Plastic ocean

An investigation into global pollution

71% of our planet is covered in water, an azure immensity that regulates the climate, absorbs nearly a third of the CO2 produced and supplies us with oxygen, water, food and medication. Despite our age-old fascination for the ocean we still underestimate the fundamental role it plays in the maintenance of life on earth and we overexploit its wonders leading to the extinction of species, dead zones, acidification and global warming.

Among the collateral damage of our life styles there is one we cannot ignore: pollution by plastic. More than 8 million tons of plastics end up in the ocean each year and, with them, the pollutants they bring.

Borne along by air currents, they decompose into a multitude of micro- and nano-particles which invade maritime ecosystems and organisms. Today we too suffer the consequences as we eat, drink and breathe these particles.

Solutions however exist. Having spent more than 3 years investigating the problem, the author Nelly Pons presents various possibilities for action to help us reverse the situation. From cleaning systems to the development of innovative materials, via the waste management and recycling, eco-conception and the circular economy, regulation, prevention and zero-waste. She explores the advantages and pitfalls of already existing and potential measures, good and bad, and sets out the most concrete step-by-step proposals for action to put an end to the vicious circle. The challenge is huge but not impossible as long as we want it.

This work is a plea to safeguard the future of the planet so that we might forge its future on new foundations with a different vision. It is a call to act collectively, on all levels and as soon as possible, right at the source of the problem. For, while the problem is glo- bal, societal and systemic, the answer is too.