Plastic pollution of the world oceans causes significant economic losses and has a negative impact on the human body. Yelena Likhach spoke about this in her blog “Plastic kills all living things in the ocean: how long can people pollute the ecosystem with impunity?” on the Medium website.
“Dead whales with stomachs full of plastic. Dead seabirds that ate the polymer lids, thinking they were edible. Turtles tangled in torn plastic bags and starved to death. Every year, people create about 300 million tons of polymer waste, of which up to 2.5 million tons end up in the ocean,” writes the blogger.
According to Yelena Likhach, five huge garbage islands – two in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as one in the Indian Ocean – illustrate the problem of human waste in the ocean. The area of just one large Pacific patch is 0.7-1.5 million km2. That is, one Pacific patch is enough to cover 3-6 layers of waste in Great Britain and 2-4 layers in Japan.
She notes that plastic in the ocean is incorporated into the food chain. All marine and coastal inhabitants suffer – from plankton and mollusks, fish and turtles, mammals and birds to corals and mangroves. Eventually, the plastic ends up on people’s tables along with drinks, food, and table salt. At the same time, plastic can cause hormonal changes, impaired maturation, infertility and cancer.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) is still reinsuring itself, claiming that the threat of microplastics is unproven. You bet. According to the UN, only 20 companies produce half of all polymers for disposable products. And $300 billion in shares of the parent companies of the single-use plastics manufacturers are also in the hands of 20 asset managers. These is money with no less serious opportunities,” says Yelena Likhach.
The blogger recalls that WHO experts still consider the current concentration of microplastics in drinking water not dangerous for humans. At the same time, the UN forecasts that ocean pollution will more than double by 2030 and triple by 2040.
“If the world’s chief medical officers turn a blind eye to the issue of microplastics impacting human health, let’s look at the economic losses that lead to poverty and, ultimately, to human disease. According to experts’ calculations, annual economic losses from ocean pollution amount to about 6-19 billion dollars,” says Yelena Likhach.
The blogger notes that the problem of cleaning up the ocean of wastes is far from being solved. And attempts to create an ‘ocean cleaner’ give a beautiful television picture, but are not effective.
“Even the fastest activists will not keep pace with pollution. For example, in 2019, the Casey Expedition cleaned the Pacific Ocean of 40 tons of plastic waste. The beginning is noble, but against the background of millions of tons of drifting garbage it doesn’t look very convincing,” writes Yelena Likhach.
Since it is probably impossible to completely abandon plastic, the blogger proposes to start cleaning up the planet at the level of individual households. First of all, it is necessary to refuse plastic bags, containers, disposable dishes. Use separate containers for plastic waste and send them personally for recycling. Encourage environmentally responsible behaviour of your children, friends and neighbours. Also, support environmental organizations financially if possible.
“I would like to thank all the participants and staff of the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco. The foundation is doing a lot to combat plastic pollution of the world’s oceans. In particular, it supports and finances various initiatives aimed at reducing pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. Over the years, I have contributed more than 1.3 million euros to the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco. I am sure that these funds have greatly helped scientists and activists in their important work for all of us», sums up Yelena Likhach.
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