Target: Neil Jacobs, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Goal: Remedy effects of widespread plastics pollution in oceans and other water systems.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: it’s not a metaphor but a very real and very large symbol of humanity’s impact on the planet it calls home. This expansive mass of trash, which could currently contain two Texases, rests between Hawaii and California. Much of the mass contains substances long documented to have a detrimental impact on health. But the microplastics and nanoplastics swirling within the patch also worsen the health of Earth itself in ways that are just beginning to be understood.
The plastics have obvious detrimental effects on marine organisms that might consume them or get entangled in them. On a broader level, these plastics are absorbing large amounts of sunlight, which causes a pronounced warming effect on the water and the surrounding atmosphere. And the multi-colored plastics and nanoplastics (smaller in size than a human hair) found in abundance within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can create a warming effect that surpasses even carbon. Warmer waters destabilize weather systems (which has already been predicted with El Nino) and marine ecosystems, as evidenced by the stranded and starving seabirds that keep washing ashore and as evidenced by a year-long record-breaking marine heat wave.
Current work to mitigate the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and other plastics pollution within waterways is currently being shouldered almost entirely by nonprofits like The Ocean Clean Up. Sign the petition below to demand the nation responsible for the world’s largest floating garbage can do its part to take out the trash.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Under Secretary Jacobs,
Soaring energy demands, rising needs for more resilient and disaster-resistant infrastructure, cratering marine industries, and real discussions about relocating entire populations like the city of New Orleans: how great will the economic and social cost of global warming become before real and meaningful action is taken? The twice-the-size-of-Texas Great Pacific Garbage Patch — and the subsequent marine heat wave dominating roughly the same area — is a warning beacon signal for what is happening to planet Earth in real time. As this mobile pile of trash grows, so does its status as a heat-seeking missile inflicting damage across the Pacific and across the world.
The microplastics and nanoplastics creating this massive toxin and heat absorber and infiltrating waterways far and wide can no longer be someone else’s problem. The onus for fixing the mess created by indifference and recklessness cannot fall solely on nonprofits, volunteers, and good Samaritans. Begin with a committed effort toward erasing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and invest in similar initiatives nationwide. Real cleanup and real reform must become the true trickle-down model and must start from the top.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Justin Dolske
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