MODULE 8

1. I-Witness: 'Plastic Republic', a documentary by Howie Severino | Full episode

(w/ English subtitles)
In the history of life on Earth, humans are among the youngest life forms. Nurtured by nature,
we became many. In a short time, we changed the face of the Earth. Plastics were developed to make
life easier. But it may also cause our demise. We met people who are resisting. Here's what they are
doing. Celso Lee is an artist living in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. He hardly spends anything for his art
because his materials are mostly free. I'm able to help reduce plastic waste because I use what people
throw in the streets or wherever. I can teach others to make hats, bags, vests, pants, shoes and home
décor out of it. There's a lot you can do. I feel cool when I wear this. I've gotten praise for it. It makes
people turn their heads when I walk by. Like I’m a celebrity. Everyone greets me. They say things. I just
smile. Celso's outfit is made out of pull tabs of soda cans and plastic bottles, a kind of single-use plastic.
Single-use plastics, of course, are often just used once. These include straws, sando bags, snack
packaging, and sachets. Nearly half of the garbage in the streets, in dump sites and even along
mangroves are composed of single-use plastic. Many rely on small packages or sachets to meet their
everyday needs. But these end up in piles of garbage in our surroundings. Our world is drowning in
plastic. Did you know that nearly half of the plastic we buy is only used once? In Binangonan, Rizal
province, we met a family that’s turned its back on a waste-producing lifestyle. Wife and mother April
Balahan made sure their baby stopped using plastic diapers. After I gave birth, we used disposable
diapers. In our area, garbage collection isn’t reliable and the diapers created so much waste. My
problem was finding an alternative. Six months passed before I found the solution: cloth diapers! I felt
guilty that we were just throwing the disposables away anywhere. It fits, right? No need to put it in
plastic. Just place them here. Where do you get your baking soda now? According to studies, in one
year, each Filipino typically uses and throws away 200 kilos of plastic. This is unacceptable to April.
When we're at home, of course, plastic bag... When we go to the market, we minimize the use of plastic.
I learned how to sew produce bags. The veil I wore at my wedding, it was just in our cabinet. I realized I
could make produce bags out of it. I sewed them by hand. A few are now in tatters but I'm still able to
use the others. So tell myself, "wow this is one." These are used once but last forever. Plastics last
forever because they don't decompose. Think about it: you finish drinking soda in a few minutes then
you throw the plastic away. In one year, how many times will you drink soda with a straw? People don't
think that the straws will accumulate. They only think of the present and lack foresight. Many don't have
this mindset. This family can be seen as living nearly a zero-waste lifestyle. Whatever litter you see
outside surely did not come from them. At the start, of course it was difficult because old habits die
hard, right? So I learned to be patient [with my family] until little by little they adapted. The reminders
have finally worked so they now do these tasks. More than 400 million tons of plastic were produced in
the world in 2015. This amount of plastic can bury the entire Philippines two-stories deep. Some joke
that your garbage is lucky, it can travel far. And sometimes its journey has no end. If it doesn’t make it to
the landfill, the water takes it here. On the shores of Manila Bay, between Parañaque and Las Piñas,
lives the last ancient forest in the metropolis. Filled with various species of mangroves, it’s a refuge for
migratory birds. The fish here probably ingested plastic. What are you catching? Tilapia. How do you
catch them? Do you dive or use a net? A net. How does the tilapia here taste? Different? There's no
smell. Even if there's a lot of garbage? Is it clean here? There's just a lot of plastic. Yes, but how about
the water? It's polluted. But is it okay to eat the fish caught here? If the water is polluted, how can you
say it's okay to eat? We're used to it. Water from the estuaries connected to the Pasig River ends up in
Manila Bay. So even in this corner of nature, it smells like Manila’s estuaries. How does it feel to be one
of the guardians of this mangrove area in Manila Bay? This is the only remaining mangrove in Metro
Manila. We're proud that the government— the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural
Resources)-- entrusted the care of the mangroves to us. So it's your job to clean here? Yes, sir. What do
you think of all this trash that keeps reappearing here? I feel bad. We're sad because we clean every day
but there's still a lot of garbage. And we don't have anyone to blame. Where does all this garbage come
from? From the major rivers, sir. They come from the communities. That bridge is the mouth of the
river. I caught something heavy. Oh my God, the baby is falling! There seem to be a lot of basketballs
here. There's one, two, three, four. Four basketballs. It's easy to blame people who throw out trash. But
according to groups studying the issue, companies should also bear responsibility. They should make
product packaging that is biodegradable or not harmful to the environment. We would like to call on
companies to come up with solutions and innovations in product design. What's happening can be
compared to a leak in the faucet. What we do is just remove the spilled water. We segregate and recycle
but we don't fix the root of the problem. Nobody is working to stop the leak itself. That is where most of
our garbage problems originate. According to studies released by the World Economic Forum in 2016, by
2050 there will be more garbage in the sea than fish. It also cited the Philippines as the third largest
producers of plastic waste thrown in the sea. April is investing in reusable items. I bought this last
September. This is an investment because it's insulated. It's quite pricey but I've been able to skip so
many plastic bottles because of it. This is my lunch box. It has three layers that make it useful when I
take out food. I bring it all the time. I remember we went to a party and there was so much disposables.
We used our stainless steel forks and spoons. When you shift to a zero-waste life, you should be like a
girl scout: always ready. Aside from cloth diapers, she found a solution to an even bigger challenge.
These are my menstrual cups. At first I was hesitant to use one but when I met people online who were
using it, they gave me good feedback. Their feedback was very positive, so I told myself, why don't I use
