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we have to protect it.

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Find out why plastic in the oceans is a major environmental problem

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With so much seafood now containing plastic, the question is no longer are we eating plastic, but how bad is it for our health? In seawater, plastic absorbs chemicals like PCBs and DDTs which have been linked to endocrine disruption and even some cancers, becoming more powerful as they work their way up the food chain. Microplastics have now been found in human blood and disturbingly known to pass from mothers to their unborn children through the placentae.

The beach is where we go to connect with nature. It's simply not the same if it's covered in plastic. And with coastal tourism worth £5.5 billion to the UK economy, many of us count on it being clean for our livelihoods.

Even if you don't eat fish or go to the beach, everybody breathes. And all that essential oxygen? Marine plants produce a massive 70% of it.

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Immerse yourself in plastic trash and its shocking impact on our blue planet to better understand the big issues at play.

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If surfers aren't a good enough information source...

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Green Cities

EARTH DAY 2018 | END PLASTIC POLLUTION

Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean

The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife.

The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and to get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!

FACT #1
About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually[1]. Of those, 236,000 tons are microplastics[2] - tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail

FACT #8
The likelihood of coral becoming diseased increases from 4% to 89% after coming in contact with marine plastic. It also damages the skin of coral, allowing infection[9]. Coral reefs are home to more than 25% of marine life.[10]

[1] Jambeck, J. R., et al. "Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean." Science, vol. 347, no. 6223, 13 Feb. 2015, pp. 768-771., doi:10.1126/science.1260352.

[2] Erik van Sebille et al 2015 Environ. Res. Lett. 10 124006

[3] https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

[4] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/every-minute-one-garbage-truck-of-plastic-is-dumped-into-our-oceans/

[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/how-scientists-plan-to-clean-up-the-plastic-waste-threatening-marine-life-a6820276.html

[6] https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics-catalysing-action

[7] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/15/plastics-found-in-stomachs-of-deepest-sea-creatures

[8] Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit, Earth Day Network, 2018

[9] Lamb, Joleah B., et al. "Plastic Waste Associated with Disease on Coral Reefs." Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 26 Jan. 2018, science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460.
[10]https://coral.org/coral-reefs-101/coral-reef-ecology/coral-reef-biodiversity/ [12]http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-from-our-clothing-is-ending-up-in-fish/
[11] https://www.theoceancleanup.com/updates/how-ocean-plastics-turn-into-a-dangerous-meal/

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Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean | Earth Day

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EARTH DAY 2018 | END PLASTIC POLLUTION Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous [...]

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Solutions start here...

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In nature, nothing exists alone. - Rachel Carson, 1962

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"In nature, nothing exists alone."
- Rachel Carson, 1962

Through climate change, humans have irrevocably upset the balance of nature - now, species are undergoing the greatest extinction rate in more than 60 million years. If we don't act now, extinction may be humanity's most enduring legacy.

The Conservation and Biodiversity program amplifies and accelerates transformative societal change to restore and protect biodiversity. In a future committed to protecting both wildlife and humanity, this preservation of biodiversity is one of the many solutions to the climate crisis.

All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. The rate of extinction can still be slowed. Many of our declining, threatened and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, faith leaders and scientists to demand immediate action.

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. "
- Chief Seattle, 1854

The Conservation and Biodiversity program educates and raises awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. The program seeks to build a global movement that embraces nature and its values and encourage individual actions such as adopting plant based diets and stopping pesticide and herbicide use.

One way the program achieves its goals is through a diverse network of partners. Targeting boots-on-the-ground activism, the program guides organizations to increase ambition and grow public participation in species and biodiversity conservation in their respective regions.

Climate change threatens the stability of ecosystems around the world. Nature's gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. The Conservation and Biodiversity program allows people to explore and connect with nature around them and helps establish a care ethic to make positive decisions for the environment.

DOWNLOAD THE EARTH CHALLENGE 2020 APP TODAY AND HELP SAVE BEE POPULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

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Conservation and Biodiversity | Earth Day

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Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display Skip to Content "In nature, nothing exists alone." - Rachel Carson, 1962 Through climate change, humans have irrevocably upset the balance of nature - now, species are undergoing the greatest extinction rate in more than 60 million years.

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What can you and your school do to help?

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What can you and your school do to help?

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It's time for action