Are 'microplastics in our drinking water' bad for our health?
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the profound impact of plastic pollution, illustrating that even the deepest parts of the ocean like the Mariana Trench are not immune to it. It highlights the astonishing cost of plastic to society and the environment, estimated at a staggering five trillion dollars annually. The script also underscores the efforts being made to combat plastic use and pollution, including global agreements like the Pacific Declaration, as we grapple with the reality of plastic's pervasive presence in our oceans and its detrimental effects on marine life and potentially human health.
Takeaways
- 🏔️ If Mount Everest were to be placed in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, its peak would still be 2.1 kilometers below the surface, highlighting the immense depth of the ocean.
- 🌊 The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth, with very limited exploration due to its extreme conditions.
- 🦐 Each exploration of the Mariana Trench has led to extraordinary discoveries, including previously unknown sea life and plastic waste.
- 💰 The World Wildlife Fund and Dahlberg's research estimated the annual cost of plastics to society and the environment at a staggering five trillion dollars.
- 📈 This cost accounts for pollution from manufacturing, waste management, environmental degradation, and ecosystem destruction.
- 🇮🇳 For perspective, five trillion dollars is equivalent to the annual GDP of India, emphasizing the massive financial impact of plastic pollution.
- 🌏 Australia contributes around 17 billion dollars to this global cost, with plastic pollution affecting wildlife such as albatrosses.
- 🚯 Plastics are cheap and widely used, but their persistence in the environment causes significant harm, including ingestion by animals and microplastics in drinking water.
- 🔄 Efforts to reduce plastic use are growing, with shifts to biodegradable or reusable alternatives and bans on single-use plastics.
- 🌿 Despite these efforts, the production of plastic, particularly from fossil fuels, is still increasing, with the WWF warning that it could double by 2040.
- 🌐 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive collection of floating plastic debris, is three times the size of France, illustrating the scale of global plastic pollution.
- 🌍 A binding global agreement, the Pacific Declaration, has been endorsed to combat marine plastic pollution, with over 110 countries supporting the initiative.
Q & A
If Mount Everest were to be placed in the Pacific Ocean, how deep would its peak be?
-The peak of Mount Everest would still be 2.1 kilometers below the surface.
What is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth?
-The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth.
How many successful human descents have been made to the bottom of the Mariana Trench?
-There have been just four successful human descents to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
What are some of the extreme conditions found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench?
-The bottom of the Mariana Trench is pitch black, freezing cold, and has intense pressure that can crush most submarine crafts.
What kind of discoveries have been made during expeditions to the Mariana Trench?
-Expeditions to the Mariana Trench have led to the discovery of previously unknown sea life, including large and strange creatures, tiny shrimp-like animals, brightly colored rocky outcrops, and mysterious mud-dwelling organisms.
What has been found during recent expeditions to the deepest parts of the ocean?
-During recent expeditions, plastic waste, including remnants of a helium balloon and plastic bags, has been found even at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
What is the estimated annual cost of plastics to society and the environment according to the World Wildlife Fund?
-The World Wildlife Fund estimates the annual cost of plastics to society and the environment to be five trillion dollars.
How does the annual cost of plastics compare to the GDP of India or the amount spent on the war in Afghanistan?
-The annual cost of plastics, five trillion dollars, is equivalent to the annual GDP of India and is four times the amount spent on the war in Afghanistan over two decades.
What is one of the consequences of plastic pollution for wildlife, as mentioned in the script?
-One of the consequences of plastic pollution for wildlife is that many animals, such as albatrosses, are found with large amounts of plastic inside them, which can lead to their death.
What are some of the measures being taken to reduce plastic use and pollution?
-Measures being taken to reduce plastic use and pollution include switching to biodegradable or reusable straws, encouraging the use of environmentally friendly bags, banning single-use plastics in many jurisdictions, and increasing participation in recycling programs.
What is the Pacific Declaration and what does it aim to achieve?
-The Pacific Declaration is a binding global agreement aimed at reducing waste, preventing future plastic pollution, and addressing its enormous impact on the environment. More than 110 countries are on board with this treaty.
What is the World Wildlife Fund's concern regarding the future of plastic production?
-The World Wildlife Fund fears that without action, plastic production will double by 2040, which will also lead to a doubling of plastic pollution.
Outlines
🌊 Depths of the Ocean and Plastic Pollution
The first paragraph discusses the astonishing depth of the Mariana Trench, which is deeper than Mount Everest would be if submerged in the Pacific Ocean. It highlights the limited exploration of this region due to its extreme conditions, such as darkness, cold, and pressure, which are inhospitable to most known submarine crafts. The paragraph also delves into the surprising discoveries made during the few successful expeditions, including previously unknown sea life and the concerning presence of plastic waste. The environmental and financial costs of plastic production and pollution are underscored, with an annual societal and environmental cost estimated at five trillion dollars. The script also touches on the impact of plastic on wildlife and the human consumption of microplastics through drinking water, urging for greater awareness and action to reduce plastic use.
🌍 Global Efforts to Combat Plastic Pollution
The second paragraph focuses on the global response to the plastic pollution crisis. It introduces the 'Pacific Declaration,' a binding international agreement aimed at reducing waste and preventing future plastic pollution. The script mentions the growing support for this treaty, with over 110 countries in agreement, indicating a collective will to address the issue. The paragraph concludes with a hopeful note, suggesting that concerted efforts can lead to significant improvements before the situation deteriorates further. The mention of Australia's commitment to the agreement and the role of the environment minister in endorsing the proposal underscore the political will and the importance of international cooperation in tackling marine plastic pollution.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mount Everest
💡Mariana Trench
💡Plastic Pollution
💡World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
💡Microplastics
💡Single-Use Plastics
💡Recycling
💡Great Pacific Garbage Patch
💡Macro Plastics
💡Plastic Production
💡Pacific Declaration
Highlights
If Mount Everest were placed in the Pacific Ocean, its peak would still be 2.1 kilometers below the surface.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth.
