It sounds like the worst nightmare. Except that it is true. There are huge areas of plastic garbage floating in the Pacific. The reports are pretty astounding: Some estimate that there are two plastic "continents" out there, together the size of two North Americas! Others are less pessimistic and claim it is somewhat smaller. Please read the following estimate from The Independent : "The Worlds Rubbish Dump - The Pacific Plastic Garbage Tip" (the picture here included is from the same magazine).
I definately decided to reuse the bags when doing shopping, or use my backpack. And not to buy much plastic toys for my son, if at all. But it is depressing. How and when on earth are we going to deal with this problem, given that the daily waste of plastic is still on the rise? I read somewhere that China is the biggest producer of plastic bags (and several other plastic products). Sounds like one more thing to protest about before the Olympics in Beijing. We do have enough work at home though (and here I mean the whole EU, not just Britain or Slovenia).
Typically, the problem lies in the fact that plastic rubbish gets to the remote ocean and we do not see it on front of our doors. In the case of the global warming many of us at least remotely feel the temperature change or will feel it soon anyway. But with the plastic dump far out there in the middle of nowhere... What is not seen des not exist.
Sunday 30 March 2008
Plastic Waste in The Pacific Ocean
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1 comment:
I think there are a few. It is fascinating how the currents swirl the toxic material together, like a global immune system. We are good at hiding our heads in virtual sand, but maybe there is a solution? Several tankers full of a liquid thermiting solution that reduces much of it to component atoms (not molecules) - different from burning it. Fusion bombs might do something similar (no fallout) It is our crap to clean up right?
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