it also? Her family switched to bamboo toothbrushes. April admits that reusables can be hard on the
pocket but in the long run, you save more. When I think of the long-term costs, I feel I'm able to save.
While some are able to save by avoiding using plastic, Celso Lee dreams of helping his community earn
money from plastics they just throw away. Once my talent was unleashed, I felt it should be put to use
by creating livelihood for others. I just need to teach one person in each barangay, and then they can
teach the rest. My hope is that other people will follow my example. I'm calling on the jobless, those not
doing anything, to learn to do this so they can make money. Is Ella there? I'll help myself to some
bottles, okay? His craft is not limited to art and décor. At first glance, Celso's hammock looks like it was
made from a different kind of mat. Like his other creations, this was made from soda packaging. There
are techniques that only I know. Techniques that look difficult to execute but are actually easy. He says
this is strong. After all, plastic doesn’t decompose, which is why it ends up in heaps. It’s not
biodegradable like paper or wood. Plastic is integral to our daily life, so it's hard to avoid using it. April is
doing what she can, but her effort is made harder because her family owns a small store. Her response
to this is to make ecobricks. These are bottles stuffed with sachets and other plastics that can serve as
hollow blocks in wall construction. I campaigned for this in the office and I was able to encourage some
of them. April introduced ecobrick-making to her office. Due to her advocacy against plastic, she was
dubbed the “sustainability star” at work. She was recognized by our country manager. He endorsed her
idea of using newspapers rather than plastic in trash bins. Another big accomplishment for her is
convincing food vendors to switch to paper containers. She really took it to another level. She was given
an award. The ecobricks April and her co-workers make are given to environmental groups who use
them to build structures. A school in Lubao, Pampanga built a sturdy-looking room with it. So this is
made of ecobricks. How about the floor? Made from bottles. Different colors. Led by the Kapampangan
Manalakaran Incorporated, students in San Pablo 2nd High School were taught how to make use of
ecobricks. We chose this school because it caters to 15 communities. The student body here comes from
different communities so each student can take what they learn about plastic here and bring it to their
own community. The finished structure looks good but its use hasn’t been maximized. It's leaking inside.
What do you think can be done to remedy this? I would suggest the bottles on the roof be attached
more closely and make the concave side face the sky to improve the flow of water. Ecobricks reduce the
plastic waste that ends up in landfills. But this is just a stop-gap solution, much like a band-aid. The long-
term solution is found within our homes and communities. Garbage? Garbage? On the day of garbage
collection in Maimpis in San Fernando City in Pampanga, there’s no garbage truck going around.
Garbage? Take them out. This one holds the plastic. Then here, I put the waste that decomposes. I put
paper products here, including the diapers because there's paper material in it too that can be dissolved.
Then I place the recyclables here. The recyclables can be sold to junkshops. Each home in this
community has learned to segregate their waste. If they bring it out unsegregated, the garbage man will
not collect it. What we do here in the house is segregate at the start. For example, when we cook, we
already start separating the waste and place them in designated bins before it’s collected. Less garbage
is easier to deal with. The choice is in the hands of people. If you want to do something, you’ll find a
way. If you don't, there are so many excuses. After it’s collected, the garbage is brought to the
segregation area behind a school. Because the system works, there’s no stench. Even the flies are few.
How do they benefit from this? They used to throw out 100% of their waste. Today 70% of that . has
become recyclable They are able to sell that, which adds to their household incomes. Not just that –
having a cleaner neighborhood led to fewer dengue cases. Before we had 50 cases a year, now we only
have 5-10. How did the number go down? They used to throw trash in empty lots, so we cleaned those
up and turned these into urban gardens. If the benefits are so significant and obvious, how come others
don't do it? In many communities, often there is no political will to create the program. We committed
to do what is necessary. There's already a law about this and it only needs to be implemented. And of
course, it helps the environment. Maimpis has received many awards recognizing their plastic and waste
disposal system. Segregation has long been required by law. It was introduced in 2000 with the
enactment of Republic Act 9003 . or the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act But after
nearly two decades, only a few places are complying. From the community, the unrecyclable waste is
brought to the city transfer station in San Fernando. Segregation at home does a lot of good. For one, it
has helped the city reduce the budget allotted to waste disposal and use the savings for other projects
like building roads and schools. Before, the city government spent P7 million (US$130,480) every month
on waste management. Today it spends only P2 million (US$37,280). Monetary savings are one thing,
but what can’t be measured is the feeling… that what you do is good for your conscience, for your
home, and for the future. It won't fit! In April's home, we’re reminded that each of us has a duty to help
solve the growing crisis in our environment. As Jose Rizal once said, life matters only when there is a
purpose beyond one's self. I won't become rich from doing this. But there are many other reasons. I do
this for my son. I'm doing it for his future. That’s the essence of this. I don't want to hear my child say
some day that his mother didn't do anything and now the world is full of trash. I want him to remember
me as someone who did something. The future, the environment – we didn’t borrow this from our
elders. We are borrowing it from the future of our children. The elders in my family have told me that in
the past you didn't have to leave Manila to swim in the sea or go on a nature trip. Today, the small strip
of mangroves along the shore of Manila Bay is a reminder of that bygone era. But even here, it doesn’t
take long before you’re confronted by a much larger truth. From Manila, I am Howie Severino and this I-
Witness.

2. Philippine Seas, a documentary by Atom Araullo | Full Episode (with English

subtitles)
With more than 7000 islands in the Philippines, it is not surprising that it is one of the richest
seas in the whole world. Not even one hour from the wharf, we can already see dolphins Here, here,
they're underneath. You can see them. Each creature is amazing. This extraordinary creature, just
resting right there. More than 1.5 million Filipinos are continuing to rely on the ocean. We got caught
up in a thunderstorm mid sea. And there are new discoveries in part of our seas, just like the Philippine
Rise, which has resources said to be able to feed the entire Philippines. The area of the Philippine Rise
is the birthing place of these big fish. It is beneficial for us Filipinos. Philippines is the center of the
center of marine biodiversity of the whole world. Meaning, we can find here the most diverse marine
species in our planet. Therefore, our ocean plays a big role in the whole state of the world's marine
ecosystem. It was said that if the marine population in the Philippines decreases, the whole planet is
affected. What's alarming here, is it is already beginning to take place. The truth is, due to overfishing,
illegal fishing, climate change, and water pollution, it was said by the year 2050, it is possible that we
may not have anymore fish to catch. Also in the year 2050, more garbage will be in the ocean compared
to the sea creatures. How will we fight these threats? It's sad because there's only so many of them.
Then you approach the sea turtles like that. What did the sea turtles do to you? In fact, like you'll
betray and kill for what? Join me on a special journey heading towards the open sea and my dive in
Luzon Wow! We're so lucky! Visayas You can't even recognize them. It's like a big animal. and
Mindanao It's heavy. Can you believe it, this is the small one around 30 kilos. For a deep discussion, of
the state of our ocean. Even before, I love photography. Because in every picture, there's a story.
Every picture may become an instrument to change. I kind of fell in love with the idea of taking
photographs. It's a different appeal that you can freeze a moment in history that will never ever happen
again. I'm now more interested in capturing how we utilize nature to improve our lives As a diver, it's
my mission to document through selfies, photos, and videos the images that will represent the current
and future condition of our ocean. The 10 days of my travel will begin with diving and exploring the
biggest marine protected area in our archipelago, the Tañon Strait in Visayas. First stop, the town of
Bais in Negros Oriental Not even one hour from the wharf, we can already see dolphins and we are
kinda lucky there are no other tourist nearby so it's all to myself Here, here, they're underneath. You
can see them. They're in sync with the boat. For more than 2 decades, dolphin watching has been an
attraction here in Bais. Here, the dolphins are free to swim not in a tank or aquarium Dolphins are
aquatic mammals known for being intelligent and playful. Some of them even show off by performing
aerial acrobatics They are called spinner dolphins. They're size is around 4 feet. They come in great
numbers If you see one, others will follow later Then you can really see them following the boat slowly.
They're swimming slowly like they're enjoying the presence of the boat Spinner dolphins are known for
their rostrum or long nose They're carnivorous, eating small fish and squid at night. In the morning,
they swim on the shallow parts of the ocean to rest and play The fishermen told me that the number of
dolphins you can see on the surface is double the number underneath. Since it's forbidden to swim in
the ocean with the dolphins I just became contented with taking a selfie with them on the boat. You
can hear a little bit the sound they make like very high pitch it's almost like a whistle I've seen dolphins
before, but it was the first time I saw that MANY dolphins in one place and also experience them
swimming right next to the boat I feel like they're also curious about us. From the month of March to
October is the breeding season of the dolphins We were lucky we witnessed a scene rarely captured on
camera The mating or intercourse of dolphins There are 2 spinner dolphins here I think are attempting
to stick together Dolphins are very tactile like they want to be touched by each other. The dolphin
watching in Tañon Strait brings in 1.6 million pesos profit in the town of Bais. So amazing! I was
speechless! It's a big help in their tourism and livelihood of boatmen like Mang Ricardo But the
dolphins before were once considered to be they're enemies. They were our competition in fishing.
