Plastic polluting our oceans
Henderson Island, a desert island on the south Pacific, became with its seventeen tons of plastic waste, one of the most polluted parts of the world. This 47 Km2 atoll belongs to Pitcairn british colony, far from civilization , and yet, with its white sand beaches, coconut trees and tropical plants could look like a small paradise ….but, unfortunately, this atoll concentrates the highest density of plastic pollution in the world : 671 scraps per m2, without counting those buried in sand. And yet, the island is desert , … So, where does this pollution come from ?
Carried by currents from South America, plastic waste gather in a huge whirlpool very near Henderson Island. That’s why 3 570 fragments arrive every day and heap with those which have already come.
This phenomenon can be observed in the open sea and have a sadly famous name : the plastic continent or the le seventh plastic continent.
Plastic, a great danger for sea and animal species
These scraps, most of the time tiny ones, can be swallowed by sea species, fishes, seafood and mammal animals. Even sea birds can be victims of plastic. It is very risky in other way. Some animals are used to lay eggs on the beach like turtles and can’t land on the shore any longer. 11O millions tons of plastic pollute at the moment our oceans with 8 tons more every year.
Our planet is in danger. Therefore, we have to encourage all the initiatives in order to recycle plastic or to find other more ecological alternatives like a sun machine to catch tons of scraps in Baltimore harbour, catchers of floating waste in big harbours. Let’s us hope that the governments
Will take the real measure of the problem and will launch concrete actions.
