A photo from open sources
Scientists warn that plastic pollution of the oceans may soon lead to environmental disaster. We are up still do not know exactly how many tons of garbage sinks to the bottom oceans, poisoning the aquatic ecosystem and its inhabitants, which, in ultimately become our food. Can we be sure that we don’t eat plastic-stuffed seafood?
It is estimated that at least five billion plastic bottles, packages and various packages floats on the surface of the oceans, their knocks down strong currents in heaps, and they form huge garbage spots. However, the amount of plastic found on the surface oceans, negligible compared to millions of tons, annually thrown into his water. More details about where exactly plastic polluting our planet disappears, you can find out right now.
In 2016, a new project will be launched, which, according to specialists will be the first step towards solving the problem water pollution. The invention of a unique cleaning system ocean water from plastic trash belongs to a 19-year-old student Boyan Slat. Will collect the contents of garbage stains huge spirals reaching a length of several kilometers, acting on the principle of nets for fishing. Garbage will be delayed by the platform without causing any harm to water an inhabitant who can calmly swim under the spirals, mounted on the surface of the oceans. But plastic – no!
Put these straightforward structures in crowded places garbage will cost, according to the team of experts, not so expensive compared to the cost of world ocean resources at 24.2 trillion dollars, not to mention that environmental a disaster can take tens of thousands of times more.
Next year, the first platform, with a length of only two kilometers to be installed in polluted waters between South Korea and Japan. However, this one is not very impressive in its length. the system will become the largest of all that was previously deployed in the ocean to collect garbage.
But in five years, if the project “takes root”, Boyan Slat plans to create a huge and ramified, delaying trash a system that reaches a total length of more than one hundred kilometers. It will be installed near the Pacific trash spots, the area of which, according to some reports, can reach 15 million square kilometers. Imagine what we do with oceans!
However, what floats on the surface of the ocean is not the most scary. Much worse plastic that drowns, is eaten by the sea inhabitants, and even worse – settles on the seabed. That’s why you need to catch it from the surface before it’s too late.
Plastic
