No Ocean, No Air: The solution to ocean plastic pollution
Us humans often forget that we live on a water planet, our ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface and is critical to all life on earth.
It regulates climate through circulatory currents, it is an important absorber of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, it transports seeds and nutrients around the globe, it’s home to a wealth of organisms, it is an important source of food for millions of people and it is the source of 50% of all the oxygen we breathe - yes that’s your every second breath.
But it’s not in a good state.
'A female paper nautilus drifts along on a piece of rubbish, Anilao, the Philippines.’
Photograph: Steven Kovacs
To date it has acted as a vast sink (or perhaps more aptly put, trashcan) for industrial human activity. It has stored 25% of the carbon dioxide we have released and captured 90% of the additional heat generated from greenhouse gas emissions.
It has absorbed an estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic to date, with the amount of plastic flowing into the ocean set to triple by 2040. Not to mention overfishing, the flow of sewage, industrial waste, agricultural fertilisers and incidents of accidental spillages.
We are patently beginning to see the effects; bleached and dying coral reefs, oxygen poor dead zones, a decline in marine life populations, failing circulatory current systems and changing weather patterns.
Our ocean is forgiving, but there is only so much it can take and we must do everything we can to protect it.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”
A fish trapped in a ghost net
What can we do? Well, whatever we can; try to reduce single-use plastic, shop for longevity over price, try to repair or repurpose whenever possible, and recycle! We can use energy wisely, especially if it isn’t renewable, eat less fish, and when we do try to make sure it’s sustainably sourced if possible, write to your representatives to ask for more ocean protection and most importantly stay informed!
Here are a few great resources:
Why going circular is the only way forward.
Clearly a linear approach to resources is only going to last so long on a finite planet. We simply cannot continue with ‘extract > make > break > dispose’ indefinitely. The way we live today is using 60% more resources than the Earth can provide, and it’s creating huge amounts of waste. We have seen the myriad of stories detailing how microplastics have pervaded every corner of our biosphere, from the deepest ocean realms, the highest mountain ranges, and even our own bodies.
When trash becomes treasure
Reclaiming and recycling ocean plastics
By switching to a circular economy and treating all waste resources with value, we can minimise losses to the environment by keeping materials in a loop of constant use. NONA have placed circular economy principles at the centre of everything they do.
Each NONA product is manufactured from material recovered from waste streams. They design and manufacture in the UK with longevity in mind and consider the entire lifecycle of their products by ensuring that they can be recycled at the end of their useful life. By reimbursing fishing communities for their retired fishing gear NONA help to prevent this plastic from entering landfill, being incinerated, or becoming ocean bound.
NONA LOOP
The NONA LOOP
The NONA LOOP is a hang drying system designed for urban spaces, now funding on Kickstarter. Made from recycled ocean plastics, it can be installed almost anywhere around the home.
Learn more about their campaign here or visit the website www.madebynona.com
Words by guest blogger and partner brand: NONA