Opinion: Plastic continues to choke oceans
By Charles J. Moore, New York Times
LOS ANGELES — The world is awash in plastic. It’s in our cars and our carpets, we wrap it around the food we eat and virtually every other product we consume; it has become a key lubricant of globalization — but it’s choking our future in ways that most of us are barely aware.
I have just returned with a team of scientists from six weeks at sea conducting research in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — one of five major garbage patches drifting in the oceans north and south of the Equator at the latitude of our great terrestrial deserts. Although it was my 10th voyage to the area, I was utterly shocked to see the enormous increase in the quantity of plastic waste since my last trip in 2009. Plastics of every description, from toothbrushes to tires to unidentifiable fragments too numerous to count floated past our marine research vessel Alguita for hundreds of miles without end. We even came upon a floating island bolstered by dozens of plastic buoys used in oyster aquaculture that had solid areas you could walk on.
Plastics are now one of the most common pollutants of ocean waters worldwide. Pushed by winds, tides and currents, plastic particles form with other debris into large swirling glutinous accumulation zones, known to oceanographers as gyres, which comprise as much as 40 percent of the planet’s ocean surface — roughly 25 percent of the entire earth.
So plastic waste in Tahoe’s communities isn’t the only problem. Imagine Earth’s oceans being covered by one huge body of plastic ! It’s not just the little people producing it. Corporations have to get on the ball and change their method of packaging of the products we use.
Our community could have been leaders in this subject, lessening the need/use of throw away plastic bags but our leaders dont think there is a problem. Maybe Joann Connor can write a report on the subject for the next time this comes up for a vote. She can start by reading this article…open up your eyes Joann…
Plastics everywhere in the Ocean and nobody knows how to clean it up or stop it, yuck! I have been to the southern tip of the big island of Hawaii and it is an absolute mess; looks like something from a bad Sci-fi movie.
go figure it seems a little arrogant to think we could be a leader in this, we are followers over 100 communities had already done this and the state had been trying for years to pass a ban and the law will soon be signed by gov Brown. This article seems to say that bags are just the tip of the problem. How do you see Tahoe becomina a leader, do you propose we ban all plastic in city limits, or something more limited like a ban on all plastic bottles and food that is packaged by plastic. The Article also mentions things like tires do we stop using them? Though here i doubt most are recycled.
Relo. Not sure what “type” of tires the article is referring to since tires sink (unless still holding air) and are at the bottom of the Oceans I suspect. But, the article focuses on plastic not about the definition of “leader.”
Reloman, my comment was referring to the fact that our fair city leaders voted down the next step in our community to replace plastic bags other than at grocery stores. I recall the comment that was made by city leaders that we should wait till the state mandates the action to not allow these bags. By being a leader our city could have voted to move forward with the ban of plastic bags, the start of what is certainly to come because it is the right thing to do. I am certainly not trying to be arrogant. I just think it would be better to embrace the change and come up with a city wide plan than to be sitting around complaining about this growing problem. But hey, ignorance is bliss….
Rock, go figure stated that our community could have been leaders in this feild by doing the second portion of the ban, go figure i did not mean to imply that you were arrogant but i have heard the statement before that by doing the ban we would be leaders in this which really isnt so not even close.
Relo, leaders are those that take action without regards to criticism. Our city could have been leaders but they have chosen to follow the pack. Yes, other communities and individuals have already taken on this challenge. There are communities that have the foresight to see this as a good thing to do for the planet. I personally have used recyclable cloth bags for 35 years, its a personal choice and the inevitable change for me will be minimal. Yes, our community could have been part of this leadership but like I said above, ignorance is bliss.
Relo. It looks like Fairfax was the first California “city” to ban plastic bags in 2007. However. I would suggest that there is being first and there is leadership. There are about 500 cities in California (give or take). When South Lake Tahoe joins to ban plastic bags with the other 100, then that would puts us in the top 20 percentile; leading by example?
Anyway. As a person that has picked up my share of garbage for the past decades in South Lake Tahoe, I must say it is getting pretty old (and so am I). Banning Plastic Bags says we are getting tired of picking up your litter.
Rock, since banning plastic bags is now mute as the cali law will be next year, myself i call leading doing something beyond what others are doing, or doing it better to stand out from the crowd(othes may not agree with this) other mountain towns are doing much more than we are, like cutting down on air polution by supplying free and excellent bus service. we have so many arm chair critics here, lots of talk but a good many dont become involved with the community they profess to love(plus quite a few on this blog who dont live here, thank god the worst was banned last week)
Reloman, yup, our town had its chance to lead the pack. It will happen sooner than later. That dosent mean plastic bags will disappear because we share our town with Nevada who are probably way behind the curve on forward thinking issues. Takes the cajones of a state like California to lead the way. And yes, the worst of the worst are off the blog. Big smile on me. :)