Oceans in crisis , the tipping point

www.mirror.co.uk...
The world's worst plastic waste polluters have been named and shamed
as humans dump millions of tonnes into the oceans each year.

Countries with coastlines were found to have dumped 8 MILLION
tonnes of plastic waste into the sea in 2010, scientists estimated.

Double that amount is likely to be cast into the sea each year
by 2025, generating a cumulative total in 10 years' time of
155 million tonnes, the experts predict.
Waste plastic may leach out harmful persistent chemicals such as
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) that can spread through the food
web, potentially ending up in humans.
The Pacific garbage patch is now in five separate locations
and this is only the floating stuff . Much more has sunk .
www.youtube.com...
www.theherald.com.au...
"After we left Japan, it felt as if the ocean itself was dead,"
Macfadyen said.

"We hardly saw any living things. We saw one whale, sort of
rolling helplessly on the surface with what looked like a big
tumour on its head. It was pretty sickening.

"I've done a lot of miles on the ocean in my life and I'm used
to seeing turtles, dolphins, sharks and big flurries of feeding
birds. But this time, for 3000 nautical miles there was nothing
alive to be seen."

In place of the missing life was garbage in astounding volumes.

"Part of it was the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Japan a
couple of years ago. The wave came in over the land, picked
up an unbelievable load of stuff and carried it out to sea.
And it's still out there, everywhere you look."

Ivan's brother, Glenn, who boarded at Hawaii for the run into
the United States, marvelled at the "thousands on thousands"
of yellow plastic buoys. The huge tangles of synthetic rope,
fishing lines and nets. Pieces of polystyrene foam by the million.
And slicks of oil and petrol, everywhere.

Countless hundreds of wooden power poles are out there, snapped
off by the killer wave and still trailing their wires in the
middle of the sea.

"In years gone by, when you were becalmed by lack of wind, you'd
just start your engine and motor on," Ivan said.

Not this time.
"In a lot of places we couldn't start our motor for fear of
entangling the propeller in the mass of pieces of rope and cable.
That's an unheard of situation, out in the ocean.

"If we did decide to motor we couldn't do it at night, only in
the daytime with a lookout on the bow, watching for rubbish.

From overfishing to deforestation to destroying wildlife habitat,
human actions are interfering with the balance of nature.
Biodiversity is key to our flourishing; by contributing to
the destruction of species we might as well be gnawing off our own legs.

Even worse is the dumping of nuclear waste .
www.cbrneportal.com...
From 1946 through 1993, thirteen nuclear capable countries used
the ocean as an ends to dispose of nuclear/radioactive waste.
The waste materials included industrial, medical and weapons,
both liquids and solids housed in various containers, as well
as reactor vessels, with and without spent or damaged nuclear fuel.

The United States alone dumped vast quantities of nuclear material
off its coasts between 1946 and 1970—more than 110,000 containers.

It's all enough to make you sick .... very sick !
While the most common water pollution diseases involve poisoning
episodes affecting the digestive system and human infectious
diseases, water pollution may cause a large variety of health
diseases including:

Infectious diseases caused by pathogens (usually microorganisms)
from animal fecal origins, of which the most common occur in
developing countries involving:
Typhoid
Giardiasis
Amoebiasis
Ascariasis
Hookworm
Diseases caused by polluted beach water including:
Gastroenteritis
Dhiarrhea
Encephalitis
Stomach craps and aches
Vomiting
Hepatitis
Respiratory infections
Liver damage and even cancer (due to DNA damage) – caused by a
series of chemicals (e.g., chlorinated solvents, MTBE)
Kidney damage caused by a series of chemicals
Neurological problems - damage of the nervous system – usually
due to the presence of chemicals such as pesticides (i.e., DDT)
Reproductive and endocrine damage including interrupted sexual
development, inability to breed, degraded immune function,
decreased fertility and increase in some types of cancers
– caused by a series of chemicals including endocrine disruptors

