On 5 June, UN World Environment Day, the campaign motto was “Beat Plastic Pollution”, and with very good reasons, we are surrounded by plastic pollution and a report from BAS indicates that at the bottom of the world, where few humans have ever set foot, an unwelcome visitor has arrived. Antarctica – the vast, frozen wilderness of ice and snow – is no longer untouched by humanity’s most persistent pollutant: plastic.
Add your comment!More than 400 million tons of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated eleven million tons end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.
Scientists have discovered microplastics in the snow near some of Antarctica’s deep field camps, revealing how far-reaching plastic pollution has become. While not new, it’s the first time these tiny pieces of plastic have been found in remote locations.
Researchers have made micro plastic measurements in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. In the first 200 meters of the water layer, they estimate that there are approximately 12 to 21 million tons of waste.
Scientists have found bits of polystyrene in the guts of tiny, soil-dwelling organisms in the Antarctic, raising concern that micro-plastics pollution has already deeply entered the world's most remote land-based food systems.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) has pledged to turn the tide on plastics with new guidelines set to reduce single-use plastic use among visitors to the white continent.
Plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds will be banned in England from April 2020, British Environment Secretary Michael Gove said on Wednesday.
Single-use plastic items such as straws, forks and knives as well as cotton buds will be banned in the European Union by 2021 following a vote by EU lawmakers last Wednesday as the bloc pushes manufacturers to step up their recycling efforts.
A dead whale with 40 kilograms of plastic in its stomach has been discovered off the coast of the Philippines. Marine biologist Darrell Blatchley was called to recover the 4.7m Cuvier’s beaked whale, which was trapped in the shores of the Mabini Compostela Valley.
For the first time, Coca-Cola has revealed it used three million tons of plastic packaging in one year. It's part of a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which is pushing for companies and governments to do more to tackle plastic pollution.