Some of the videos of nonprofits dumping nets full of plastic waste into the ocean may not be as positive as they seem. According to a new report, ocean plastic clean up may be doing more harm than good.
Oceanographer Clark Richards noticed something a little off about the plastic nonprofit Ocean Cleanup collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a giant wasteland of large and small plastic bits caught in a rotating whorl of ocean currents between California and Hawaii. Richards said the nonprofit probably staged the video because the trash was too clean.
It was floating in the middle of the Pacific for about an hour before it was picked up. I call bullshit on this stunt, it's likely a staged video, Richards said back in February.
Judging by the amount of biofouling on this trash (none at all), it was floating the middle of the Pacific for about 1 hour before it was picked up. I call bullshit on this stunt — this is likely a staged video. https://t.co/kJnDYTSgkZ
— Clark Richards, PhD (@ClarkGRichards) February 15, 2022
Ocean Cleanup responded quickly and said that there isn't enough oxygen in the garbage patch to support life. The second video showed dirtier plastic recovered from the ocean. Dr. Andrew Thaler said the plastic looked similar to what other crews have pulled from the patch in the past.
Thaler said that the video shows what the experts who were skeptical of yesterday's video said ocean plastic should look like.
Ocean Cleanup's original haul of plastic does look a lot dirtier than the one depicted in the Ocean Voyages video.
Just look at the plastic that is collected in the same area by other cleanup group Ocean Voyages. The Smithsonian scientists found tons of life on the plastic they removed from the gyre.. plus they have removed hundreds of tons vs a few thousand pounds.https://t.co/cD26Jmswlp pic.twitter.com/ay6sfFedtv
— BethKT1995 (@BethKt1995) February 18, 2022
The user who shared the photo claimed that the scientists found tons of life on the plastic they removed from the gyre.
Ocean Cleanup ships use tons of fossil fuel and emit emissions like any other vehicle would, and they often include bycatch like fish, turtles and important marine life, according to a report.
Ocean Cleanup is doing important work. When an organization started by a young, 18-year-old inventor full of purpose gets mixed in with billionaires who are more worried about image and profit than actually saving the world, there are opportunities to improve.
Experts say we can clean up the ocean if we dump tons of plastic back into the water. Shutting off the fire hose is likely to be more efficient.
There are more on marine life struggles.
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