and it will only become worse. Until we get a handle on the underlying problem of consumption and waste, innovative technologies will simply be a Band-Aid for a larger problem. Article sources:

• www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur
• www.ecowatch.com/2016/01/20/more-plastic-than-fish-in-ocean

WATCH: Plastic Paradise - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Trailer.

About the author:

Carolanne Wright enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, Carolanne has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of organic living, gratefulness and joyful orientation for over 13 years.

Through her website Thrive-Living.net, she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people from around the world who share a similar vision. You can also follow Carolanne on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. - Wake Up World.

 

WAR ON MOTHER NATURE: Full Scale Of Plastic Pollution In The World's Oceans Revealed For First Time - OVER FIVE TRILLION Pieces Of Plastic!

Plastic pieces in the ocean damage wildlife and enter the food chain when ingested by fish. Photograph: Bryce Groark/Alamy

December 14, 2014 - EARTH - Over five trillion pieces of plastic are floating in our oceans says most comprehensive study to date on plastic pollution around the world

More than five trillion pieces of plastic, collectively weighing nearly 269,000 tonnes, are floating in the world's oceans, causing damage throughout the food chain, new research has found.

Data collected by scientists from the US, France, Chile, Australia and New Zealand suggests a minimum of 5.25tn plastic particles in the oceans, most of them "micro plastics" measuring less than 5mm.

The volume of plastic pieces, largely deriving from products such as food and drink packaging and clothing, was calculated from data taken from 24 expeditions over a six-year period to 2013. The research, published in the journal PLOS One, is the first study to look at plastics of all sizes in the world's oceans.

Large pieces of plastic can strangle animals such as seals, while smaller pieces are ingested by fish and then fed up the food chain, all the way to humans.

This is problematic due to the chemicals contained within plastics, as well as the pollutants that plastic attract once they are in the marine environment.

"We saw turtles that ate plastic bags and fish that ingested fishing lines," said Julia Reisser, a researcher based at the University of Western Australia. "But there are also chemical impacts. When plastic gets into the water it acts like a magnet for oily pollutants.

"Bigger fish eat the little fish and then they end up on our plates. It's hard to tell how much pollution is being ingested but certainly plastics are providing some of it."

The researchers collected small plastic fragments in nets, while larger pieces were observed from boats. The northern and southern sections of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were surveyed, as well as the Indian ocean, the coast of Australia and the Bay of Bengal.

The vast amount of plastic, weighing 268,940 tonnes, includes everything from plastic bags to fishing gear debris.

While spread out around the globe, much of this rubbish accumulates in five large ocean gyres, which are circular currents that churn up plastics in a set area. Each of the major oceans have plastic-filled gyres, including the well-known 'great Pacific garbage patch' that covers an area roughly equivalent to Texas.

Reisser said traversing the large rubbish-strewn gyres in a boat was like sailing through "plastic soup."

"You put a net through it for half an hour and there's more plastic than marine life there," she said. "It's hard to visualise the sheer amount, but the weight of it is more than the entire biomass of humans. It's quite an alarming problem that's likely to get worse."

The research found that the gyres themselves are likely to contribute to the problem, acting as "shredders" to the plastic before dispersing it.

"Our findings show that the garbage patches in the middle of the five subtropical gyres are not the final resting places for the world's floating plastic trash," said Marcus Eriksen, another of the report's co-authors. "The endgame for micro-plastic is interactions with entire ocean ecosystems."

The research, the first of its kind to pull together data on floating plastic from around the world, will be used to chart future trends in the amount of debris in the oceans.

But researchers predict the volume will increase due to rising production of throwaway plastic, with only 5% of the world's plastic currently recycled.

"Lots of things are used once and then not recycled," Reisser said. "We need to improve our use of plastic and also monitor plastics in the oceans so we get a better understanding of the issue.

"I'm optimistic but we need to get policy makers to understand the problem. Some are doing that - Germany has changed the policy so that manufacturers are responsible for the waste they produce. If we put more responsibility on to the producer then that would be part of the solution." - Guardian.