They eat the small fish we no longer have fish to catch We were mad at the dolphins, we kill them.
They're like humans, they'll cry. You can clearly see the tears in their eyes falling. It is strictly forbidden
in their town to catch or kill dolphins As an alternative livelihood, Mang Ricardo worked as a boatman
of a tourist boat I realized that my actions were wrong in the past killing dolphins Dolphins can actually
help in our livelihood. That's why the former enemies of the dolphins are now they're number 1
protector. Oceana Philippines also went to Tañon Strait International NGO or non government
organization to document the dolphins of Bais They plan to exhibit this in the upcoming international
convention for migratory animals taking place in Manila Hopefully good enough to make a good exhibit
and inspire many to really take care our dolphins Also part of the tour in Tañon Strait, is to visit
Manjuyod sandbar named as the Maldives of the Philippines This is the Manjuyod sandbar that will sink
and appear When it's high tide, you won't see it but when it's low tide, it can reach the length of 7
kilometers Here, you can walk on the fine white sand and swim the crystal-like sea It was declared to
be a protected seascape of the previous administration Ramos, the Tañon Strait The home of 11 out of
24 marine mammals found in the Philippines The leader of Tañon Strait protected seascape admits that
with the vast area of Tañon, it is not easy to protect. Last year, 1 commercial fishing vessel in the
northern side of Tañon Strait was blocked by the authorities.

Module 9
1. Plastic Oceans | What is the impact of pollution in the sea?

WALANG TRANSCRIPT

2. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Earth the globe Terra our world no matter what you call planet Earth it is our home and the
small span of time the Homo Sapien has existed we have made profound impacts on the condition of
our planet from the depths of the jungle to the heights of the mountaintops the human footprint is
encountered across the expanse of the globe one of the most prolific impacts humanity has had in our
world lies in our oceans human waste specifically plastics have built up in our oceans posing an
imminent threat not only to nature but to humans as well the Great Pacific Garbage Patch illustrates the
effects that we as humans have had on the marine environment located in the northern pacific ocean
and the largest of five garbage patches the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the product of tons of debris
which have made their way into the ocean from lakes rivers and streams the garbage caught in this
patch is unable to escape caught in a vortex created by ocean currents the patch more than three times
the size of Texas spans from the coast of Japan all the way to Hawaii and even to California furthermore
the total amount of garbage in the patch is impossible to calculate because of the thick layers of built-up
waste a lot of the garbage in the water is made up of type and plastics consisting of abandoned fishing
nets and plastic rope type H hard plastics and type F foam plastics also comprised large portions of the
patch since more than 180 times more plastic than food is found at the surface of the Garbage Patch
unsuspecting sea life such as sea turtles and have up to 74 percent of their diets composed of this ocean
plastic although it may appear that the effects of the Garbage Patch and with marine life it has become
evidence that these patches lead to detrimental effects for human life as well while plastic does not
organically degrade it does still break down into what experts have termed micro plastics these tiny
fragments of plastic enter our food supply through sea food and sea salt once in our digestive systems
they disrupt the human endocrine system and throw our hormones out of balance the effects of the
Great Pacific Garbage Patch are extensive however humans can help orchestrate a change first we must
acknowledge that our actions do have an impact on the environment whether we think they do or not
as an individual a family member and a community you possess the power to affect a change
organizations such as for ocean and the ocean cleanup fund and conduct research towards this cause by
donating and volunteering you can help make a difference however supporting such organizations is not
the only way to help you can make an impact as an individual through recycling plastic bottles and
containers reducing the amount of plastic you use and reusing your current plastic products spread
awareness on the effect of waste and micro plastics in our oceans by being an advocate for our oceans
our sea life and our species change starts with you we created this problem so together we can solve it
to create a future for our world planet and home.

3. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Not What You Think It Is | The Swim
SCENES LIKE THIS ARE A DAILY REALITY FOR THE CREW OF SEEKER ON THEIR PACIFIC TREK.
SOME ESTIMATES HOLD THAT BY 2050, THERE COULD BE AS MUCH PLASTIC AS THERE ARE FISH IN THE
OCEAN. BUT WHAT IS ALL THIS JUNK, EXACTLY? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? AND IS IT REALLY
CONCENTRATED IN A GIANT ‘GARBAGE PATCH’ SOMEWHERE OUT THERE? MARCUS ERIKSEN IS AN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST WHO HAS MADE IT HIS LIFE’S MISSION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF
MARINE PLASTIC. IT’S A GLOBAL ISSUE, BECAUSE PLASTIC ACCUMULATES IN GYRES, LARGE CIRCULAR
CURRENTS THAT THREAD THROUGH THE WORLD’S OCEANS. What's leaving land heading out to sea is all
the single-use packaging: it's the straws, the bags, the bottles, the cup lids, the stir sticks, all this junk
that we use once and throw away. A plastic bottle leaving California will get to Japan in about three to
five years and come back across the northern half of the North Pacific. That spinning mass of water is a
gyre. Plastic trash will migrate to those zones and get stuck. We actually take boats out in the middle of
nowhere, we drag our net behind the boat and we count the plastic particles that are floating. Working
with ocean modelers, we can get these regional maps of how much trash is out there, what it is and
where it is. BUT ANSWERING EVEN THESE BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT MARINE DEBRIS HAS PROVEN TO BE
SURPRISINGLY CHALLENGING. IN FACT, EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE PROVERBIAL ‘GREAT
PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH’ STARTED IN 1990, WHEN A CONTAINER SHIP SPILLED 61,000 SNEAKERS INTO
THE OCEAN. Realizing that a lot of these sneakers would never come to shore, that they would would
just be stuck in this vortex, Curtis Ebbesmeyer, working with James Ingraham Jr. at NOAA, they’re the
ones that came up with the term 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch.' CAPTAIN CHARLES MOORE IS OFTEN
CREDITED WITH THE FIRST OBSERVATIONS OF THE PATCH, A CONSTELLATION OF MICROPLASTIC
PARTICLES THAT CAPTURED THE PUBLIC’S IMAGINATION. Captain Charles Moore had described the
area: he said, 'Look, I'm in an area roughly twice the size of Texas where I'm doing my transects' and that
hit the media by storm. There aren't these islands of trash; they don't exist. It's more like a smog of
microplastic particles, billions of them, very toxic over a wide area. EVEN WHEN THEY BECOME BRITTLE
AND BREAK APART, PLASTIC PIECES PERSIST. UNABLE TO OXIDIZE OR BECOME WATERLOGGED LIKE
METALS, WOOD OR PAPER, ALL TYPES OF PLASTIC ARE DESIGNED TO DEFEAT NATURAL DECAY. In
general, high density polyethylene, number two plastic, is the most common plastic in consumer use,
and it makes your soap bottles, it makes your toothbrushes, it makes many of the consumer goods that
float out in the garbage patch. If we think in terms of all the plastic that’s been produced since 1950,
since it’s a synthetic material, hydrocarbons, it’s probably still here today on the planet. DR. SARAH-
JEANNE ROYER WORKS WITH DR. NIKOLAI MAXIMENKO AND HIS TEAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM OF TRACKING TRASH. Most of the time, we will find only bottle caps and not
