I’ve talked about Chris Jordan‘s photography work before, but now he is working with a team on the production of a film called Midway (check out the trailer). It will look at the albatross on the Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean and give us a glimpse into both the ecological processes of the island system and the devastating effects of our plastic consumption that is killing seabirds and other wildlife in astonishing numbers.
Midway Atoll is a collection of three small islands in the North Pacific, and one of the most remote places on earth. In many ways, this film could be shot in many places on the planet where we find tragedy and despair, but here- about halfway between the U.S. and Asia- on an island teeming with life and wonder, it is the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
Midway Atoll is located near the apex of what is being called the Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling soup of millions of tons of plastic pollution. In fact, much of this plastic can not be seen at, but it can’t be avoided as it comes ashore on these pristine beaches and in the stomachs of the birds. The islands are literally covered with plastic garbage, illustrating on several levels the interconnectedness and interdependence of the systems on our finite planet.