A NEW debate rages around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the large swirl of trash floating around in the north Pacific above Hawaii. Just when we thought we were on our way to mitigating and even reducing the trash pile, some environmentalists want to save it. That’s right. An argument has been proffered that the Garbage Patch, that blight on our beautiful sea, should be left alone. Why?
First, some facts to get familiar with the Patch. Most of the material suspended in the water is very small and often below the surface so you could technically sail a boat through it for some time before you saw something large. Experts estimate the Patch is larger than Texas but smaller than the United States. Any way we measure it, there is a massive field of trash floating in the middle of the northern Pacific. How much? An old estimate put the total trash at 200 million tons, most of it plastic. One cruise ship produces about one ton of solid waste per day, most of which ends up in the water. And there are thousands of cruise ships in the world. How much of that waste will end up in the Garbage Patch?
Before we boycott cruise ships, we need to remember that 80% of the trash comes from the land, where it is washed or blown out to sea. Think about how many candy wrappers and soda bottles wash out every time it rains on Saipan. 20% comes from the sea, like material washed overboard or thrown away. Much of that is fishing debris such as abandoned nets, floats and buoys. Cargo ships lose over 10,000 containers per year, most of which are never recovered.
What can, or should, be done about it? Some people argue that all of that trash is right where it should be: far away from us. They think we should leave it there. Others point out the damage to the environment. Fish, birds, and marine mammals fall victim to the garbage, eating plastic, getting caught in discarded nets and coated in oils. Some have calculated the cost of cleaning up the mess. It would take a fleet of ships decades to rid the oceans of the trash, and then what would we do with it? Store it somewhere on land? Who is going to pay for all of that: the ships, the fuel, the crews’ wages?
Amidst this debate a new, highly original argument has been put forth. By now, many life forms, from fish to crabs to worms, have made their homes in the Garbage Patch. In effect, it has become its own ecosystem. By cleaning it up we destroy the homes these creatures have made for themselves. From this perspective, removing the trash pile is damaging the planet.
Good grief. I have heard a lot of wild, extreme ideas but this is a new level of idiocy. Cleaning up the planet will be harmful to the planet. It is like arguing you should not burn your trash because there are perfectly good maggots living in the can. Don’t throw away that old bread, you will kill the mold colony living on it. It is no wonder these people have so little credibility left.
Maybe I am wrong. Perhaps I need to come around to this point of view. Or maybe we need to turn the debate about the Garbage Patch back over to the adults. What are your thoughts?
Dr. BC Cook taught history for 30 years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
