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A recent study suggests that cleaning plastic from the open ocean may do more harm than good. I shared this study, but several folks criticized my take for not covering the science more. So here's the dirt on open ocean cleanup. [thread]
Study: https://bit.ly/31VKoFa
#DailyJelly
![A recent study suggests that cleaning plastic from the open ocean may do more harm than good. I shared this study, but several folks criticized my take for not covering the science more. So here's the dirt on open ocean cleanup. [thread]Study: https://bit.ly/31VKoFa #DailyJelly](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhZ9PJXWsAUxvM5.jpg "A recent study suggests that cleaning plastic from the open ocean may do more harm than good. I shared this study, but several folks criticized my take for not covering the science more. So here's the dirt on open ocean cleanup. [thread]Study: https://bit.ly/31VKoFa #DailyJelly")
Study: https://bit.ly/31VKoFa
#DailyJelly
The study acknowledges that a lot of plastic clean up is hype and that we've got to ACTUALLY LOOK at results and the price of those cleanups…
Scientists in the study suggest we should treat plastic cleanup like fishing, by comparing the benefits of cleanup with the COST.
They suggest using a CATCH PER UNIT EFFORT. How much plastic do you catch for the amount of time/money/work you put in? High numbers = good, little effort for lots of plastic. Low numbers = bad, lots of work, very little plastic.
Let’s apply the math to one example: @TheOceanCleanup. Based on my math all their donations equal over ~US$92 MILLION (source: their annual reports) & their net has collected sixty bags of plastic from the open ocean. That's 1.5 million/bag of plastic. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ocean-cleanup-garbage-patch-collection-1.5394494
(Now, not all this went to ocean plastic collection. The company is also doing river work and, while I don't have plastic catch data, I'm guessing they're collecting more)
What about the environmental cost of @TheOceanCleanup's ocean nets? The study states that the ecosystem at the surface are important & different from the ecosystem lower down, & that many species, such as large whales and turtles, use the surface. All true.
The scientists then use information from @TheOceanCleanup's study and others that there will likely be major negative impacts on organisms (what I might call by the English euphemism--a blood bath), while also pointing out major knowledge gaps in population-level impacts.
This has been my point from the start. WE DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH about ecosystems of the open ocean to understand how plastic, LET ALONE plastic cleanup, will impact them. And this ignorance, I believe, is incredibly dangerous. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/ocean-cleanup-project-could-destroy-neuston/580693/
Coastal plastic cleanups can be done for a fraction of the price, most ocean plastics end up in these areas, and we can monitor these efforts as a community for environmental impact.
Plastic cleanup with nets in the open ocean is massively expensive, with unknown environmental impacts & very little capacity to monitor. One type of technology development could hinder another (red quote), so let's pick the most effective in cost, time, & positive impact. [end]
![Plastic cleanup with nets in the open ocean is massively expensive, with unknown environmental impacts & very little capacity to monitor. One type of technology development could hinder another (red quote), so let's pick the most effective in cost, time, & positive impact. [end]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhaAIreWAAACqv1.jpg "Plastic cleanup with nets in the open ocean is massively expensive, with unknown environmental impacts & very little capacity to monitor. One type of technology development could hinder another (red quote), so let's pick the most effective in cost, time, & positive impact. [end]")
And for anyone who still feels concerned about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: first, it's not actually an island of trash, I promise ;) https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1303443721208422400
For the more dangerous plastics, there are groups removing them less invasively. But ultimately, we need to stop these plastics from getting into the ocean in the first place! https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1276932823249637376
