Plastic – the Scourge of the Oceans

Plastic pollution is the biggest problem affecting the marine environment. It threatens ocean health, food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change. 

At least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year, and make up 80% of all marine debris from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.Once it is there it doesn’t readily go away.

If nothing changes, in 30 years’ time the oceans will contain more plastic than fish. Already, more than 1 million birds and 100,000 mammals die each year as a result of eating or tangling in plastic. The plastic in the sea is not broken down but instead comminuted into microplastics that can contain both endocrine disrupting and carcinogenic substances. These small plastic particles enter the food chain and reach all the way to us humans.