Only four manned and three unmanned expeditions have successfully reached the deepest parts of the Mariana Trench.
The Mariana Trench is an unexplored, pitch-black, freezing cold environment with intense pressure.
Extraordinary discoveries of previously unknown sea life have been made in the Mariana Trench.
Plastic pollution has been found even in the deepest parts of the ocean.
The World Wildlife Fund estimates the annual cost of plastics to society and the environment at five trillion dollars.
The cost of plastic pollution is equivalent to the annual GDP of India or four times the amount spent on the war in Afghanistan.
Australia contributes approximately 17 billion dollars to the global cost of plastic pollution annually.
Plastic is found in the bodies of many animals, including albatrosses, causing harm and death.
Plastics do not break down easily due to their cheap production and widespread use.
Microplastics have been found in drinking water, posing potential health risks.
There have been significant strides in reducing plastic use, including bans on single-use plastics and increased recycling.
Despite efforts to reduce plastic use, plastic production is still growing, driven by virgin plastics from fossil fuels.
The WWF predicts that without action, plastic production will double by 2040, doubling plastic pollution.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, comprising two enormous floating garbage patches, is three times the size of France.
Scientists estimate 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollute the ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tons.
Australia has committed to a global agreement to combat marine plastic pollution called the Pacific Declaration.
Over 110 countries support the global treaty on plastic pollution, aiming to reduce waste and prevent future pollution.
Transcripts
if you picked up mount everest and
dumped it in the western part of the
pacific ocean the peak would still be
2.1 kilometers below the surface so far
down is the mariana trench the deepest
part of the ocean and the deepest
location on earth
that humans haven't really managed to
poke around down there just four man
descents and three unmanned robotic
expeditions have been successful the
furthest hit the 11 kilometer mark
it's pitch black
freezing cold and the intense pressure
would crush most submarine crafts that
exist as a result we've explored very
little of the mariana trench and each
trip down has led to extraordinary
discoveries
previously unknown sea life from large
and strange creatures to tiny
shrimp-like animals as well as brightly
coloured rocky outcrops and mysterious
mud-dwelling organisms
and on the past couple of trips as far
as we've ever gone before
plastic
a whole lot of plastic
plastic is super cheap it's one of the
cheapest materials we have and we use it
in just about everything we make from
packaging and storage to toys and car
parts but it has a huge cost
the environmental group the world
wildlife fund just released
groundbreaking research produced in
conjunction with the consultancy firm
dahlberg it estimated the annual cost of
plastics to society and the environment
five trillion dollars that's the modeled
lifetime cost of all the plastic
produced globally in just a single year
it accounts for the pollution from
manufacturing waste management
environmental degradation ecosystem
destruction and so on
to put five trillion dollars into
perspective that's the annual gdp of
india
it's four times the amount of money
spent on the war in afghanistan over two
decades
of this mammoth bill australia is lumped
with about 17 billion dollars every
single albatross that you see across
this landscape has been fed plastic
so as you open it up
you can see
that's incredible all that plastic
that's inside this bird
plastics don't break down because
they're cheap a lot of plastic is
produced and it ends up sitting in
landfill or flowing into rivers creeks
and the sea it's eaten by animals or
chokes them to death and microplastics
get into our drinking water we think of
it as pure but according to the world
health organization the water we drink
comes with an added extra tiny often
microscopic fragments of plastic and no
one knows whether our health is at risk
here we can just about see some very
small specks and we suspect that those
are the microplastics we've made big
strides in reducing our plastic use
you've probably switched from plastic
straws to biodegradable or reusable ones
we're encouraged to dump plastic bags at
woolies or coals for more
environmentally friendly options
a lot of jurisdictions are banning
single-use plastics altogether and
across the board participation and
recycling programs is growing rapidly
and yet the production of plastic is
also growing virgin plastics devised
from fossil fuels are driving this huge
surge the wwf fears that without action
plastic production will double by 2040.
which will also see plastic pollution
double
to see how insidious this plastic use is
you just have to look at where it ends
up
there's the trash vortex comprising two
separate but enormous floating garbage
patches one spans the west coast of
north america to japan another between
hawaii and california
together they're known as the great
pacific garbage patch three times the
size of france 1.8 billion pieces of
plastic debris just floating out there
in the middle of the ocean
across the whole world scientists
estimate that 5.25 trillion pieces of
macro and micro plastics pollute the
ocean weighing up to 269 000 tons
each day another 8 million pieces of
plastic make their way into the sea
and some of it has floated all the way
down to the bottom of the mariana trench
look at this vision it was taken by a
submarine craft that ventured more than
10 kilometers down
that's the remnants of a helium balloon
decorated with a character from the kids
movie frozen
next to it a 20 litre bucket all around
shreds of plastic bags containers and
packets
humans ourselves have barely begun to
explore these vast depths of the ocean
but all of our crap has made it there
australia recently committed to a
binding global agreement to combat
marine plastic pollution environment
minister susan lay announced the
endorsement of a proposed agreement that
aims to reduce waste prevent future
plastic pollution and address its
enormous impact it's called the pacific
declaration
support for this global treaty on
plastic pollution is growing more than
110 countries are on board all that
remains is to get to work
here's hoping we can start to make
things better before they get much much
worse
[Music]
you
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