SOCIETY#21 SLOG: #NoPlasticPollution #OceanHealthMatters.

environmental protection matters: protect Oceans’ Health.

The accumulation of plastics at sea is a concern that Korean Administration is voicing over the years. The “Beachcombing Festival to Tackle Ocean Waste” is organised every year at Haeundae Beach, Busan, Korea.

“The Seventh Continent”

The caption below, pictured from this year’s exhibition, reports the impact of human’s act in harming our oceans’ health:

While the so-called “Seventh Continent”, and island of floating plastic 15 times the size of Korea, may have been generated by plastics polluting our oceans globally, and not just from Korea alone, I must commend the Korea Administration for their open admission of their impact in forming it. As a nation, Korea has taken action to raise awareness at local country level.

Korean Awareness Campaign

According to the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology in 2014, 210,000 pieces of plastic were contained in a ton of seawater collected from the sea near their Geoje Island territory; they stated that if a ton of sea water is divided into 500 two-litre bottled water bottles, each bottle would contain 420 micro-plastics. They ended up by stating that Korea has the highest concentration of micro-plastics in the world!

I do commend the Korea Administration for being this open; in my personal opinion, the first check to be done before any challenge can be successfully and most effectively resolved is the ”reality check”. The best way to start solving our planet’s health is to be aware of, admit and understand this reality. Bravo Korea for following this path!

I must admit I have not researched any further into data from other Administrations; I am not sure how much Korea contributes to the growth of ”The Seventh Continent”. I would just wish that every nation follows the Korea example, and measures their ocean plastics polluting impact. Knowing how strict the Korean national recycling policies and regulations are on their citizens, and the high degree of compliance I do observe by Korean society, I am alarmed at the potential size of this challenge; and at the subsequent potential lack of timely action to tackle it within societies that may not have been made as aware: we all need to act for ocean’s health.

We could be more openly intentional

We talk about the Environment a lot these days; United Nations For Climate Change COPs conferences keep succeeding one another. The ocean is part of our environment too. Yet, it appears to face a less publicly made known danger: it could be facing unnecessary pollution from human inaction by now.

I wish that the International Community do assign intentional resources to action this challenge: because ocean’s health matter.

Caring for the environment must include caring for the oceans’ health too. Oceans, like our atmosphere, make our Planet uniquely liveable for humans; we should keep the ocean healthy: ”blue”!

Let’s focus on understanding our individual impact in keeping our oceans healthy-blue. Let’s pledge for action, Beach by Beach, City Council by City Council, City by City, Province by Province, Country by Country: Forming an Ocean’s Voice; acting on Oceans’ Health together. Haeundae Beach and Busan City Council is a great leading example.

Positive impact to ocean’s health: a great initiative for humans to nurture in 2022.

and we change the world.

hUmAn21.