Plastic Trash in Oceans could Triple in Ten Years

 

Plastic in the ocean could triple between 2015 and 2025, according to a new report for the United Kingdom government. The Foresight Future of the Sea report said the marine environment faces “unprecedented change as a result of direct human activity and climate change,” and the authors are calling for further investigation according to Professor Edward Hill of the UK National Oceanography Center  “We really need a mission to planet ocean — it’s the last frontier.”

According to Hill, the ocean is “critical to our economic future. Nine billion people will be looking to the ocean for more food. Yet we know so little of what’s down there. We invest a lot of money and enthusiasm for missions to space — but there’s nothing living out there. The sea bed is teeming with life.”
The report recommends reducing pollution by preventing plastic from entering the ocean, utilizing biodegradable plastic, or even creating public awareness campaigns for ocean protection. It also states that the ocean faces threats beyond simple plastic pollution. By 2100, the ocean could warm 1.2 to 3.2 degrees Celsius, depending on emissions — leading to coral bleaching and a slump for cold-water fish species. The report states that ocean warming “is likely to lead to new species in ocean waters,” while marine biodiversity could take a hit from climate change and over-exploitation.

 It stresses that the ocean is being assailed from many different types of pollution - including run-off pesticides and fertilizers from farms, industrial toxins like PCBs, and pharmaceuticals.
The authors say if governments can identify ways of protecting biodiversity in the seas, there are riches to be harvested - fish,  nodules of metals and possibly even cures for cancer.
This latter suggestion alarmed Rachel Jones, a marine expert. "Given that 90% of global fisheries are  in excess of sustainable catch levels, I can't really see how they are going to expand  the fishing industry at any time."

Only about 20 percent of ocean plastic comes from marine sources, such as discarded fishing equipment or cargo ship mishaps. About 80 percent of it washes out to sea from beach litter or was carried downstream in rivers, according to the CSIRO study, which is considered the most comprehensive.

About half of that litter is plastic bottles. Most of the rest is packaging. All of that stuff was in a human's hand at one point or another. The essence of the solution is to provide incentives for people not to throw this stuff away. It is the cheapest, simplest, and far most efficient solution to the problem.

Creating incentives to help reduce littering can be a political challenge. Only one of Australia's eight main states and territories has a beverage-container deposit law.

In the U.S. only ten states—including California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut-have enacted container deposit laws.
The harm to fish and other sea creatures is increasing. Eight scientists, recently analyzed material in all of the garbage patches. Of  671 fish collected, 35 percent had ingested plastic particles.  Not too nourishing for the fish or for you, when that fish ends up on your plate.

Thanx to BBC and National Geographic