Plastic in the Ocean – Why we should all be concerned

Plastics have been mass produced for about sixty years.  Versatile, durable and light weight, plastic products have transformed the way we live.  These same characteristics, however, mean that plastic items that find their way into the sea are easily dispersed by wind and currents and persist in the global marine environment for hundreds if not thousands of years. 

As part of our “Gard our Oceans” initiative, we turned to Joan Fabres, GRID-Arendal’s expert on marine litter, to share with us his knowledge about the causes and consequences of plastic pollution in the oceans.  GRID-Arendal supports environmentally sustainable development by working with UN Environment and other partners.  One of GRID-Arendal’s primary functions is to share science-based environmental data in an understandable way.  Joan is one of the editors and contributors of the Marine Litter Vital Graphics report that formed the background for his talk.  Please learn with us about the challenges to the marine environment posed by the growing volume of plastics in our oceans.  Here is a short video of his key comments.