The Great Pacific Plastic Patch

[longknife]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

 

[AZGAL]

good thread

 

[flacaltenn]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

 

[longknife]

I think ways will be found to clean this up if there's money to be made doing it.

 

[waltky]

Plastics Contribute to Global Warming...

Plastics Contribute to Global Warming, Scientists Say
August 01, 2018 - Add plastics to the list of causes for global warming.

Scientists writing in the journal PLOS One said Wednesday that plastics emit the greenhouse gases methane and ethylene when they are exposed to sunlight and degrade. The researchers carried out tests on such common plastic products as water bottles, shopping bags and food containers. "Plastic represents a source of climate-relevant trace gases that is expected to increase as more plastic is produced and accumulated in the environment," said senior researcher David Karl of the University of Hawaii.

​

A man collects plastic and other recyclable material from the shores of the Arabian Sea, littered with plastic bags and other garbage, in Mumbai, India​

Methane gas, both man-made and naturally occurring, is said to be a major cause of climate change. The manufacturing and use of plastics have come under scrutiny in recent years after environmentalists discovered a massive island of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean — threatening sea life and the food supply.

Plastic drinking straws are the latest target of activists, who say they are used once and discarded because most cannot be recycled. A graphic video of doctors pulling a plastic straw out of the bloody nose of a large sea turtle has prompted some U.S. cities and companies to phase out the straws.

Plastics Contribute to Global Warming, Scientists Say

 

[fncceo]

Can it be made into 'invisible guns'?

 

[EvilCat Breath]

You could go to India and Africa and physically prevent them from dumping plastic.

Or have the little bacteria buggers eat it.

Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles

 

[fncceo]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

Why is it that pictures of this continental sized plastic patch only show it close up about the size of a Volkswagen.

Can it not be seen by satellite?

I'm getting a Bigfoot / UFO vibe on this.

 

[westwall]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

And you do realize that this picture is of a harbor. Right? The plastic in the oceans is mainly microscopic.

 

[Wuwei]

And you do realize that this picture is of a harbor. Right? The plastic in the oceans is mainly microscopic.

The microplastic permeates the marine food chain.

The floating plastic in the pacific is huge.

Pacific plastic dump far larger than feared: study

The vast dump of plastic waste swirling in the Pacific ocean is now bigger than France, Germany and Spain combined—far larger than previously feared—and is growing rapidly, a study published Thursday warned.

 

[BlackFlag]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

 

[flacaltenn]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

 

[BlackFlag]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

Fought today? Why? There'll be an ocean tomorrow. The rest of the world won't sign on to the extent of measures the U.S. will place on itself. Why should we take action if the rest of the world won't? Plus it's a waste of government money and it will have a negative effect on the economy.

Whoa OOPS! WHY DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

Fought today? Why? There'll be an ocean tomorrow. The rest of the world won't sign on to the extent of measures the U.S. will place on itself. Why should we take action if the rest of the world won't? Plus it's a waste of government money and it will have a negative effect on the economy.

Whoa OOPS! WHY DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?

Right?!?!? I mean, the ocean is always changing. It's not like humans will go extinct. It's not like the world will end It's not like species don't sometimes die off on their own. Alarmist nutballs!

 

[flacaltenn]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

Fought today? Why? There'll be an ocean tomorrow. The rest of the world won't sign on to the extent of measures the U.S. will place on itself. Why should we take action if the rest of the world won't? Plus it's a waste of government money and it will have a negative effect on the economy.

Whoa OOPS! WHY DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?

Man. You're a defeatist pussy.. There are WAYS to MAKE it desirable for the main polluters to change their practices. 1st thing to realize is that OUR national re-cycling programs are broken. MOST of that plastic is OURS !!!!! We are sending MOST of the plastic and paper recycling collection TO Thailand and IndoChina. And they are not handling it properly. THEY have issues recycling it all at a profit.

Put a deposit on EVERY TON of plastic garbage we send over there. And REFUND that deposit for their efforts to clean up their end of the ocean dumping.

People who know how to make things work don't just throw up their hands and admit defeat. There are WAYS to COMPLETELY reverse this in less than 8 to 10 years if it HAD MAJOR focus and the will of the people behind it.

