Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics
The theme for this year’s Earth Day is “Planet vs. Plastics”, and the focus is on plastic pollution. The aim is to reduce the amount of plastic produced by 60% by 2040.
Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics
The theme for this year’s Earth Day is “Planet vs. Plastics”, and the focus is on plastic pollution. The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic produced by 60% by 2040.
22. april 2024
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In the same way as climate change, plastic waste affects every corner of the globe. It pollutes on land, in the air and in the sea. From the cradle to the grave, we ingest plastic when we eat and breathe.
Scientists believe that microplastics in our bodies may be the cause of cancer and autism, Alzheimer’s, birth defects and reduced fertility.
That is why “Planet vs. Plastics” has been chosen as the theme for Earth Day 2024. They encourage everyone to participate in the fight against plastic, and demand a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040.
From 23–29 In April, the fourth round of negotiations on a global plastics agreement will be held in Ottawa, Canada. It is more important than ever to get this in place – and as many as 85% of respondents in a new survey support a global ban on single-use plastics.
PODCAST
What can be done with plastic in the sea?
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by news about the dangers of microplastics and plastic pollution. What can we mere mortals do about it?
The most important thing we as divers can do is to remove plastic waste from the seabed. Then we can prevent it from turning into microplastics, which humans and animals ingest.
Plastic waste kills thousands of marine mammals, turtles, sharks, seabirds and other animals. Lost and abandoned fishing gear kills countless crabs, lobsters and fish.
Plastic is found in the deepest oceans, in the Arctic and Antarctic and on uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean. The waste turns into microplastics that end up in the food chain – and eventually on our own dinner plate.
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9 out of 10 want a global ban
Globally, 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced a year, and at least 14 million tonnes end up in the sea. Plastic makes up 80% of all marine waste from the surface to the bottom of the great ocean depths.
You can contribute by choosing goods without plastic packaging. Do you really need a bag for those two tomatoes? Every time you opt out of plastic, a little less is produced.
Microplastics spread throughout Norway
We encourage all diving clubs and diving centers to mark Earth Day 2024 by going on Facebook and creating an event to remove plastic and marine waste.
Clean up a beach, do a clean-up dive or remove abandoned fishing gear from the seabed. No effort is too small, because everything starts small.
Earth Day has been marked annually since 1970, and is the most important catalyst for environmental commitment and recruitment to the environmental movement in the world.
Today, close to a billion people will engage to focus on the plastic crisis, the destruction of the environment and the need for immediate action.