Plastic pollution in our oceans is currently at a crisis point, with an average of eight million tonnes entering the ocean each year. Disturbingly, this is set to double by 2025.
We desperately need to address what’s been described as one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. But what can we do?
Clare Press, author and founder of sustainable fashion podcast Wardrobe Crisis has been tackling the plastic pollution issue in recent episodes.
"This is the 4th episode of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast I've produced on ocean plastics, which is a major passion of mine." - Clare Press
Episode 47 “Beating Plastic Pollution” features environmentalist and Take 3 For The Sea founder Tim Silverwood. In this episode Tim talks about the major issues with plastic in our oceans, and what we as ordinary people and consumers can do to help.
“It isn’t the trees, you know; it’s the seas that keep us alive. The big blue.
The oceans provide at least half of all the breaths we take; according to National Geographic it’s closer to two thirds. The oceans cover 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, and marine plants act like our virtual lungs.
So how do we treat these mysterious depths that give us life? We alter their chemistry with our greenhouse gas pollution, turning their waters more acidic. Our activities cause them to heat, killing ancient coral reefs. We over-fish them. And we choke them with plastic.
If we carry on like this, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection. Of course, you and I would never put our plastic garbage in the ocean, would we? It couldn’t be us. Or could it?
The ocean is downhill from everywhere. That plastic pollution comes from you and me.” – Clare Press
This episode is incredibly inspiring and motivating. Especially for someone like myself who tends to feel overwhelmed by the issues because I’m immersed in them almost every day.
If you do ONE thing this Plastic Free July, listen to this episode.
Listen to Episode 47 here
Kira Simpson
Kira Simpson is an environmentalist and sustainability expert. She started The Green Hub as a blog in 2015, which has since grown to become one of Australia’s largest education sites dedicated to helping people live a more sustainable lifestyle.you might also be interested in
