What is the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife, on human health & wellbeing and the environment? During my walks along the Thames Estuary in Kent and Essex I frequently encounter huge amounts of plastic waste - some of it which has deteriorated in the sun and the elements into tiny particles. During a recent walk I had the good fortune to meet Mark Gallant from the North West Kent Countryside Partnership who was with some volunteers - carrying out a survey of some of the plastic washed up along the banks of the Estuary. In this video we meet Mark and the volunteers. You can find out more about them here:-
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I wanted to find out more about the effects of plastic waste on the environment and decided to visit an expert on microplastics. I was delighted to be able to talk to Professor Richard Thompson OBE at Plymouth University during February of 2023. Richard first coined the phrase "microplastics" in a paper "Lost at Sea" and seemed like the perfect person to answer some of my questions.
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Professor Richard Thompson is Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth. Richard is a world-leading marine scientist and is at the forefront of pioneering research into the causes and effects of marine litter. He founded and heads the University’s International Marine Litter Research Unit ([ Ссылка ]) which has charted the global distribution of microplastics from Arctic sea ice to the deep seas.
In 2019, the University was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for the pioneering research of Richard and his colleagues on marine microplastics pollution and its impact on the environment and changing behaviour.
You can find out more about the Marine Institute at Plymouth University here:-
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Consider making a donation to the Marine Conservation Society here:-
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Here are some facts about plastic pollution you might be interested to read about:-
90% of Plastic is made from fossil fuels & 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide is generated by producing one ton of plastic
(source: www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/plastic-pollution-facts-figures/)
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- 10 millions tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans annually. That's equal to a garbage truck load every minute.
- 50% of all plastic produced (380 million tons per year) is for single use purposes (used for a few minutes then thrown away).
- less than 9% of plastic gets recycled
- 1 million marine animals are killed by plastic pollution every year.
(source : plasticoceans.org)
Reduce, Reuse, Repair Recycle
Find out more information and facts about plastic pollution in the links below:-
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Thank you to Tim Day of Brighton Digital Media
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