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Ocean Cleanup Finds Rivers Are Major Culprits Behind Ocean Pollution

June 8, 2017
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A new study has revealed that the major culprit behind Earth’s polluted oceans are the world’s river systems.

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Researchers at the Ocean Cleanup Project has estimated up to 5 trillion pounds of plastic is floating in the sea, and two-thirds of it comes from the 20 most contaminated rivers – 67 percent of the global total.

It was found that the Yangtze ‘is the largest contributing catchment’, dumping some 727 million pounds of plastic into the East China Sea each year.

The Ocean Cleanup Project has estimated that there is up to 5 trillion pounds of plastic in the sea, and two-thirds of it comes from the 20 most contaminated rivers – 67% of the global total. The team had also noted that the pollution costs at least $8 billion (7.1 billion euros) in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish. The Yangtze, the world’s third-longest river, ‘is the largest contributing catchment’, dumping some 727 million pounds of plastic into the East China Sea each year.Other than the Yangtze, the Ganges River in India with 98 million lbs per month.A combination of the Xi, Dong and Zhujiang Rivers (233 million lbs per year) in China as well as four Indonesian rivers: the Brantas (85 million lbs annually), Solo (71 million pounds per year), Serayu (37 million lbs per year) and Progo (28 million lbs per year), are all large contributors.The rest of the world shared the remaining 14 percent of plastic pollution via rivers, researchers said.

The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation developing new technologies for ridding the oceans of plastic—say rivers carry an estimated 2 trillion to 5 trillion pounds of plastic into the sea every year, an amount that needs between 48,000 to over 100,000 dump trucks to be carried away.

‘It has been estimated that between 10 and 27 trillion pounds of plastic enters the ocean every year from coastal populations worldwide,’ reads the published study in the journal Science.

‘Plastics within coastal areas however do not only enter the oceans through rivers. It can also reach oceans by other processes such as direct littering near beaches, followed by tidal or wind transport.’

The team had also noted that the pollution costs at least $8 billion (7.1 billion euros) in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish.

In the study, the researchers had revealed that a majority of the 20 rivers feeding plastics into the sea reside in Asia.

Other than the Yangtze, the Ganges River in India with 98 million pounds per month.

The rest are from a combination of the Xi, Dong and Zhujiang Rivers (233 million pounds per year) in China as well as four Indonesian rivers: the Brantas (85 million pounds per year), Solo (71 million pounds per year), Serayu (37 million pounds per year) and Progo (28 million pounds per year), are all large contributors.

The rest of the world shared the remaining 14 percent of plastic pollution via rivers, researchers said.

‘Most of this river plastic input is coming from Asia, which emphasizes the need to focus on monitoring and mitigation efforts in Asian countries with rapid economic development and poor waste management,’ they said.

The researchers however issued a disclaimer that stated ‘there is very little data to document these assumptions and thoroughly verify the validity of our model.’

‘Yet, the relatively high concentrations of ocean plastic found at the surface of the North Pacific Ocean where buoyant plastics originating from Asia can accumulate, suggest that our assumptions are plausible,’ they said.

The study comes against the backdrop of the UN’s first ocean conference opening in Miami on Monday, where plastic pollution was singled out as particularly harmful.

The five-day conference, which began on World Environment Day, is the first major event to focus on climate since U. S. President Donald Trump announced last week that the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement – a decision criticized by Bolivian President Evo Morales and other speakers

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said competing interests over territory and natural resources have blocked progress for too long in cleaning up and restoring to health the world’s oceans, which cover two-thirds of the planet.

An uninhabited Pacific island thousands of miles away from civilization has become the most polluted place on Earth as thousands of bits plastic rubbish wash up on its shores. Henderson Island, a coral atoll in the south Pacific, is just 14.5 square miles (37.5 square km), and the nearest cities are some 3,000 miles (4,800 km) away. Besides going out to sea, plastics from around the world have made a home in an uninhabited Pacific island (pictured). More than 37 million bits of plastic junk – weighing some 34,000 pounds (17 tonnes) – have washed up on its shoresMore than 37 million bits of plastic junk – weighing some 34,000 pounds (17 tonnes) – have washed up on its shores, threatening the island’s wildlife.In all, every square mile of beach has hundreds of bits of plastic – including toothbrushes, buoys, old fishing nets, plastic bags and cosmetic pots mostly produced in the last few decades and dropped by people thousands of miles away.While the surface is cluttered with plastic junk, it is just the tip of the iceberg.Sixty-eight percent of the plastic was buried under 4 inches (10cm) of sand.Researches of the University of Tasmania and Alexander Bond of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

‘We must put aside short-term national gain to prevent long-term global catastrophe,’ he continued.

‘Conserving our oceans and using them sustainably is preserving life itself.’

Guterres also cited a 2016 World Economic Forum report on ‘The New Plastics Economy,’ which said the best research estimates there are over 150 million tons of plastics in the ocean.

‘In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish (by weight),’ the report said.

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Tags: Alexander BondAntonio GuterresAquatic ecologyAsiaBiologyBoliviabuoyant plasticschinaDonald TrumpDong RiversDutch foundationeast ChinaEast China SeaenvironmentEnvironmental impact of fishingEvo MoralesGanges riverGeography of ChinaHenderson IslandindiaMarine debrisMiamiMultiline Utilities - NECNatural environmentNorth Pacific Oceanparis:Plastic pollutionplasticspresidentriver systemsRiversrivers feeding plasticsRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsSeaSecretary-GeneralSouth PacificTasmaniaThe Ocean CleanupUnited NationsUnited StatesUniversity of TasmaniawasteWater pollutionWorld Economic ForumYangtzeZhujiang Rivers

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