MUCH more meaningful things than writing fucking stupid laws to put people in prison for plastic straws.

 

[BlackFlag]

Three times the size of France and growing fast.

The study, which analyzed a total of 1.2 million plastic samples retrieved from the patch as well aerial scans, estimates that there are at the very least 79 thousand tons of plastic floating around in an area of more than 617,000 square miles – a figure that is between four and 16 times higher than previously thought.

And it's killing wildlife.

How long do we wait around until doing something about it? I'm curious as to why there appear to be no civilian co0mpanies taking advantage of it by harvesting what can be recycled.

Story @ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France and growing, study finds

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

Fought today? Why? There'll be an ocean tomorrow. The rest of the world won't sign on to the extent of measures the U.S. will place on itself. Why should we take action if the rest of the world won't? Plus it's a waste of government money and it will have a negative effect on the economy.

Whoa OOPS! WHY DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?

Man. You're a defeatist pussy.. There are WAYS to MAKE it desirable for the main polluters to change their practices. 1st thing to realize is that OUR national re-cycling programs are broken. MOST of that plastic is OURS !!!!! We are sending MOST of the plastic and paper recycling collection TO Thailand and IndoChina. And they are not handling it properly. THEY have issues recycling it all at a profit.

Put a deposit on EVERY TON of plastic garbage we send over there. And REFUND that deposit for their efforts to clean up their end of the ocean dumping.

People who know how to make things work don't just throw up their hands and admit defeat. There are WAYS to COMPLETELY reverse this in less than 8 to 10 years if it HAD MAJOR focus and the will of the people behind it.

MUCH more meaningful things than writing fucking stupid laws to put people in prison for plastic straws.

Good luck. Keep voting for cutting regulations, and for polluters to not change their practices. Carry on in your struggle, eco-warrior.

 

[flacaltenn]

This could be fixed in a few years if the world wasn't wasting 100s of $Bills on sketchy "alternative" solutions to reduce CO2.

Ah another thing people one day will be asking “what did they wait so long for” about

Ocean pollution is a tactical problem that needs to be fought TODAY. Climate changes on a far longer time scale. And the $BiLLS we're spending on GW remission are not buying much "environmental improvement" for the PRESSING NEEDS today.

The whole socio-political circus and emphasis on GW has literally SUCKED THE LIFE out of issues this one for decades now. Now that the hysteria part of the GW has died out -- it's more than important to re-prioritize all these "deferred" problems.

Fought today? Why? There'll be an ocean tomorrow. The rest of the world won't sign on to the extent of measures the U.S. will place on itself. Why should we take action if the rest of the world won't? Plus it's a waste of government money and it will have a negative effect on the economy.

Whoa OOPS! WHY DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?

Man. You're a defeatist pussy.. There are WAYS to MAKE it desirable for the main polluters to change their practices. 1st thing to realize is that OUR national re-cycling programs are broken. MOST of that plastic is OURS !!!!! We are sending MOST of the plastic and paper recycling collection TO Thailand and IndoChina. And they are not handling it properly. THEY have issues recycling it all at a profit.

Put a deposit on EVERY TON of plastic garbage we send over there. And REFUND that deposit for their efforts to clean up their end of the ocean dumping.

People who know how to make things work don't just throw up their hands and admit defeat. There are WAYS to COMPLETELY reverse this in less than 8 to 10 years if it HAD MAJOR focus and the will of the people behind it.

MUCH more meaningful things than writing fucking stupid laws to put people in prison for plastic straws.

Good luck. Keep voting for cutting regulations, and for polluters to not change their practices. Carry on in your struggle, eco-warrior.

I am an eco-warrior. One that's VERY tired of the media and the politicos telling folks that every enviro problem is caused by GW. Watching crap like this go unaddressed has bugged me for 20 years.

And I just gave insight into how to MOTIVATE the IndoChina polluters to stop. It's simple economics and placing VALUE on being green. It IS after all a lot of the stuff we SEND TO THEM for recycling. Because we can't do it here without losing tons of money. So -- it's OUR problem as well.

Give them the technology to recycle more "marginally useful" stuff. Give them an incentive to cooperate on a fleet of skim boats that clean up the mess. Use their labor and industry to dispose of it reasonably. We MIGHT have to organize a multi-national effort to CREATE the skimmers. But that's better than arguing over who's gonna do it and who's gonna be responsible.

