Pollution In Our Oceans
Trash Island
Is a new island on our planet, made up of floating plastic and filth in the Pacific Ocean.
All this plastic could fill an area the size of France. Every minute of every day, every year, one equivalent large rubbish truck full of plastic is dumped into the sea.
This almost indestructible plastic material, upsets every part of our food chain. If our oceans can't function properly, they won't be able to support fish stocks or absorb carbon to protect us against global warming.
Dead whales are now being washed up in Norway and the North Sea, with stomachs full of plastic bags and plastic bottles. It's heart breaking.
Every year plastic affects over 600 different species of sea life, with a least 1 million sea birds dying every year. By 2050 at this rate, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Catastrophic.
Plastic is one of the biggest threats to our planet today. Your local streams, rivers and beaches have all the evidence for you to see for yourself.
Plastic Debris discovered inside Sea Salt
Sea salt harvested, from oceans around the world is now being contaminated with plastic, scientists have found.
Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in sea salt, on sale in the UK, Europe, the US and China.
It confirms, that plastic litter, reaching our oceans, is being broken down and getting into our food chain.
Previous studies, have found that fish such as cod, as well as shell fish and crustaceans, including scampi caught off the British coast, may contain plastic particles.
Researchers, believe the majority of the contamination comes from microfibres and single - use plastics such as bottles and plastics in general.
Sherri Mason, a professor at the state university of New York said, "not only are plastics pervasive to our society in terms of daily use, but they are pervasive in the environment. She said " plastics are ubiquitous, in the air, water, the sea food we eat, the beer we drink, the sea salt we use, - plastics are just everywhere".
Professor Mason, collaborated with researchers, at the university of Minnesota, to examine micro-e plastics in sea salt, beer and drinking water. Her research looked at 12 kinds of salt, including 10 sea salts from around the world.
Many contain plastics and her findings suggest, that we could be ingesting upwards, of 660 particle's of plastic, every year, according to a draft of her report.
It is believed that once plastic enters the sea, they become a magnet for toxins and pollutants.
Scientists first found plastics in salt, in China, in 2015. Microscopic particle's, from face scrubs, cosmetics, plastics and plastic bottles, were found in samples of 15 salt products in China. Earlier this year, scientists from France, the UK and Malaysia tested 17 types of salt from 8 countries. All but one contained tiny plastic particles. Britain has now announced a ban on the use of plastic microbeads in products such as face scrubs.
Environment secretary Michael Grove is investigating the introduction of a deposit and refund scheme for plastic bottles.
The Scottish government said, it will press ahead with the deposit and refund scheme on bottles, in a scheme similar to those operating in Germany and Scandinavia.
Research from the university of Plymouth, also found, that more than one in three fish, caught by trawlers, in the English Channel, including Cod, Haddock and Mackerel, contained plastic particles.
Studies by experts, at the university of Exeter, have found that, many of the entire food chains, of sea creatures - from zooplankton, through to crustaceans, or copepods, mussels, crabs, lobsters and fish - have effectively become contaminated by microplastics.
People must be re-educated into rethinking that plastic pollution could be the death of our planet and that means the death of people who live on it.
Good News For Our Oceans
Good news! The United Nations have agreed that there will be an international agreement for the protection of our sea's, at last! at last! at last!
But there is still much work to be done, legislative reforms take longer though than any of us would wish.
This is just the first step and hopefully it will be approved later this year and we will then be on the path for the future we want for our oceans.
We believe strong ocean governance is critical for a more equitable and just world, as our seas are being exploited at the expense of us all and is filling up with plastic and poisonous colour being excreted from the plastic.
The sea's provide us with food, fresh water, energy, medicine, the oxygen we breath and even our holidays. A healthy ocean is essential for all life on earth.
For to long, we've taken out too many fish, polluted indiscriminately and damaged vulnerable habitats on the sea bed. We are pushing our ocean system to the point of collapse and by doing so, risking our own health and prosperity.
Without the enforcement of strong laws to protect our living oceans, a minority will continue to abuse the freedom of our seas.
It is time to extend the rule of law to the deep blue oceans, which is more than half of our planet, this will help to ensure that we have enough food for everyone, equitable access to new medicines from deep sea organisms, to help fight cancer and other serious diseases, reliance in the face of the worst impacts of climate change and protection of valuable marine habitats, from destructive industries.
More Plastic Pollution Entering The Worlds Oceans and our Food Chain
Fish are swallowing these little micro bead balls believing that they are food. Many cosmetic and skin care products - such as face wash, scrubs, shower gels and toothpaste contain little bits of plastic known as microbeads. These tiny balls, often made from polyethylene, are used to make products more abrasive - and in beauty products, they help exfoliate skin by removing dry cells from the surface. But because of their size, microbeads make their way down the bathroom plug hole and directly through sewage treatment works as they are too small to be picked up - and soon enter water ways and seas.
However, marine biologist and green campaigners, say that more plastic going into our oceans is very bad news. Some of the biggest names involved in the use of microbeads are Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, L'Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Body Shop, which is owned by L'Oréal say that they are going to phase out microbeads. Boots and Marks & Spencer's have also confirmed that they will end production of microbeads by the end of next year.
"When people are told products contain plastic and they're scrubbing their face with it, they're shocked" Dr Foster said.
A single bottle of facial scrub may contain more than 300,000 microbeads.
These microbeads that are washed down our sinks and are too small to be filtered at the sewage plant, ends up in our rivers, oceans, fish you eat and our food chain. In a study of more than 500 fish examined off the coast of Plymouth last year, a massive 36% were found to have ingested plastic.
Many thanks to Ross McGuinness
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