Two leading conservation NGOs, Ocean Care and the Environmental Research Agency (EIA), condemned through a report: some cleaning technologies ocean plasticsso popular and amazing, it can actually be “harmful” It can distract from real solutions for the environment.
Two institutions published the report ‘Cleaning or clean washing‘A few days before the third round of international negotiations to be held at the UN to sign an agreement’ Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution, the first thing to exist on the planet. The meeting will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, between 13-17 November.
Ocean Care and EIA are calling on countries to prioritize reducing plastic production rather than focusing on clean-up technologies. “They can be expensive, harmful to the environment, and can also distract from real solutions.” Some consequences include the accidental capture of species, some of which are protected or endangered.
The work calls for the development of technologies to “rapidly clear” plastic trash in the oceans, including physically removing it from ships or through nets and other devices. has harmful effects on marine life and is an act of “greenwashing” anyone greenwash.
Specifically, the study analyzes 38 specific examples of collection devices or technologies Marine plastics include drones and robots that aim to collect and remove plastic debris from the sea.
Get to the root of the problem: reduce plastic production
Organizations demand that governments focus on: Radical solutions that reduce plastic production rather than quick fixes that have wider negative repercussions.
“While the purpose of these technologies may seem attractive at first glance, environmental organizations and scientists fear that they pose a threat to the species and ecosystems they are intended to help. They also warn that these technologies distract from targeted policies that address the problem of plastic pollution at its source. production and consumption”, these beings say.
“We recognize that clean-up measures are an inevitable and necessary part of a full life cycle approach to ending the plastic pollution crisis,” said Kean-Hammerson, head of the UN EIA Oceans Campaign.
That’s why he insists that governments and negotiators must take the opportunity of the next World Plastics Pact to take the necessary measures to ensure that we do not have to “clean up the sea of plastic forever”. People and the planet will be prioritized if necessary to do so.
The study concludes that even if 200 cleaning devices were installed on ships, they would not be able to clean the oceans even if they operated continuously for more than a hundred years, but they would have significant impacts on the climate.
Accidental capture of endangered species
Among the effects of marine cleaning devices, the accidental capture of sea turtles, sharks, different fish species and cephalopods stands out. The report also analyzes: “links” with the plastic industry and warns that financiers of these projects include Saudi petrochemical and polymer producer SABIC, Dutch industrial conglomerate and plastics producer DSM.
“Cleanup projects are an industry tool that cleverly distracts from the real problem. we take into account who the main financiers are“Lauwerier concludes.
Best known cleanup attempt Ocean Cleanup (TOC), It emerged to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It was planned to collect between 9,900 and 14,900 kg of waste per week, but according to the report, researchers calculated that the reality was 3.7 to 5.5 times less than expected.
Environmental organizations and scientists have also expressed concern about the impact of the TOC project on marine life. Between Bycatch from TOC offshore cleanups in 2020 included: sea turtles (including endangered species), sharks, various fish species, and cephalopodsadd the document.
OceanCaree plastic policy expert Ewoud Lauwerier says these cleanup projects seem attractive to the general public and also to policymakers, but These are “tricky” because they allow you to maintain the same habits and business practices as you always have.“it is ineffective, capital intensive, wrongly seen as a solution, and can even harm marine wildlife.”
Full document: https://www.oceancare.org/en/stories_and_news/plastik-clean-up-tech/
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