Date: 2024-09-27 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00011151 | |||||||||
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Burgess COMMENTARY | |||||||||
Could a circular economy save world's oceans from plastic waste?
Join a panel of experts in the comments section of this page on Wednesday 17 June, 1-2pm BST to discuss how business can tackle plastic pollution
Research published in Science earlier this year estimated that some 5m to 12m tonnes of plastics enter our oceans every year, equivalent to 1.5% to 4.5% of the world’s total plastic production. Left unaddressed, Andreas Merkl CEO of the Ocean Conservancy warns that we could be headed for 1kg of plastic for every 3kg of fish. A daunting prospect given that plastics have already been found inside animals across the food chain, from mussels and fish to sea turtles and whales. During the 2014 International Coastal Clean run by Ocean Conservancy, volunteers reported finding over 1.5m plastic pieces, but as more plastic is consumed by emerging middle classes in developing countries, downstream solutions can only do so much. Would moving to a circular economy – where materials are recovered, recycled and reused – present a more effective way to tackle ocean waste? Join a panel of experts on Wednesday 17 June, 1-2pm BST on this page in the comments section where they’ll be taking questions on the topic. Questions we’ll explore will include:
On the panel
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