More plastic than fish by weight by 2050. That is just an amazingly horrifying prediction.
For sure, in a year where “alarming trends” seem to be hitting us from everywhere, it is easy to feel numb by now. The year 2020 may just well go down in history unmatched in turmoil. And for sure, there are special dedication days for just about everything now. We probably need a bigger calendar to accommodate all of the causes. It is understandable as a simple fact of simple human nature that we may be drawn to some over others depending on our own personal experiences. But, since this is my blog, I get to draw your attention to this one, again.
But for this World Oceans Day, I am not going to get on a soapbox or write a lot of words. There is so much more information at the UN site for those wanting to learn more. I am pretty sure there are thousands of people in the Midwest of the United States and other areas of the world who have sadly never dipped a toe in an ocean. As such, they never established an intimate connection with it, may not fully grasp what is going on, despite how much of our planet it covers. It is hard for them to put this recognition day in any type of priority amongst everything else going on – especially this year.
Instead, the great site Visual Capitalist put out a great infographic recently on our oceans. I absolutely LOVE a great infographic. In a society where so much seems to be about money, money, money – this communicates the importance of our oceans in another way. So I’ll leave it to this to say more than I ever could. (Note: the only part I am a little concerned about in this graphic is commercial fishing – it seems too lightly rated as far as impact. More research needed.)
And don’t forget, the Color of the Year for 2020 is Classic Blue.
It is really discouraging and frustrating to be on the ‘good’ side and work to reduce plastic. We’ve made a conscious effort for over a year now to reduce the plastic in our lives. I’ve bought glass vice Tupperware-style containers, we’ve bought laundry detergent in sheets vice plastic jugs etc… Yet, it seems less than a drop in the ocean. I try to remember to “Think Global, Act Local” but geez, it’s like we’re running in place. So, we keep running and hope that my grandkids see the results when their my age.
Yeah – I get the running in place bit. I don’t think all plastics can be eliminated, but certainly, we must do so much better at getting biodegradability into many of them.
However it was determined and even if not accurate that’s gotta be a shitload of plastic.
People will have to worry about a lot more than just bones in their fish
“More plastic than fish” by weight. Almost unbelievable…it makes me feel sick and ashamed of our lack of care for our world.
I know, I have seen that reference in other places with regard to plastic. For sure some kind of estimate – given I do not know how you count the number of fish in the sea and their weight. But that is also just my ignorance talking – I should really look it up how it was determined.