Thyroid system disorders (a common example is exposure through
perchlorate which is a chemical contaminating large water bodies
such as Colorado River)
Increased water pollution creates breeding grounds for malaria
-carrying mosquitoes killing 1.2-2.7 million people a year
A series of less serious health effects could be associated
by bathing into contaminated water (i.e, polluted beach water)
including:
Rashes
Ear aches
Pink eyes
Water pollution can affect us:

Directly – through consumption or bathing in a polluted stream
(that involve consumption of municipal water, as well as bathing
in polluted lakes or beach water).
Indirectly – through the consumption of vegetables irrigated with
contaminated water, as well as of fish or other animals that live
in the polluted water or consume animals grown in the polluted water.
This is many times more dangerous than being directly affected
through consumption of water because some pollutants bioaccumulate
in fish and living organisms (their concentration in fish could
be several orders of magnitude higher than their water concentration)
Additionally the toxins from the brown tide are strong and can
travel via air affecting homeowners close to the beach.
The most common ways of polluting the water include:

Waste disposal:
directly into waste-streams
in the land from which contaminants may leach into the groundwater

Urban and agricultural runoff;
Animal wastes could also add dangerous pathogens
(usually microbial groups, viruses and intestinal parasites)
From air via acid rain - water can get polluted with air contaminants
(that have sometimes traveled long distances – such as the case of Hg)
that reach the land and water via acid rain (during precipitation,
air pollutants may get dissolved in the water drops and as a result
they may acidify the water which is why the polluted rain water is
referred to as “acid rain”).
According to a Cornell University study (available at www.springerlink.com... )
water pollution accounts for 80% of all infectious diseases!

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Nobody could remember anything different for the past thousand
years , the brown sludge was harvested and converted into it's
separate components , the useful ones kept , all the others
jettisoned into deep space , and away from the planet.
The sludge existed as oceans , there was an never ending supply.

Waste disposal through recycling and incineration(safely)
are probably the only two viable options . This has to be legislated ,
and enforced ..... GLOBALLY

Once the sea dies , humanity cannot be far behind.
Can/will this global catastrophe be averted ?
Is this the catalyst for change ?Can the frogs feel the water
getting warmer ?
Would a One world government save our skins?
The longest journey starts with the first step,-
how hard do I need to push !????

It really is one of the most critical problems in the world today.

It is a problem caused only by first world nations. They are the ones that should be cleaning it up. They are the only ones that can.

Where is the United Nations in all of this literal mess? It should be right up there with the worst of the world's problems.

The silence is deafening. This more than any other problem should show quite clearly who is in control of the UN and it is not the vast majority of member countries.

What we need is a huge cry from the general assembly. Why are they so quiet. It is a situation crying out for their intervention. Probably too many payoffs.

The entire world needs a huge reset. If thee was a button, I would push it right now and to hell with the consequences.

P

a reply to: radarloveguy

Well constructed post and something that really invokes a deep sadness in me. This marvelous planet is really feeling the weight of the wasteful creatures who ironically seem to think that they are the most special species. It is coming to a point were one would almost feel disassociated with people or at least that is how I feel about it. This will never stop unless a mass scale campaign is launched to prosecute the parties involved. Never mind the individuals who keep littering on a daily basis with a primitive mindset regarding the effects of their actions as a minimal influence compared to the massive industries involved.

This system is no longer a viable option for future generations, we just need people who are brave enough to stop it from working. Imagine a world strike, one day of standing against pollution, one day needed for people to realize their power but the separatist mind set and cultural differences is what is holding us all back. The ego and the out right psychopathy that modernism is accountable for. The issues keep building and their is so much to talk about. I can only hope that mother nature will teach us a lesson and if their are any survivors, well lets hope they become protectors of what is left .

a reply to: pheonix358

Unfortunately the clean-up would be very expensive
in dollar terms.
And with at least 30 countries at war internally/externally
in the world , Pollution , like this thread , will always take
a back seat . Archived for the next generation !

a reply to: radarloveguy

I'm a bit unsure where i stand on the state of the oceans at the moment to be honest. The reason for this is also quite simple. For years, i have taken it as granted that the oceans are in decline. And then earlier this year i was reading a report (New Scientist or similar) that said some of the leading Maritime agencies had actually got around to collating all their data (rather than relying on individual investigations / reports) and they had found that the oceans were actually a lot healthier than expected. For example, they concluded that fish stocks were nowhere near as depleted as long thought - instead breeding grounds, etc, were cropping up in new and remote locations rather than simply disappearing.

