RIO + 20  AND ARPOADOR + 20 

Rio + 20

Back in 1992, when I was called on to narrate the official video of the Eco-92 Global Forum in English, I believe that most people had high hopes that some definite effective measures would be taken  by government and industry to halt or at least seriously diminish the man-made pollution and consequent devastation of our natural environment. Twenty years have passed during which we have seen little more than posturing by governments and world leaders, who are evidently more concerned with preserving their own power structures and pandering to industrial lobby bodies than they are with taking any real stand in favour of the planet.

Arpoador + 20 


Yesterday, while world leaders tried to reach agreement on what to do about the devastation of the environment, beach-goers left 20 kilos of plastic garbage and assorted trash just on the water line of  Ipanema beach at Arpoador. It seems that the message is not getting through to those who carelessly leave their trash on the beach where the waves sweep it into the sea. I have a message for such people: Congratulations! You are contributing to the devastation of marine ecosystems! 

THE CONSEQUENCES OF LEAVING PLASTIC TRASH ON THE BEACH. 


"SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?", YOU MAY WELL ASK.  SOME SAY:  "I DO NOT LEAVE SO MUCH TRASH AND THE MUNICIPAL GARBAGE COLLECTORS ARE PAID TO PICK IT UP!"


WELL, IF YOU LEAVE YOUR BUNDLE OF TRASH NEAR OR ON THE WATERLINE, THE SEA WILL WASH IT AWAY INTO THE OPEN OCEAN BEFORE THE GARBAGE COLLECTORS CAN PICK IT UP AND THESE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES:


1). THE PLASTIC IS CARRIED AWAY BY OCEAN CURRENTS AND FORMS ENORMOUS PATCHES OF PLASTIC GARBAGE IN OCEAN GYRES.  Plastic leaches toxic chemicals such as Bisphenol A into the oceans. Fish eat minute pieces of plastic, mistaking them for plankton and sea birds swallow plastic. Thus, plastic enters the marine food chain.  Ultimately, this has a devastating effect not only on marine ecosystems but also on the health of humans who eat fish. See this:http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Plastic


and also https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=mw#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=PHOTOS+OF+PLASTIC+TRASH+IN+THE+ATLANTIC&oq=PHOTOS+OF+PLASTIC+TRASH+IN+THE+ATLANTIC&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=hp.3...1791.13161.0.13552.39.37.0.2.2.0.341.9192.2-35j2.37.0...0.0.rn3IKKvNtkc&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=60909d0e42a1fcbc&biw=1634&bih=884

2). THE SOUTH ATLANTIC HAS A LARGE PLASTIC GARBAGE PATCH. SEE: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1629861724/another-garbage-patch-exploration-across-the-south

3). THE GARBAGE WE LEAVE ON OR NEAR THE WATERLINE ON THE BEACH LIKE THIS

IS TAKEN BY THE WAVES AND RISING TIDE AND ENDS UP IN THE OCEANS LIKE THIS.
 NEED I SAY MORE?

LET'S CLEAN UP BRAZIL

The  Projeto Limpeza na Praia do Instituto Ecológico Aqualung  (the Beach Clean-up Project of the Aqualung Ecological Institute) organised an event called "Vamos Limpar Brasil” (Let's Clean Up Brazil) for Saturday June the 2nd, 2012.

The clean-up was set to take place between 10:00 and 13:00 on the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, São Conrado, Barra da Tijuca, Sepetiba, Ilha de Paquetá, Maricá and Saquarema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Such an event is laudable. Periodical clean-ups are good but what is really needed is a Brazilian national effort to build public awareness about the consequences of leaving trash on the beach. We need the promotion of government campaigns on TV, in schools and in universities. 

I do my own single-handed clean-up 2 or 3 times a week on half of Ipanema beach, along the waterline. However, I fear that the effect on the mass of the general public is practically nil. In fact, you can collect the trash along the waterline and people see you doing it but continue to leave their trash as soon as you have passed by. The fact is that they are completely insensitive about the damage caused by trash on the beach. In some cases, it is pure selfishness. In other cases, it is pure ignorance. 

Although I usually do my clean-up on Ipanema beach at the end of the afternoon, I decided to do it earlier on Saturday and see how the organised clean-up was coming on.  I got to the beach about 11:00  but must confess that I personally did not see anyone collecting trash on the beach. 

I jogged down the waterline from a point opposite Rua Teixeira de Melo to Jardim De Allah. Although there were not many people on the beach, about 15 kilos of plastic and other trash had been left along the stretch between the low and high tide marks. The waves were already sweeping the trash into the sea.  You can reckon that the volume would have been 10 times that at the end of the day. 

This is a photo of the plastic bag I used, my gloves and the trash collected: