As most of us know, plastic packaging has detrimental impacts on the natural and marine environment and wildlife. Over time, plastics are broken down into small particles such as microplastics and phthalates and impact soil and water health. Although plastics breakdown into smaller pieces, they never actually naturally biodegrade and therefore result in ruining natural environments and decreasing animal populations.
Plastics are ingested by animals such as marine mammals and birds and can lead to suffocation, starvation and death, with an estimation of 100 million marine mammals dying each year from plastic waste. Humans ingest micro-plastics by drinking contaminated water and eating fish and, due to plastics being so prominent in packaging, it is seen that we take in large amounts of BPA (Bisphenol A), PVC and phthalates.
BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used since the 1950s to make certain plastics and resins and is found in packaging such as water bottles, vegetables/fruits packaged in plastic, canned foods, toiletries, feminine hygiene products, perfume, CDs and DVDs, this is but to name a few. When entering the human body, BPA can have serious repercussions on human health with hormone functions being particularly affected. An article by The Guardian discusses phthalates saying that “In the past few years, researchers have linked phthalates to asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer, obesity and type II diabetes, low IQ , neurodevelopmental issues, behavioural issues, autism spectrum disorders, altered reproductive development and male fertility issues.”
In the coming years it is vital that we alter our consumer habits to purchasing items with a more sustainable approached packaging and organic ingredients. A drastic development in this area of production will not only conserve the natural and marine environment and wildlife but will lead people to healthier and longer lives. Sustainable packaging such as plant based, biodegradable, glass, recycled plastic, paper and cardboard are all materials currently in use, but it is the promotion of packaging such as biodegradable peanut packaging (replacing Styrofoam), corrugated bubble wrap (made with recycled cardboard instead of plastic), air pillows made of recycled plastics, corn-starch/mushroom/seaweed packaging and organic fabrics that will truly lead the major transition from plastic packaging to sustainable packaging.
Production manufacturers must become knowledgeable of the wide range of sustainable materials that exist to choose from. Until these manufacturers decide to change their production methods, we must become more mindful of what and how we consume items in our day to day lives in order to decrease plastic pollution in the ocean and keep marine mammals healthy, which will in turn keep us healthy too!
Head to this link to find a guide to Marine Plastic Pollution and packaging solutions!
Sources used:
https://www.oberk.com/guide-to-marine-plastic-pollution
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-bpa#where-its-found
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/10/phthalates-plastics-chemicals-research-analysis
https://www.bxpmagazine.com/consumers-call-on-brands-to-find-alternatives-to-plastic-packaging/
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/200553/ocean-plastic-triple-2040-immediate-action/
https://medium.com/@environment4change/why-is-plastic-pollution-so-harmful-89008896ce6a
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When you conserve water, you keep more of it from excessively running off, so less of it flows into the Oceans as wastewater.
If you can, use environment-friendly cleaning and personal hygiene products, because they are less harmful to the Ocean, but also for your health. You can buy and even make these products, and also reusing containers you might have thrown out to place them into.
If you use cleaning products, herbicides, or pesticides with toxic or harsh chemicals, be extra careful and make sure you dispose of them correctly so that they don’t end up in the Ocean.
Reduce your general consumption of products, reuse the products you purchase and find new uses for them before throwing them out, and properly recycle the ones you do get rid of.
This point is tied to the last one. With the reduction of consumption comes the reduction of plastic usage. By now, we all know the harm that plastic is causing to the environment, and specifically to marine ecosystems. Reducing as much as possible the consumption of plastic is a must. An easy way to do this is by replacing plastic products by sustainable alternatives.
This point is also strictly tied to the promotion of mindful consumption. Buying your clothing and home items in second-hand shops is a massive contribution towards transforming the overconsumption economic model. When we buy second-hand, we are practicing the reuse rule and avoiding the consequences that the effects of the clothing industry has on the Ocean, such as chemical pollution, the emission of greenhouse gases, and microplastics.
When you choose seafood responsibly sourced, you help reduce the demand for overexploited species, species fished by super trawlers, or fish grown in fish farms, as these are harmful to the environment.
As a way to mitigate climate change, which directly affects the Oceans. You can do this by using efficient light bulbs, avoiding oversetting your thermostat, using public transport, carpooling, riding your bike, etc…
All life and ecosystems are connected to and fundamentally dependent on our Oceans' health. Educating yourself on how our ecosystems work and what they need to thrive, you can make more responsible choices and contributions in their favor, and you can also educate others to do the same.
If you live close to the Ocean, consider joining your community's beach cleanup! From Curiocean we have been promoting periodical cleanups around Galway city beaches with great success. Also, apart from contributing with this way of service, beach cleanups can be a great way to get to know interesting people in your community!
(Add photo from Curiocean cleanup here)
Sources used:
https://www.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/
By Belen Blanco
]]>Boyan Slat is a young Dutch man of Croatian ancestry, born in Deft, Netherlands. His magnificent story started when he was only 16 and came to face the plastic problem directly. It happened when he went scuba diving in Greece. He was shocked to see more plastic than fish in the water. After this event, he dug deep into the plastic pandemic, realising that no one had ever seriously attempted to reverse the issue. Why don’t we just clean the plastic up? he asked himself.
Source: The Ocean Cleanup
This series of events led him to devote his high school project to understanding the dimensions of the plastic problem, and to challenge the idea that an ocean plastic cleanup would be impossible.
Slat first became famous in 2012 after proposing the construction of a large barrier which, as a giant rubble, would be able to collect large amounts of floating garbage - the goal was to collect mainly plastic - in seas and oceans all around the world. In February 2013, the now inventor and entrepreneur dropped out of the Aerospace Engineering career he was studying for at the time and officially started The Ocean Cleanup project.
The courage shown by Boyan and the originality of his proposal obtained the technical and financial support necessary for him to develop the first prototypes and put the initial tests into practice.
After four years of testing, trial and error and reconnaissance expeditions, in September 2018 Boyan’s invention was launched from the San Francisco Bay. Not very long after, The Ocean Cleanup system was deployed inside the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Source: The Ocean Cleanup
As it is explained in the Ocean Cleanup Project, the device is made of a long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a skirt that hangs beneath it. The floater provides the ability for the entire system to float, while the skirt prevents waste from escaping underneath and leads it into the retention system. A cork line above the skirt prevents the raising of water above the barrier and keeps the skirt afloat.
This large scale method uses the natural oceanic currents and the impulse of the wind to passively concentrate and collect the plastic. The challenge is that plastic pollution spreads across millions of square kilometres and travels in all directions. For this exact reason, The Ocean Cleanup was designed to concentrate the plastic first, so that it can be effectively removed from the water afterwards.
Source: The Ocean Cleanup
It is suggested that through this process, the emptying of plastics from the ocean could be reduced from millennia to years.
According to the Ocean Cleanup team, the models that have been created reveal that a full-scale cleanup system roll-out could clean 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - the biggest garbage island in the Ocean - within only five years.
After devices are distributed and deployed into every ocean gyre, the team estimates the project will be able to remove 90 percent of ocean plastic by 2040.
After having collected its first batch of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2019, the Project has now transformed it into a usable product: a pair of sunglasses. With the proceeds of the sunglasses, the project keeps going.
Another huge milestone is the development of the Interceptor. After having developed the Ocean Project, the team is also working on going to the source of the plastic pollution: rivers. The team has developed what they call the Interceptor, with the goal to “close the tap” and prevent plastic pollution at its source. The goal of the Interceptor is to tackle the 1,000 most polluting rivers all over the world in five years from rollout.
So far, there have been three Interceptors deployed: number one in Cengkareng Drain, in Jakarta, Indonesia; number two in the Klang river, in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia; and number three in the Ozama river, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Boyan Slat is a great example of the greatness that we each have within and that when we believe and give energy to our dreams and yearns, we can go a long way and make a difference in the world. Here at CuriOcean, we believe we can all make an impact, so we encourage you to hold what you value close to your heart and fight to make it happen. Maybe one day you will become your own version of Boyan Slat.
Sources:
https://theoceancleanup.com/
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/boyan-slat-launches-barge-fleet-to-collect-river-trash/
https://www.boyanslat.com/index.html
https://futuroverde.org/2020/05/14/boyan-slat-el-joven-emprendedor-que-esta-limpiando-los-oceanos-del-plastico/
By Belen Blanco
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The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), passed in 1982,gives a loose definition of international waters (also known as high seas). High seas comprise “all parts of the sea that are not included in the exclusive economic zone, in the territorial sea or the internal waters of a State, or in the archipelagic waters of an archipelagic State” (Article 86).
https://share.america.gov/what-do-you-know-about-international-waters/
https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/06/ciencia/1504665377_732347.html
https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf
http://www.highseasalliance.org/treaty-negotiations/
By Belen Blanco
]]>Oceans make up 90 percent of Earth's surface and yet, in many ways they still remain a mystery. It is impossible to determine how much we really know about these giants, which is logical if we take into account that 95 percent of the ocean’s volume has yet to be explored. These bodies of salty water harbour the highest diversity and life on the planet known to date, and yet, it is thought that more than one third of all marine species are yet to be discovered.