EnviroLink Forum

We stuffed the atmosphere by pumping a range of man made pollutants into it
Now all we need to complete the job is to stuff the oceans
But no problem we are well on the way to completing that project.
We are in the process of changing the Ph level of the ocean by adding co2 to it which is making it increasingly hard for marine organisms to make their shells, but if that does not work we are filling the ocean with plastic rubbish. All this plastic is breaking down into ever smaller bits which is is getting incorporated into the marine food chain. Now plastic has a sort affinity for absorbing some our worst pollutants such as PCBs. Thus we are doubly contaminating the marine food chain. The result is that if you eat any ocean fish you too will be consuming plastic. I used to think that plastic bags where a bit of a problem because they killed the occasional turtle but in fact the problem is huge. Millions of sea birds are dying as a result and in the pacific one in 10 fish contain bits of plastic large enough to see with the naked eye. But just in case that we still do not mange to stuff the oceans we sending out giant factory ships dragging huge nets that remove all life in their path.
Do I need to bring ocean up warming ?
Links

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Pollution is not the solution

this pie chart is revealing on how we have gone from messing up a tiny part of the planet (human habitation at 0.05% of the planet) to a good chunk (agricultural land at 12% of the planet, 40% of land) to a bigger chunk ((12+10)/29 or 75% of the land that includes land being developed) to now a vast majority of the planet being destroyed (93% of the planet... 7% remaining for wildlife in places too difficult for humans to live)

The rampant mercury in high food chain fish that are depleting, and with others, too, is bad enough.
From a previous thread:
Still, the 6 huge oceanic trash gyres(2 in the N Pac, 1 S Pac, 1 N Atl, 1 S Atl, & 1 Ind), and the over-fishing to depletion by 2035-50, the 100 estuary dead zones, and the mercury pollution (mostly from China) to the oceanic food chain are caused by many coastal and island countries, and the water circulates as it is getting more acidic to the CO2 saturation point and warmed to the point, eventually, of massive methane releases.
I wrote Gore in '95 that we needed to torpedo the drift netters, among other things to reduce the population and pollution. I got a form letter back.

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"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

they are starting to build prototype machines for turning plastic into fuel. Hopefully this will lead to harvesting these blobs of floating trash.

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"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

Seabed Survey Shows Deep, Remote Ocean Waters Littered With Human Trash
Yale Environment 360 | May 1, 2014 3:45 pm | Comments

"A major survey of the ocean floor has found trash piling up throughout the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and Mediterranean Sea, reaching depths of nearly three miles below the surface, according to scientists from 15 European research organizations.
Litter was located at each of the 600 sites surveyed, with plastic accounting for 41 percent and derelict fishing gear 34 percent. Glass, metal, wood, cardboard, clothing, pottery and unidentified materials were also found. Garbage accumulated at sites as far as 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) from land and at depths up to 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles), according to the report.
Seafloor litter is a major problem since it can accumulate in and kill marine animals that mistake it for food. The trash can also entangle fish, seabirds and coral.
“This survey has shown that human litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote and deepest parts of the oceans,” one author said. “These were [humans'] first visits to many of these sites, but we were shocked to find that our rubbish has got there before us.”"
http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/01/deep-oce ... man-trash/
Like bad birds that foul their own nests, humans are polluting their biosphere to death.....

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"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

How to Rid Your Life of Plastic

Stefanie Spear | January 9, 2015
"Did you know that 32 million tons of plastic waste was generated in 2012? That’s 12.7 percent of the total municipal solid waste stream, and only 9 percent of all that plastic waste was recycled.

Just last month, 5 Gyres Institute released a groundbreaking study revealing that more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic float in the world’s oceans. Last year we ran a piece on the 22 preposterous facts about plastic pollution, revealing jaw-dropping facts like, one million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans.

Now, thanks to the below infographic by CustomMade, readers can easily digest ways to cut back on plastic use. The infographic provides tips for the home, office and grocery store. Using alternative materials like reclaimed wood, steel and glass can help reduce our reliance on plastic."
http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/09/rid-your ... b-85901709

_________________
"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

We Have to Stop Killing Our Oceans With Plastic

Dr. David Suzuki | February 25, 2015

"Eight million tonnes. That’s how much plastic we’re tossing into the oceans every year! University of Georgia environmental engineer Jenna Jambeck says it’s enough to line up five grocery bags of trash on every foot of coastline in the world.

A study published by Jambeck and colleagues in the journal Science on Feb. 12 examined how 192 coastal countries disposed of plastic waste in 2010. The report, Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, estimates that of 275 million tonnes of plastic generated, about eight million (based on a midpoint estimate of 4.8 million to 12.7 million tonnes) ends up in the seas—blown from garbage dumps into rivers and estuaries, discarded on beaches or along coastlines and carried to the oceans."
http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/25/david-su ... 0-85901709

Plus the US/Mex border has 2 million tons of illegal alien trash. It is not getting any better by ignoring all the trash and pollution.

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"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein

I have also been researching the effects that plastic pollution in our oceans can have on marine wildlife and their food chains. Seeing the devastating effects it can have on sea turtles, birds, and other marine animals has really convinced me to limit my plastic use as much as possible. Do you have any suggestions for large companies or regular citizens to help decrease the amount of plastic entering our oceans?

_________________
"With every decision, think seven generations ahead of the consequences of your actions" Ute rule of life.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”― Chief Seattle
“Those Who Have the Privilege to Know Have the Duty to Act”…Albert Einstein