We are past the red alert stage, and it’s no longer warnings that need to be issued, but outright condemnations. The polluting countries must pay, there are courts for economic crimes, there are courts to condemn bloodthirsty rulers as in The Hague, and there should be special courts to condemn the countries that pollute and the multinational companies that pollute the oceans.
Over 9 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans every year, and this figure is rising every day. In the Atlantic Ocean alone, over two hundred million tonnes cover this ocean, not counting oil spills and other discharges from ships. That’s millions of square kilometers that are already polluted and having a major impact.
It’s a slow, gradual process of pollution, with more tourists on islands that were once wild but have now become rubbish cans, causing the gradual disappearance of marine species.
But above all, human health is also threatened, with the risk of sterility, hormonal disturbances and growth disorders. The Ocean Clean Up is an association that has decided to fight this scourge and launch a merciless war on ocean pollution, having succeeded in catching plastic on a large scale for the first time.
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization, is developing technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. Its aim is to put an end to plastic pollution once and for all, and to ensure that the oceans are finally clean.
It was founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, a 25-year-old Dutch environmental activist. In fact, he became the youngest winner of the UN’s Champion of the Earth award in 2014.
Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
They have created a new system that catches all kinds of plastic, of all different sizes: bottles, crates and even the one-millimetre microplastics ingested by marine species. This revolutionary new system will help reduce the surface area of the eighth continent, which is three times the size of France.
The technology, “system 002”, is a success, and the boat has returned to port for the last time, as The Ocean Cleanup has invested heavily and decided to launch system 03, which will be larger and more powerful.After two years in service, having cleaned an area of 8,352 km2 (over 3,000 square miles) and removed 282,787 kilograms (623,439 pounds) of plastic from the vast Pacific waste zone in dozens of extractions, System 002 arrived in Victoria Harbour, Vancouver, Canada, where it was welcomed by Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup.
For the occasion, the expedition brought back the largest cargo of plastic ever brought ashore, extracted during the last two voyages of System 002’s deployment: over 55 tonnes, allowing System 002 to end on a positive note and giving us confidence in the evolution of our technology.System 03 will be bigger, better and more efficient than System 002 and will mark the next phase of the mission.The Ocean Cleanup is winning its battle, but the road is still long and full of pitfalls, but the teams of The Ocean Cleanup are motivated to win the next battles.
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