On the other hand, we are unquestionably dumping more and more rubbish into the oceans which must surely have a negative effect.

Basically though, i thought this argument was long put to bed but it turns out not to be so simple.

I was a sailor for twenty years, and one of the things that shocked me was the amount of trash that went over the side on the blue shelf.

Everything non usable got dumped in the ocean, no one ever gave it a thought of how long it would take for the oceans to break down that trash.

Ships big and small are a huge contributor of the garbage patches around the world, and not to mention the sinkable stuff and fluids.

a reply to: Flavian


i have done some sailing myself , many years ago ;
and within 50km. of any major city , there was very little wildlife'
even the plankton was gone .
Now I live near a major city , and have a boat , which I use for
recreational fishing . Bag limits are small ( 4 or 5 fish per species )
but rarely do I catch the limit .
In polar waters , marine life is ok , but ocean currents will
eventually distribute pollution from the temperate zones ....

a reply to: radarloveguy

It seems like it is one of these things that will be dealt with only when it is directly affecting the bottom line of those whom have the ability to make a change ....

A very depressing thread...i mean pointing out the stupid,or should i say greed that got us here to this point.....

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed



i fear that this hope
will go un-needed !

This is a very depressing problem. It's one of the world's worst...and I hear nothing but silence on it. I knew it was bad but had no idea it was this bad, because you never hear anything about it.

It doesn't matter who you are, what you believe, where you live, this affects everyone. And most people don't seem to care. As humans we destroy our own home...I don't think this is what nature intended us to use our brains for.

There is so much greed, and people thinking "well the world won't end in my lifetime...so who cares about future generations?" It's making animals and humans alike sick now, but the higher ups are only caring about their bottom line and pockets. By the time it's at a point even they would do something about it, and admit it's gone too far, it'll be too late.

I know there are people that care, and those of us that can need to stand up and help. Need to get the word out about what is happening.

I'm guilty myself of not doing everything I should. That needs to end, now. Earth is our home and we can't rely on finding a planet B we can inhabit and move to.

My opinion here may not be popular but sea organism are much more robust then what many people think. I find that even coral is far faster growing then I personally could have imagined.

This being said if there was a way to coagulate the whole mass and sink it and give it a light coating of calcium the whole thing just might turn into a reef or at least a living feature of some kind. The trick is getting that first layer of bio film to start then pretty much anything can take root.

My aquarium started out as many seperate rocks (totally sterile limestone)and conch shells and is now a thriving coral reef with the original mass being totally unrecognizable the rocks and shells are fuzed.i once had a glass cup in my Aquarium holding a coral in it for reduced flow exposure in 4 month the cup was almost totally encrusted with life. So many of these objects once settled would be grown over rather rapidly.

Two months for a apple core sees totally false to me. I've personally seen tang"s and angle fish eat fruit from tourists down in Mexico now admit I don't know how that is on their digestion but many aquarist put garlic in their fish food they love it makes them crazy healthy lots of cheap fish food is made from fish meal and potato. If the core sank crabs and crustation life would make very very quick work of consumable organics glass would be swiftly encrusted


a reply to: radarloveguy

a reply to: radarloveguy

We're all to blame. We dump stuff in bins and expect it to go to some magical place where it disappears. Unfortunately it doesn't.