the bottle itself because the bottle is made out of PET. It's sinking because the density of PET is higher
than seawater. DESPITE THE DRAMATIC AMOUNT OF PLASTIC THE CREW OF SEEKER HAS
ENCOUNTERED, SOME ESTIMATES HOLD THAT 99% OF OCEAN-BOUND PLASTIC WASTE IS STILL
UNACCOUNTED FOR. THAT’S WHY SARAH’S TEAM IS WORKING WITH THE SWIM EXPEDITION AND THE
OCEAN VOYAGES INSTITUTE TO TAG AND TRACK THE WASTE THEY FIND. The Swim are using two
different protocols. The first protocol is a visual survey of all marine debris they see from the vessel
itself. Whenever they find an object that is large enough, they will get closer to the debris, they will take
pictures of it. If there are numbers or lettering, they will share this information with us, so we can track
back the origin of that debris. The second protocol is basically to attach a GPS buoy onto a marine debris
to track their movement in the ocean. ONCE THE TRACKER IS ACTIVATED, IT ENABLES SCIENTISTS TO
BOTH IMPROVE MODELS OF HOW TRASH TRAVELS IN THE OCEAN, AND LEARN WHERE TO FOCUS
CLEANUP EFFORTS. MOST OF THE TIME, SARAH AND HER TEAM CAN’T IMMEDIATELY TELL WHERE A
PIECE OF PLASTIC COMES FROM. BUT THEY CAN LOOK FOR OTHER CLUES. We need to use an FTIR or
micro-Raman spectroscopy. This spectrum is matching a spectrum that is found in the library telling us
what is the type of plastic. It's probably the dream of all scientists to have a satellite and a new
instrumentation to be able to quantify the amount of plastic floating at sea. THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF
PLASTIC IS POISONOUS. ITS MANUFACTURING PROCESS DEPENDS ON HARMFUL CHEMICALS, AND
WHEN RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, IT SOAKS UP EVEN MORE TOXINS, AND TRANSPORTS THEM
FAR AND WIDE… INCLUDING INTO OUR BODIES. PLASTIC CAN CHOKE THE OCEAN’S ABILITY TO ABSORB
CO2 FROM THE ATMOSPHERE, EXACERBATING CLIMATE CHANGE. Only 10 percent of the habitat is on
land. The rest, 90 percent of the habitat's in the ocean, and it’s totally unexplored for the most part.
Imagining all the jungles, all the deserts, all the savannas, all the Rocky Mountains... the ocean would be
nine times more. The idea that somehow it could be 50 percent plastic, 50 percent fish in a mere 30
years is horrifying. BUT THE SITUATION IS FAR FROM HOPELESS. ORGANIZATIONS ARE DEVELOPING
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CLEAN UP OCEAN PLASTIC. MATERIALS SCIENTISTS ARE TURNING THEIR
ATTENTION TO NEW PACKAGING SOLUTIONS. AND CONSUMERS ARE MAKING MORE INFORMED
CHOICES EVERY DAY. How can we use our science to influence laws and policymakers? When you refuse
the single-use plastics, it has an effect on your neighborhood, on your local watershed, and the ocean.
Now, seeing the UN talking about it, seeing companies rise up and say, ‘We're going zero waste.’ To see
countries make a commitment to stop the flow of trash from land to sea... I feel optimistic that we can
solve this problem. Be sure to visit Seeker.com/TheSwim to read daily updates from Ben Lecomte, track
his progress in real time, and watch more videos about the science happening onboard Seeker. Click
here for this next episode, and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching.

