The oceans cover over 71% of the Earths surface, their vast size and depth meant that until recently the major paradigm of thought was that 'the solution to pollution is dilution'.
Fergusson, of the Council of the British Plastics Federation, stated in 1974 that ‘‘plastics litter is a very small proportion of all litter and causes no harm to the environment except as an eyesore’’. It wasn't until Laist (1987) recognised plastic debris as harmful to marine life, that environmental science moved its eye from the terrestrial sphere to the hydrosphere.In hind sight the old 'dilution' policy seems rather short sighted, given the rapid increases in population and consumerism of the late 20th century (Pollution, 2015).
Regardless of the sheer scale of the world's oceans plastic pollution is now a ubiquitous component of marine areas, due to the materials buoyancy and durability. The long decomposition rates of plastics present very serious risks as large quantities can accumulate and remain within the oceans on decadal to centennial timescales.
The longevity, abundance and robustness of the material has led to marine plastic pollution being described as ''one of the most serious emerging threats to marine biodiversity'' by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 2015)
An interesting post, the Pacific Trash Vortex is certainly a major problem. It will only grow in size despite the 1972 UN Stockholm Conference. How do you feel it will affect human and wildlife populations in the future?
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