How can we do anything about it?

a reply to: radarloveguy
Well done OP! S&F.
One of the things that irks me the most is when mentioning this to the majority. The common response is "oh yeah I know about the garbage dump out in the ocean... Someone just needs to go scoop it up!". I have to inform them that the plastic is NOT a floating island of garbage like they were told from some talking earpiece. The ocean has churned and chewed it up into microscopic pieces.

The authorities are not educating the masses on the real problems that are killing this planet.
Everyone knows the oil industry is a big one. But most people don't know...

The fast fashion industry is the 2nd biggest polluter on the planet.
Employing almost 1 billion people.
About 1 out of every 6 people on the planet work for the clothing/fashion industry.
Most of whom work for less than a dollar a day.
Where did you think that 5$ shirt and 20$ pants came from?
The world clothing and textile industry (clothing, textiles, footwear and luxury goods) reached almost $2.56 trillion in 2010.

The world’s resources cannot keep up with our increasing demand for throw-away fashion. Cotton, for example, a key input to the apparel industry, is responsible for 2.6 per cent of the global water use. However, a gap already exists between water supply and demand. If we do nothing to correct this imbalance, by 2030 demand for water will exceed supply by 40%.

Furthermore, an estimated 17 to 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment and an estimated 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used throughout the world to turn raw materials into textiles, many of which will be released into freshwater sources.

SOURCE

Or that methane from the livestock industry makes more Co2 emissions than all forms of transportation put together.
Cow farts are going to lead to our destruction far sooner than burning oil.

Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.

Transportation exhaust is responsible for 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector primarily involve fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air, and marine transportation.

Methane is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2 on a 20 year time frame.
“Improved Attribution of Climate Forcing to Emissions.” Science Magazine."
Methane has a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2 on a 20 year time frame.

SOURCE
The problem here is how to explain to the world, especially the American people that the cows have to go from the menu?

To effect any change we must first be told the truth about what is going on with out planet. The real cause and effect of our actions as a species. If we focus on the wrong problem we are doomed. We are approaching the tipping point. After which there is no turning back, and we better start looking for a new home.

Even without fossil fuels, we will exceed our 565 gigatonnes CO2e limit by 2030

565gigatons wow that's a lot of CO2! would this be the highest accumulation the earth has seen or have higher CO2 concentrations existed in the past and what where the living conditions like?

methane on the other hand is a different beast. The longer life exists on a planet the more methane that would accumulate and to my understanding at least quite a bit has built up on the ocean floor in the substrate locked away with lots of hydrogen sulphide gas(even my aquarium has visible gas pockets of these two gasses trapped in the sand bed pressed against the glass







a reply to: JAY1980

a reply to: radarloveguy

Words fail me in this moment, read each word of the OP.

This challenge concerns me more than anything else.

Just speechless.

originally posted by: Athetos
565gigatons wow that's a lot of CO2! would this be the highest accumulation the earth has seen or have higher CO2 concentrations existed in the past and what where the living conditions like?

Humans or even primates didn't exist, and there were crocodiles in the Arctic.

originally posted by: Athetos
565gigatons wow that's a lot of CO2! would this be the highest accumulation the earth has seen or have higher CO2 concentrations existed in the past and what where the living conditions like?

Humans or even primates didn't exist, and there were crocodiles in the Arctic.

a reply to: radarloveguy

If I had the money & resources, this would be my project, my focus. My god, we cannot expect to continue in this fashion, treating our home like rubbish. I've always had an affinity for dolphins. What must they think of us? Forget "So long and thanks for all the fish..." It's more like, "So long, gee thanks for ruining the world."

Multi-Billionaires like Bill Gates... please stop your vaccination campaigns and turn to this issue instead! What is the point of throwing money at all the other causes, just so people can live long enough to watch the entire Earth expire when all the toxins overtake her?

all our problems are easily fixed......they just wont do it because just like every movie needs a bad guy the architects need to always have a boogie man to wave in front of us to make us accepting of absurd policies and practices. Give me any problem you can think of and i could solve it to most peoples satisfaction.......common sense dictates.