Biggest threat to oceans: plastic or carbon?
Event in Liverpool organised by Comply Direct in partnership with the National Oceanography Centre looks to inform businesses about the threats plastic and carbon pose to the oceans
An event being held at the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool in October will seek to inform businesses about the environmental threat to our oceans.
It is estimated that 11m metric tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year – up from around 8m in 2010.
It is believed there are now as many as 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces in the oceans, weighing 269,000 tonnes. As well as being home to a multitude of marine life, oceans are also critical front line defence against climate change.
They act as giant carbon sinks. In the last 200 years, the oceans have absorbed a third of the CO produced by human activities. Coastal wetlands are an important part of this. In an interview with LBN in 2020, Dr Christian Dunn, a lecturer at the School of Natural Sciences at Bangor University, explained why.
“Because they are in a wet environment with very little oxygen, they suppress the decomposition process,” said. “Our wetlands are storing up huge amounts of climate-changing carbon.
“We call this blue carbon. Coastal wetlands make up just 2% of the ocean area and yet store half of the carbon. That is how important they are.”
On Wednesday, October 12, the NOC in Brownlow Street in Liverpool will host an event, organised by Comply Direct, to discuss these issues. Aimed at local businesses the session starts at 10am and ends at 3pm and will feature a number of expert speakers.
They include Joanne Williams from the NOC, Edward Milbank of CSX Carbon Paul Field of Janus International Europe. It will also explore resource efficiency and carbon initiatives that can help reduce the level of plastic pollution and carbon in our seas.