4. The Insane True Scale of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

What weighs more than 43,000 cars and is over two times the size of Texas the largest garbage
dump on earth the Great Pacific Garbage Patch also known as the Pacific trash vortex this collection of
ocean faring garbage weighs more than 87,000 tons and consists of 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic located
in the eastern Pacific Ocean between the states of Hawaii and California this garbage accumulation zone
is actually one of six garbage concentrations throughout the world's oceans formed from rotating ocean
currents known as tires these gyres are systems of circular ocean currents formed by the Earth's wind
patterns and horses from the rotation of the Earth's the other five garbage patches located in the North
Atlantic South Atlantic Indian Ocean West Pacific and South Pacific are equally problematic because
these garbage patches are so far from any one country's coastline any one nation is unlikely to take on
the responsibility of cleaning this garbage up on its own it is estimated today at roughly 1.2 to 2.4 million
tons of plastic is entering the ocean each year which is the equivalent of 100,000 garbage trucks
dumping their trash into the ocean most of this plastic is less dense than water meaning that it will not
sink once it encounters the sea these plastics are then transported out to sea by converging ocean
currents before finally accumulating in one of the garbage patches the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
covers an estimated surface area of roughly 1.6 million square kilometres which as mentioned before
equates to an area roughly 2 times the size of Texas the latest sampling estimates that the patch
contains 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic or about 250 pieces for every human on earth the Garbage Patch
contains a variety of plastics in all shapes and sizes including plastic lighters toothbrushes water bottles
pens baby bottles cellphones plastic bags and more additionally lost fishing nets and other fishing gear
make up a substantial portion of the total plastic count and tangling and endangering whales turtles fish
and damaging coral reefs just this past year during a 25 day cleanup expedition roughly 40 tons of
abandoned fishing nets or retrieve from the patch in an effort to safeguard marine life the most
troubling aspect of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is what is known as microplastics over time larger
plastic objects deteriorate from exposure to the Sun waves and marine life what's worse is that due to
its size and color marine life often confuses plastic with food causing major damage to their own health
many times these plastics will fill up the animal stomachs causing them not to eat and die from
malnutrition as an example sea turtles caught in nearby fisheries operating within or around the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch have seen up to 74 percent of their diets composed entirely of plastic once these
micro plastics enter the marine food web there is also a good possibility that it will contaminate the
human food chain as well through a process called bio accumulation chemicals and plastics will enter
the body of the animals feeding on the plasti as the feeder becomes prey the chemicals passed to the
predator eventually making their way all the way up the food web and potentially into human beings
micro plastics have been found in all stages of the food chain starting with phytoplankton zooplankton
crustaceans smaller fish and larger fish these larger fish such as Pollock tuna cod and salmon are then
caught by fishermen before appearing on a dinner plate near you scientists have yet to determine
exactly how to quantify this damage and exactly what the impact will be on human health over the long
term it may not be possible to entirely rid the world of ocean garbage patches some of the plastic
material will take extremely long time to break down and degrade in the environment while other
materials may never fully go away we do know however that if nothing is done the location and sizes of
these garbage patches are likely to increase in size and likely continue to have adverse effects on the
environment one thing we can all do to contribute towards solving the problem is to reduce the use of
single-use packaging such as sandwich bags juice cartons straws and excess packaging these simple
decisions will significantly reduce the plastic you accumulate and thus the plastic that ends up in the
ocean on a larger scale there are several ocean cleanup projects ongoing hoping to rid the world of
these ocean garbage patches one notable effort known as the ocean cleanup project is being led by
bullion and slat a young 24 year old entrepreneur from the Netherlands he hopes that by using his
ingenious system we can clean up up to 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within the next
five years alone the system consists of a large 600 metre long floatation device that sits at the surface of
the water this device is then connected to a three meter deep skirt attached in the water below the
floating component provides buoyancy to the system and prevents plastic from flowing over it while the
skirt low stops debris from escaping underneath as the system is affected by natural ocean forces such
as current wind and waves the system will be propelled through the water capturing plastic along the
way as the accumulation of plastic increases the system will slowly move to surround the plastic before
a garbage boat will come along to remove the collected plastic to be transported back to shore the
system is also designed to be inherently safe for marine life in several different ways first and foremost
the system will be moving at extremely slow speeds allowing marine life to swim away and escape
without being caught secondly because the screen is impenetrable ocean currents will flow underneath
the screen guiding that marine life that cannot actively move while the plastics that float will remain
inside the system thirdly as the screen or skirt is not a net see life cannot become entangled like they
would a typical fishing net if a fish comes in contact with the screen it will simply rub against it as it
swims away without becoming trapped in addition to this when the plastic is periodically collected
people will be present to check for any marine life before the plastic is lifted out of the water efforts like
these are slated to make a huge impact on our environment for the better it is important that we do our
part and make cleaning up the oceans a priority over the next few decades the United Nations has
estimated that if nothing is done the oceans will contain more weight from plastics than fish by the year
2050 thanks for watching this video what ways will you help contribute to the cleanup of the ocean
garbage patches across the world comment below on your ideas and be sure to share like and subscribe.

Module 10
1.) 10 Major Current Environmental Problems

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2.) ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

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