The UK government’s Future of the Sea Foresight report published today by the Office for Science predicts that plastic in the seas and oceans will treble within the next ten years. “Plastic does not decompose, instead breaking down into ever smaller pieces. The full effects are not understood, but there is growing evidence of plastic harming sea creatures and restricting their movement, as well as polluting beaches,” the report says. Suggested solutions, according to the scientists who compiled the report include preventing plastics from entering the sea, the introduction of new biodegradable plastics, and public awareness campaigns about marine pollution and protection – addressing an overwhelming “out of sight, out of mind attitude”.

Other environmental concerns of the report include sea temperature rise, predicted to increase by 1.2 to 3.2°C by the end of the century; a concomitant sea level rise increasing coastal flooding; the growing problem of chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the threats of all of this to marine biodiversity: The decline and, in some cases, extinction of marine organisms will damage the long-term health of the oceans and its services, such as carbon sequestration and food provision,” says the report.

The report also has much to say about the economic opportunities that exist from fishing to deep sea mining and says the ocean economy is expected to double to £2 trillion in the next 12 years (from 2010 figures). While autonomous vessels and other emerging technologies are creating a new generation of economic activity, the major share of that is coming from offshore wind power, but there is also a predicted rise of around 6% from aquaculture (fish farms). Somewhat depressingly, despite wild fish stocks being at or close the point of collapse, it also predicts an increase (of 4%) in the industrial capture of wild fish.
There is mention of the recently realised  Blue Belt – a 4 year programme providing long term protection and sustainable management of over 4 million square km of marine environment across UK Overseas Territories.
” The marine environment is under threat from climate change, pollution and over-fishing. It is vital that, as a nation, we are able to proactively respond to these changes, and be prepared to meet new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. That is why, as we grow our marine and maritime economy, tackle climate change and pollution, implement the Blue Belt, and improve our sustainable use of resources, we welcome this timely report from GO-Science,” commented Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and United Nations.

You can read the full report: HERE

 British diver Rich Horner’s  film sea of rubbish off the coast of Bali:  HERE

Caroline Power interviewed by BBC about her filming of a five mile wide tide of plastic in the Caribbean at Honduras:  HERE

 

Incidentally if you are interested in the difference between numbers like a million and a billion, etc, then think of them in terms of seconds – a million is 11½ days; a billion is 32 years… a trillion? Hazard a guess… (it’s a bit more than 31,709 years!)