Posted on 06/07/2019 6:49:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Scientists thought it was bad, but it's even worse than they imagined. Now it's a potential catastrophe that will affect all our lives — unless we take action now. Otherwise, life on Earth will be irreparably harmed.
I'm not talking about global warming. I'm talking about global warming part II: microplastics!
Today, Fox News reported the release of a "groundbreaking study" of Monterey Bay by the Scripps Oceanographic Institute. A Scripps scientist summarized the findings: "Everywhere we looked and in every animal we looked, we found microplastics!"
The accompanying film was oddly irrelevant. It showed ocean waters filled with trash — pieces of metal, wood, glass, and plastic. Ugly, to be sure, but nothing that threatened the ocean's inhabitants. And nothing, obviously, that was microscopic.
Jonathan Hunt of Fox News elaborated: "Scientists say this is a, quote, 'wakeup call for the world[.]' ... What they found horrified them. Microplastics — tiny broken-up pieces of plastic everywhere, from the surface to the seabed. Those small pieces are being eaten by small creatures and, in turn, by bigger fish, then turning up on our dinner plate."
If this is a problem off the coast of eco-friendly California, it must also be a problem elsewhere, right? "It's highly likely," continued Hunt, quoting scientists, "that pretty much every single area of every single one of the world's oceans is already littered by plastics pollution."
We are already...doomed.
Fortunately there's hope. Scripps scientists promise to work on a solution in concert with corporations and government. "But," they told Hunt, "it starts with each of us getting rid of those single-use plastic items, such as plastic water bottles."
Aha — this has a familiar odor. The microplastic scare has all the earmarks of the global warming scare. \
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Microplastics contain carbon!
Coincidence,I think not.
I have never understood how millennials have championed bottle water when the waste produced is off the charts. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman, “what’s wrong with tap water?” Plus, you can carry a water bottle that is refillable if you really need that much water. Sheesh!
We’re going to have to genetically engineer shellfish to filter this out of the water.
Note to self: cut down on fish innards.
It makes us live longer by plasticizing our organs. Were being preserved...
This is one “cause” that I support. Not the imbecilic alarmism that will undoubtedly accompany this but the reduction of plastics overall. Clean up of Plastic Island in the Pacific is something I would help with. Single use water bottles should be banned. If you have ever travelled through Asia and have seen the masses of tossed bottles you would probably agree).
But that is just me
Plastics are flowing into the ocean nearly entirely from 3 major River systems
Yangtze (China)
Pear River (China)
Ganges/Brahmaputra (India Bangladesh)
This problem is NOT like global warming in that the cause is measurable and visible, but the problem is not with the USA or the West.
I guess we’ll start seeing the millions the NIH and NSF will be awarding in grant money for ‘academicians’ like this clown
These guys all have a needle in their arm called ‘The US Government’...It’s impossible to respect these people
Not a carbon problem but it is somewhat of a problem. The good news is that it is manageable.
I have been to Southern Africa and could not agree more with everything you said in that post.
“I have never understood how millennials have championed bottle water when the waste produced is off the charts”
Neither have I. I know very so-called environmentally conscious people that buy things in throw-away plastic containers, especially food.
I don’t consider myself an environmentalist but the tremendous amount of plastic waste is worrisome.
I knew someone that worked in the food-paper packaging industry. Their holy grail was and I suppose still is to produce a paper soft drink container.
Very much agree, why foul the nest if we can keep it clean.
Until very recently, it was the West, we exported our re-cycling to China and India who did not re-cycle it but dumped in the water. Environmentalist have known this for years but looked the other way.
SO that’s what’s turning everyone gay!-)
My daughter-in-law has done consulting work for a company trying to develop a biodegradable water bottle. Of course, that would be great but why use plastic water bottles in the first place?
Ooooh Nooooo!
Yet ANOTHER “scientific prediction” of ARMAGEDDON!
If true, we poor humans must choose between:
1. “Saving the Oceans” — by burning waste plastic for energy or
2. “Saving the Planet” — by NOT burning waste plastic!
We are DOOMED, DOOMED either way!
Still, it may just be that Scripps is simply getting ready for a another “fund-raising” campaign — with FEAR as the main “hook” for contributions.
I guess that motive would make this new “prediction” another example of fake “science”.
From the article: “It is of interest to anyone who takes science seriously to know how many animals the scientists “looked at,” which species they were, and how the animals’ lives were impacted. I suppose I’ll have to get the study to find out.”
Exactly. From the little information given, it appears as though the small organisms are living long enough to get eaten by fish, which in turn survive long enough to get caught and eaten by us, so what actual harm is caused by the evil microplastics?
Lots more information needed before I’ll worry the slightest bit about this.
Will this create a need for plastic credits?
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