Prof Richard Thompson: Plastic debris is widely distributed at the sea surface, on the sea bed and on shorelines. Nearly 700 species are known to encounter marine litter, with many reports of physical harm resulting from entanglement in and ingestion of plastic.
At the same time it is very clear that plastic items bring many societal benefits. Can these benefits be achieved without emissions of waste to the environment? Progress requires systemic changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastic. Key solutions to two major environmental problems, our non-sustainable use of fossil carbon (to produce plastics) and the accumulation waste, lie in reducing usage and recycling end-of-life plastics into new products.
Richard Thompson OBE FRS, is Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth.
Please book your free tickets here Marine litter: Are there solutions to this global environmental challenge?
This talk has been organised in conjunction with the Sid Vale Association.
