Do Marine Protected Areas Work?
Target: Boris Johnson, President of the G7 Cornwall Summit. Goal: Commit to global treaty against plastic pollution overrunning oceans and endangering marine life. Countries around the planet celebrate World Oceans Day in June, but every year this date reminds us that the trillions of pieces of plastic crowding out marine life continue to grow. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a physical manifestation of this crisis, as are incidents like the recent cleanup of Earths biggest marine reserve. This project alone yielded 47 tons of plastic waste. Another case study can be found on Henderson Island, a South Pacific piece of land that has seen its temperatures rise and its turtle populations endangered because of plastic debris. Some countries such as Turkey have taken needed steps like banning plastic waste imports. Now, calls are growing for the worlds seven most influential economiesand subsequently some of the planets biggest plastic pollutersto unite in ending this alarming threat.