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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThere are an estimated 13,000 pieces of plastic litter afloat every single square kilometer of ocean
Athens - Imagine a black-footed albatross feeding its chick plastic pellets, a baby seal in the North Pole helplessly struggling with an open-ended plastic bag wrapped tight around its neck, or a fishing vessel stranded mid-sea, a length of discarded nylon net entangled in its propeller. Multiply these scenarios a thousand-fold, and you get a glimpse of the state of the worlds oceans.
With an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter estimated to be afloat every single square kilometer of ocean globally, and 6.4 million tonnes of marine litter reaching the oceans every year according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), researchers and scientists predict a bleak future for the great bodies of water that are vital to our planets existence.
A conservative estimate of overall financial damage of plastic to marine ecosystems stands at 13 billion dollars each year, according to a press release from UNEP released on Oct. 1.
With the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP12) currently underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the issue of marine health and ocean ecosystems is in the spotlight.
THE REST:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26792-marine-litter-plunging-deep-spreading-wide
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There are an estimated 13,000 pieces of plastic litter afloat every single square kilometer of ocean (Original Post)
Triana
Dec 2014
OP
GitRDun
(1,846 posts)1. Where does all this trash come from?
That's sooo much. We don't put trash in the water. Seems like a lot for just fisherman.
Are there countries that put trash there rather than landfills?
Triana
(22,666 posts)3. I'm not sure. I had the same question. Where is all the trash from? n/t
zappaman
(20,605 posts)2. Disposable lighters make up a large portion.
Disgusting.