"Plastics, a serious threat for the sea"
Spain is the second country that pours the most plastics in the Mediterranean, only behind Turkey.
The proliferation of plastics in the sea has become a serious threat to the ecosystem and a risk for the human health. A study elaborated by the NGO WWF locates Spain at the head of those that pour the largest amounts of residue in the Mediterranean sea. In the archipelago, an association called “Canarias libre de Plasticos” (The Canaries free off plastics) has been created in order to deal with a problem that is getting worse and worse.
Terrible consequences
The WWF NGO has carried out a study called “A weave of plastic. Freeing the Mediterranean of plastic” (Una trama del plástico. Liberando de plástico el Mediterráneo), that shows the dramatic effects of excessive use of plastics, the bad management of residues and the impact of mass tourism on the Mediterranean sea. The general secretary of WWF, Juan Carlos Olmo, explained that the problem is worldwide and causing serious damages, not only for the natural environment but also for the human health. Mr Olmo explained that “if it keeps on getting worse, this problem will threaten the worldwide reputation of the Mediterranean regarding tourism and the fishing industry, weakening the local communities that depend from those sectors to survive” and he warned that the plastic problem requires a “real and joint action”. In truth, the cleaning of the 50.000 kilometres of beaches and shores in Europe costs between 194 and 630 million euros yearly. The ONG explained the serious consequences caused by large pieces of plastic that hurt, suffocate and even kill marine animals, including species that are in danger of extinction and protected, such as marine turtles and Mediterranean monk seals. The proposals from WWF to the governments, businesses and individuals are based on adopting an international agreement that aims at reaching 100% of recycled and reusable plastic by 2030 and ban unique use plastics, such as bags. “It is only by working together that we will manage to free our oceans, rivers, towns and lives of unnecessary plastics”, explained Giuseppe Di Carlo, director of the Mediterranean Marine Initiative of WWF. Furthermore, the terrible consequences go further than the flora and the fauna. Many studies have quantified the damages to the tourism sector: loss of aesthetical and visual values, negative reputation, loss of income, etc. It is estimated that marine waste costs the fishing industry in the European Union around 61,7 million Euros per year through the drop in captures, the damages to boats and the reduction in demand of seafood because of the fear of poor quality.
"Solo actuando todos juntos podremos liberar nuestros océanos, ríos, ciudades y vidas del plástico innecesario"
Spain in top position
The survey shows shocking data such as the fact that 95% of residue that floats in the Mediterranean sea are plastics that come from Turkey and Spain, followed by Italy, Egypt and France. On the other hand, they also report that the twenty-eight members of the European Union together with Norway and Switzerland are the second largest producers of plastic after China. This represents a total of 27 million tons of plastic waste all over the world per year. In this list, Spain is in a sad fourth position.
“Canarias libre de Plásticos”
The Non Profit Making Association called “Canarias libre de Plásticos” (The Canaries free of plastics) was created in order to clean the shores of the islands from the recent invasion of plastic waste that covers the coasts and in addition to the shores, they will also organise dives in order to clean the marine depths in some locations. In it a citizen initiative that aims at getting the society involved in facing this problem and in helping with the cleaning. The organisers pointed out that “cleaning the beaches is worthless if we don't manage to make the population aware of habits that respect the environment and generate less waste”.
