Think the Earth

Plastic garbage, riding the waves - we've all witnessed such a sight at lease once in our lives.

According to the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, this "soup" like cluster of plastic garbage held together by the underwater sea currents stretches across the Pacific. And the surface area of the "soup" is said to be about twice the size of mainland US.

The "soup," which drifts from California to Hawaii, and even near Japan, forms 2 clusters, holding waste that amounts to about 100 million tons. One-fifth of comes from trash thrown off of ships and oil platforms, and the remainder is said to have floated adrift from land.

Charles Moore, an American oceanographer, who discovered this "soup," warns that unless consumers decrease the amount of disposable plastics they use, the "soup" will double in size in the next 10 years.

And according to the United Nations Environment Programme, almost 100,000 mammals and more than 1 million seabirds are dying annually due to accidental ingestion, etc.

We recalled that during a trip, we saw a sea lion that had got plastic garbage caught around its neck. We also saw that in South America and Africa, where recycling processes are lacking, huge amounts of plastic products were dumped in a heap.

We hope we will be able to reduce the consumption of plastic before the Pacific Ocean becomes covered in plastic.