2023-06-09 01:08:37
The City of Arts and Sciences and the Oceanographic of Valencia have joined the LIBERA projectof SEO/BirdLife in alliance with Ecoembes, in a special action on the occasion of the world oceans day. Specifically, one of the aquariums of the Oceanogràfic has been presented with marine trash and the exhibition has been inaugurated in the Science Museum of Valencia Stop Garbage. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the problem of garbage and encourage citizen participation in its prevention and solution.
Since the origin of the Project in 2017, LIBERA has focused a large part of its efforts on helping to generate more precise knowledge on this problem. Thanks to the work of thousands of volunteers, 1,214 transects have been characterized along the Spanish coast and 282,571 objects have been registered using citizen science tools.
Various pieces of plastic, cigarette butts, bags and drink bottles are the most frequently found waste on our beaches
Plastic pieces of less than 2.5 cm, cigarette butts, plastic pieces larger than 2.5 centimeters, bags and drink bottles are the five types of waste most frequently found on our beaches.
Los microplastics (plastic fragments between 1 μm or micron and 5mm) are among the main residues found on the beaches. It also happens at the national level: the The Mediterranean is considered the sixth most polluted area of the planet.
Parallel to the generation of knowledge, the LIBERA Project has published different reports with the aim of transferring to the public the advances in both national and international research on the problem of garbage.
On this occasion, he publishes a new document focused on marine ‘litter’. with the title Impact of garbage on the seas and oceans provides updated data that demonstrate the magnitude of this problem. Thanks to the work of many research centers, today we know that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans annually, resulting in the presence of more than 100 million macroplastic particles y 51 trillion microplastic particles floating on the surface of the oceans.
Microplastics (plastic fragments between 1 μm and 5mm) are one of the main residues found on beaches
This is a global problem that also affects the world’s seas and oceans. As the report points out, “the Mediterranean Sea accumulates only 1% of the world’s water and the 7% of global microplastics”. Another 2020 study concluded that all this garbage “directly affects 914 species (seabirds, mammals, turtles, fish, and invertebrates) through entanglement and/or ingestion.” We can also find out how this waste reaches our seas and oceans.
Make visible the problem of marine litter
The action carried out at the Oceanogràfic is intended to make visible the problem of marine litter, but also to convey a message of hope, reminding visitors that they can be part of the solution.
“Our greatest engine to end garbage is to make society aware of the impact it has on the natural environment. From this awareness it is possible to advance in the solutions, which go through the responsibility of each one to rethink the model of production and consumption that we have and that we must change “he explains Federico Garcia, Responsible for the Social Area of SEO/BirdLife.
“The best waste is the one that is not produced. We have to be aware of the amount of waste we generate and that we must reduce; and then demand a circular economy that allows them to become a source of resources”, adds.
In addition, this Thursday the exhibition was inaugurated Stop Garbage, which will be open to the public until September 17and whose goal is show the devastating impact of the garbage in natural spaces and raise awareness about the importance of prevention against it from the individual to companies, public administration, education or local organizations, thanks to which LIBERA manages to take measures to prevent and reduce this problem.
Through this exhibition at the Museu de les Ciències de Valencia and the action at the Oceanogràfic, the LIBERA Project and its collaborators seek to mobilize society to join the fight against this phenomenon and promote a positive change in awareness of the public and in waste management, both individually and collectively.
snow kingDirector of Communication and Marketing at Ecoembes, points out: “The garbage it poses a significant threat to our oceans and its biodiversity. It is essential that we become aware of the importance of keeping our seas clean and promoting sustainable practices in our daily lives.”
References
Suaria G. et al. The Mediterranean Plastic Soup: synthetic polymers in Mediterranean surface waters. Scientific Reports (2016)
Susanne Kühn, Jan Andries van Franeker. Quantitative overview of marine debris ingested by marine megafauna. Marine Pollution Bulletin (2020)
#main #threats #oceans