 

[fncceo]

I believe in keeping the environment beautiful.

So I joined a country club.

 

[waltky]

'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles...

'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles, says study
13 Sept.`18 - A new study suggests that ingesting even a single piece of plastic can be deadly for sea turtles.

Researchers found there was a one in five chance of death for a turtle who consumed just one item - rising to 50% for 14 pieces. The team found that younger turtles are at a higher risk of dying from exposure to plastic than adults. The authors say their research raises concerns over the long term survival of some turtle species. The never ending surge of plastic into the world's oceans is taking an increasing toll on iconic marine species. While it has been relatively straightforward for researchers to document the threat to animals who become entangled in plastic and drown, determining the impact of consumed plastic is much harder.

The authors of this study estimate that ]half of all the sea turtles on the planet have ingested plastic - this rises to 90% among juvenile green sea turtles off the coast of Brazil. To determine how this exposure was impacting the species, the researchers looked at post mortem reports and animal stranding records relating to sea turtles in Queensland. From that information they were able to deduce the role of plastic in causing death - if an animal had ingested more than 200 pieces of plastic, death was inevitable.

Fourteen pieces meant a 50% chance of dying - while one piece gave a 22% chance of mortality. "Because of their digestive tract, they don't regurgitate anything," lead author Dr Britta Denise Hardesty from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), told BBC News. "If it ends up in the wrong place, even one little thin, filmy piece of plastic can block that canal and mean that nothing can pass and ultimately the blockage can result in death." As well as causing blockages, harder pieces caused internal injuries which often lead to death as well.

The research team also found that younger turtles were taking in far more plastic than adults. Around 23% of juveniles and 54% of post-hatchling turtles had ingested plastic compared to 16% of adults. The scientists say that this greater susceptibility is down to where they live and how they feed. "Young small turtles actually drift and float with the ocean currents as does much of the buoyant, small lightweight plastic," said Dr Hardesty. "We think that small turtles are less selective in what they eat than large adults who eat sea grass and crustaceans, the young turtles are out in the oceanic area offshore and the older animals are feeding in closer to shore."

MORE

 

[fncceo]

'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles...

'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles, says study
13 Sept.`18 - A new study suggests that ingesting even a single piece of plastic can be deadly for sea turtles.

Researchers found there was a one in five chance of death for a turtle who consumed just one item - rising to 50% for 14 pieces. The team found that younger turtles are at a higher risk of dying from exposure to plastic than adults. The authors say their research raises concerns over the long term survival of some turtle species. The never ending surge of plastic into the world's oceans is taking an increasing toll on iconic marine species. While it has been relatively straightforward for researchers to document the threat to animals who become entangled in plastic and drown, determining the impact of consumed plastic is much harder.

The authors of this study estimate that ]half of all the sea turtles on the planet have ingested plastic - this rises to 90% among juvenile green sea turtles off the coast of Brazil. To determine how this exposure was impacting the species, the researchers looked at post mortem reports and animal stranding records relating to sea turtles in Queensland. From that information they were able to deduce the role of plastic in causing death - if an animal had ingested more than 200 pieces of plastic, death was inevitable.

Fourteen pieces meant a 50% chance of dying - while one piece gave a 22% chance of mortality. "Because of their digestive tract, they don't regurgitate anything," lead author Dr Britta Denise Hardesty from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), told BBC News. "If it ends up in the wrong place, even one little thin, filmy piece of plastic can block that canal and mean that nothing can pass and ultimately the blockage can result in death." As well as causing blockages, harder pieces caused internal injuries which often lead to death as well.

The research team also found that younger turtles were taking in far more plastic than adults. Around 23% of juveniles and 54% of post-hatchling turtles had ingested plastic compared to 16% of adults. The scientists say that this greater susceptibility is down to where they live and how they feed. "Young small turtles actually drift and float with the ocean currents as does much of the buoyant, small lightweight plastic," said Dr Hardesty. "We think that small turtles are less selective in what they eat than large adults who eat sea grass and crustaceans, the young turtles are out in the oceanic area offshore and the older animals are feeding in closer to shore."

MORE

Sounds like we're doing Darwin's work here.