Plastic Oceans

The thick smog that has been blanketing Delhi and Chennai for decades is a representation of what happens when chloride levels reach extreme highs — highs which are now scientifically linked to the burning of plastic waste. While analyzing pollutants that increased concurrently with the chloride particles, researchers found that the chemical footprint matched the burning of household waste containing plastics, as well as the burning of plastics themselves. Because we were on the top of a remote mountain, and there is no close source, there is the potential for microplastic to be anywhere and everywhere.” Given that about 90% of waste in low-income countries ends up in open dumps or is burned in the open air, this discovery raises important questions regarding the spread of plastic throughout our environment, and its effect on life in all forms. Given that we find plastic burning as a potential cause of the reduced visibility, we hope [our] findings will help policy makers to efficiently enforce and implement policies that are already in place towards regulating open burning of plastic contained-waste and other potential chlorine sources.

Today, March 8th, we celebrate International Women’s Day (a.k.a. IWD), a celebration born from the labour movement, which was first honored in 1911 in only a few European countries. The organization’s structure has resulted in a binary world that separates man from woman and human from nature; which in turn results in a world where women have been subdued and nature used at man’s convenience. The myriad of problems range from the fact that women represent only 30% of all scientific researchers around the world, who are essential parts of the work on climate change and other environmental threats we are constantly facing, all the way to how these issues cause mass migrations which many times turn into refugee situations, which themselves trample the ecological balance and human rights along the way. So, it becomes clear that fixing the gender gap and working together, alongside each other as equals, is the only road to actually solving climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution and all other environmental crises.

Despite our obvious emotional connection to water, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, author of the bestselling book Blue Mind: The surprising science that shows how being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do, recognised that there was a significant lack of language and discussion of this, particularly in academia. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Wallace J. Nichols and hearing first-hand his explanation of the science of Blue Mind and how we can and must apply it to our lives and our work. Throughout his years of research, Dr. Nichols has explored the stories of people whose lives have been changed, for the better, thanks to their relationship to water. For more information about Dr. Nichols and the evolution of Blue Mind theory you can check out his website: https://wallacejnichols.org/ Special thanks to Dr. Wallace J Nichols for allowing me to pick his brain on the topic, it was an inspiring and moving talk.

Earth’s Ekko, a short film for kids, aged 5 to 12, and produced by Plastic Oceans International, will make its Chilean national broadcast debut on Friday, March 5, at 10pm, with a follow-up airing on Sunday at the same time. TV Educa Chile, a new channel created as a collaboration between members of Chile’s National Association of Television, with support from the Ministry of Education and the National Television Council, will broadcast the 20-minute short film to an audience of up to 3 million young viewers over the course of the two airings. We are thrilled to be selected to air in Chile with a group of films that engage youth on the global issues that will impact their lives,” said Julie Andersen, CEO of Plastic Oceans and Executive Producer of Earth’s Ekko. Film characters learn the importance of following the three Rs—refuse, reuse and recycle, which generate awareness about the amount of plastic waste people create, what happens once plastic is disposed of, and the significance of solving the problem.