this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2024
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"The Ocean Cleanup" is a great effort and I support their mission wholeheartedly. BUT looking at the bigger picture; it seems completely asinine to fish garbage put of the ocean and call that the solution to pollution, instead of preventing it from getting there in the first place. This is not meant as a criticism of "The Ocean Cleanup", but of global society in general. One minute you see them removing the Pacific garbage patch and the next you see whole rivers covered in plastic waste flowing out into the ocean from certain countries.
Edit: Fishing it out of the rivers before it enters the ocean is also a good effort. But it doesn't address the underlying problem any better than cleaning ot out of the ocean. Also; some people seem to think I'm bashing "The Ocean Cleanup" and similar organisations. I'm very much not. They do great, necessary work. I'm just frustrated that said work is needed, and more importantly; that it doesn't seem to be on track to stop being needed anytime in the near-ish future.
They are doing similar tryouts in Big Rivers now too. But that's a lot harder than cleaning what's already stagnant.
The sheer force of the water and waste is difficult to hold in place with nets. But they're definitely working on it.
I trust programs like this and admire the work. It's a good thing for life in general to get rid of that shit. It's just abysmal that companies still use so much plastic for everything.
No doubt it's good work, but the plastic shouldn't get in there in the first place. That was my only point.
it shouldn’t, but realistically it will and given that it’s good to be able to clean it up
Earth will survive and heal