We analysed data from 29,798 clean-ups around the world to uncover some of the worst litter hotspots

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 06:23:45 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/we-analysed-data-from-29-798-clean-ups-around-the-world-to-uncover-some-of-the-worst-litter-hotspots-167280>

"Coastal litter is a big environmental problem. But how does this litter differ
around the world, and why? In the first global analysis of its kind, we set out
to answer those questions using data collected by thousands of citizen
scientists.

Our analysis, released today, discovered litter hotspots on every inhabited
continent, including Australia. This finding busts two persistent myths: that
most of the world’s plastic pollution comes from just a few major rivers, and
that countries in the Global South are largely to blame for the marine plastic
problem.

Single-use plastics formed the majority of litter in this study. And in
general, litter hotspots were associated with socioeconomic factors such as a
concentration of built infrastructure, less national wealth, and a high level
of lighting at night.

Our insights reveal the complex patterns driving coastal pollution, and suggest
there is no “one size fits all” solution to cleaning up the world’s oceans. In
fact, the best solution is to stop the waste problem long before it reaches the
sea."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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