Thirty or so years ago I would throw rubbish like empty beer cans into the sea and leave spent cartridge cases on the ground. I was not unusual but now things are different.
The latest environmental focus is on pollution in the oceans and specifically microbeads. The UK is expected to legislate to phase out these pesky little polluters in cosmetics. Microbeads are tiny bits of plastic in products like toothpaste and face scrubs that provide abrasion. However, they end up in the sea, get eaten by fish and ultimately eaten by us. Oysters have a penchant for microbeads. Apparently half a dozen of Colchester’s finest might contain fifty of them.
I am full of admiration for the UK Environment Dept, led by Andrea Leadsom, in identifying a menace I’d never heard of, especially as I like oysters. They are just coming into season and I’m now thinking of reducing my consumption. But I won’t because I’m more likely to swallow 500 micro-thingummies when I’m cleaning my teeth. However, as usual, this is not the full picture. It is in fact the very thin end of a thick wedge.
Pacific Assets Trust is an Investment Trust that tries to achieve long-term capital growth by investing in companies in the Asia Pacific region and the Indian sub-continent. (They exclude Japan, Australia and New Zealand.) They pick companies that adhere to best practice in areas such as corporate governance, environmental and social policies and sustainability. They share their insights with their investors. This is what they have to say about all the plastic that we throw away.
… the oceans are the dumping ground. Eight million tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean each year. It is estimated that some plastic products will retain their original recognisable form 400 years after finding their way into the ocean. We have all heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a rubbish-covered region of the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles in diameter. Terrifyingly, by 2050 it’s assumed there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, and that’s assuming fish stocks remain constant which is highly optimistic!
The biggest source of micro-plastic pollution in Norway is particles from tyres that get washed off the roads and end up in the sea. Changing the recipe for Head & Shoulders, I’m sorry to say, will literally only be a drop in the ocean. But many a mickle makes a muckle and if there are enough of these initiatives internationally we may be able to slowly stem this tide of pollution that is just as deadly as air pollution, even less visible and more important than a split infinitive.
Bravo Christopher. These are hugely important issues. I really hope that in leaving the EU we maintain the fight to protect our environment. It is the one thing that the EU has done well and so often UK has been on the side of the baddies. On neonicotinides we voted in a tiny minority with Denmark (the most intensively farmed country in the world) and Roumania to keep them. Fortunately majority voting and common sense prevailed. Keep campaigning.