By The health of our oceans has been under threat for decades due to the massive influx of plastic pollution. In an extraordinary breakthrough, The Ocean Cleanup, a pioneering company from the Netherlands, has engineered a system designed to significantly reduce the plastic waste contaminating our marine environments. This ambitious project promises to remove nearly 90 percent of the plastics floating in our oceans over the next twenty years.
The Vision of Boyan Slat
Founded by Boyan Slat when he was just 16, The Ocean Cleanup has continually pushed the boundaries of environmental engineering. The latest evolution of their efforts, System 03, represents a monumental leap forward in tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a sprawling collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean, notorious for its size – three times that of France – and its weight, containing up to 100 million kilos of plastic waste.
System 03: The Game-Changer
System 03 is not just another cleanup device; it is a sophisticated technology capable of capturing vast amounts of plastic waste. According to the team, “Our projections show that deploying ten systems based on System 03 will allow us to clean up the entire Great Pacific Garbage Patch for good – bringing us closer to completing our mission of ridding the oceans of plastic,” Slat told Yahoo.
Tackling Plastic Pollution at Its Source
Recognizing that a significant portion of ocean plastic originates from rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has also developed an innovative solution for these waterways. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s plastic pollution comes from just a thousand rivers. In response, the team has created the world’s first scalable river plastics collector, a fully autonomous, solar-powered vessel capable of extracting around 50,000 kilos of plastic daily before it reaches the ocean.
The Global Plastic Pollution Crisis
The scale of plastic pollution in our oceans is staggering. The National Ocean Service estimates that in 2010 alone, approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean – the equivalent weight of nearly 90 aircraft carriers. This plastic pollution comes in many forms, from everyday items like toothbrushes and water bottles to takeout containers, often used once and discarded.
Unlike organic waste, plastics do not decompose, leading to long-term environmental damage. These plastics break down into tiny pieces known as microplastics, which are particularly insidious as they infiltrate marine ecosystems and food chains.
Why The Ocean Cleanup Matters
Organizations like The Ocean Cleanup play a critical role in addressing this global environmental crisis. Their innovative technologies and tireless efforts offer a beacon of hope for cleaner, healthier oceans. By reducing plastic pollution, they are protecting marine life, preserving biodiversity, and ensuring cleaner water for future generations.
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It’ll all be back from mega polluters, specifically China. Make China pay for the clean up of their filth.
My question is, WHY THE NEATHERLANDS?? Why it isn’t the US, the ones cleaning our planet, those democrats who keeps harassing us with “climate change” but then go off in their super polluting private jets?????!!!! From biden to hillary to algore and every one of those democrat fakes, they are not interested in global climate nor the citizens of the US. They are the most hypocritical and corrupt bunch today who are only interested in what gains they can get from their global concoctions. Just like the billions pfizer, moderna, j&J, and others and fauci etc made with their scam, while us, regular Joes, were left paying the prize of their corruption.