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A Dilemma on a planetary scale

Planet Waves, planetary currents... and a planet wide problem

     I was aware of planetary scale phenomena such as the fact that whales ride planetary currents rather like commercial airliners ride the jet stream to save time and energy as I was aware that they and can converse through low frequency emissions that cover great distances.
I was also aware that tropical currents, originating from the equator, rise to the Arctic before cooling and descending and returning southwards back to their point of origin. That's for the Atlantic.

Ocean currents

     I was also aware of the particularly explosive situation concerning the Pacific Ring of fire (unintentional word game BTW) however I was not aware of that the Hawaiian archipelago, lost in the immensity of the pacific ocean, the most isolated string of islands in the world - one particularly sensitive of its ecological heritage - is suffering from a distressing and alarming phenomena and that this phenomena is getting worse and worse: Marine debris!.

I'm not talking about the organized dumping of waste in the ocean on an industry sized scale by the countries ringing the Pacific where there's no NGO, watchdog, or do-gooder association is watching. I am not talking about the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit the archipelago every year I am talking about something a lot less tangible and a lot harder to combat, especially when some of the places that are suffering are the most isolated and ironically some of the most protected places in the world...

... I am talking about the actions of ordinary people, like you and me, in everyday situations and planetary ocean currents and tradewinds: Marine Debris... non recyclable debris from countries as far apart from each other as Japan and continental America, is drifting ashore on the Hawaiian islands literally decimating ecosystems and wildlife, such as coral reefs, indigenous species of Albatross, seals, turtles and even whales, through their ingurgetation of tyres, floaters, plastic combs, golf balls, plastic lighters and worst of all for me...plastic bags! Turtles take plastic bags for their staple diet, Jellyfish, and dolphins play with them by slipping them onto their back fins, only god knows what they must be thinking of when they play with these plastic bags?!

What to do, what's being done

     According to reports between 10 to 20 tons of debris come ashore in certain places every year and after 4 years of work one association collected 90 tons of refuse from 9 miles of shoreline on the Island of Hawaii alone. Between 2001 and 2004 sources report a total of almost 300 tons has been collected from the Pearl and Hermes Atoll and in 2006 NOAA removed approximately 126 tons of debris and are survey some 711 sites on different islands where an estimated 250K tons of debris lies awaiting collection, notably on the windward side of the islands where fishing equipment, nets, floater, etc., comprises the bulk of the debris

The problem is that it just keeps on coming and apparently there's nothing that can be done to stop it, even if we do convince the countries around the the Pacific ring stopped throwing rubbish into the seas and ocean there is so much in there, so many small things that escape all surveillance but that will continue finding its way in to the stomachs of the Laysan Albatross of the Northwestern islands for decades to come and while adult birds have the ability to regurgitate the debris, chicks die with their stomachs (in their proventricular bolus to be exact) full of plastic objects.

Reduce, reuse and recycle...

...and as the Hawaiians say " kuleana"or responsibility . So do I feel responsible? Yes I do! Even though Hawaii is 12000 kilometres away distance does not diminish in anyway the planetary dimension of the problem. Mass production for mass consumption with little or no concern of how to treat the waste generated by the drive to satisfy global demands, the equation "increased production = increased consumption = a thriving economy!" being the defacto excuse when countries are asked "Why?"

Trash Vortex
(courtesy of Greenpeace)

    So what's the sense of these 4 words? "Be responsible! Reduce waste, reuse and recycle? That's normally what its supposed to mean helas today it reads more like "Reduced responsibility, reduced reuse and reduced recycling" because a part from certain isolated cases and some well intentioned world planetary gatherings, like Cancun, Montreal or Kyoto, nothing is being done on a global scale.

     I don't mean "Lets work collectively" that's for phase 2, for tomorrow. Today individual countries need to start working locally - and working seriously, then regionally and then on a continental scale and then maybe, just maybe on a global scale and yes I do think that small stories like the Hawaiian islands have with Marine Debris may just be the catalyser, the spark that can get the world working together to clear up the mess before it gets worse. Remember, someone once said "we didn't get this planet from our parents, our children are lending it to us!". Do you want to leave this place in a worse state as you found it? If you are a business man does it make sense to leave an aquisition in a worse condition than as you... acquired it? That does't make corporate sense so please don't say there's nothing any one individual person can do about!! There is! Start by thinking twice before dropping a wrapper, lighter or soda can on the street, you never know where it will finish up!!!