When “The Graduate” was a popular movie in the 1960’s, an uncle of the new grad(Dustin Hoffman) said: “I have got just one word for you – PLASTIC.”
If there would be a 21st century sequel to that movie, an imaginary rich uncle might say: “I have just one word for you – GARBAGE.”
While visiting a rural area north of Manila in the 1970’s I heard a rice mill begin operations at 6AM and learned of a Chinese immigrant who became wealthy by collecting rubbish. With the resources gained from detritus of others, the Chinese collector built the only rice mill in his rural area. Later he was able to buy properties in Hong Kong. He became a prosperous garbage collector.
Marcus Eriksen, PhD is the director of www.5gyres.org who is alerting us to the fact tons of plastic trash are overwhelming our sacred ocean. Eriksen spoke in an environmental conference at Tulane in February 2014 about plastic taking over our ocean. During her second pregnancy, the wife of Marcus had a blood test. Doctors discovered plastic had infiltrated her blood stream and inherently the infant she was carrying in utero.
Pilots of search planes looking for the Malaysian air liner that vanished would swoop lower for a closer examination of what appeared to be parts of the vanquished air plane. What they discovered was huge pieces of plastic in the ocean.
One family from Lafayette, LA took a cruise near Vera Cruz, Mexico. The cruise company had purchased a section of coastline for swimmers to enjoy. Passengers were brought to the beach for relaxation but refused to swim or relax on the beach because of plastic. After complaining to the captain, he responded: “If we pick up the plastic trash, to where will we bring it?” “Furthermore,” he added, “nobody wants to lower themselves to gather plastic trash for what we can pay them.”
Secretary of State John Kerry has agreed to place ocean pollution high on the agenda in a June 16 – 17 summit. Mr. Kerry is beginning to hear a dying ocean, late though 2015 may be.
Another conference on ocean pollution will be held in Chile sometime in October 2015.
PBS aired a NOVA documentary about “Our Lethal Seas” in May 2015. “Plastification” of our ocean is clearly visible and is the largest oil “spill” in history. According to oceanographers in the Nova production, unlimited burning of fossil fuels has released tons of carbon dioxide. Once CO₂ comes into contact with water it becomes carbonic acid. Obviously, we cannot see this chemical transformation, but the dying of coral reefs is clearly visible to those who dive into the depths.
Our suffering ocean is saying: “Life on Earth will be difficult, perhaps impossible if our ocean dies.”
Our ocean is demanding we leave remaining fossil fuels in the ground and cease throwing plastic into the waste stream. Carbon dioxide and plastic will be haunting us for generations to follow. Children do not deserve such a garbage laden future.
