Courtesy PADI Asia Pacific
What did you see on your last dive? A spectacular school of barracuda? A giant blue groper or a graceful stingray? Perhaps you spotted something a little more unsightly and frightening, something that gave you cause for concern: Plastic.
A new report reveals that over 8 million tonnes of plastic made its way from land to sea in 2010. And it’s only going to get worse, with researchers warning that the cumulative amount could increase more than tenfold in the next decade unless the international community improves its waste-management practices.
In just a few weeks, Project AWARE, along with our community members, will be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd. On the same day last year we launched our interactive Dive Against Debris map, sharing the data reported by our Dive Against Debris volunteers. Today, plastic makes up around 65% of the items found underwater and reported by scuba divers through the Dive Against Debris program.
Check out the full report on ocean plastic, including a roadmap for developing ocean-scale solutions to the problem. And stay tuned for action alerts from Project AWARE as we gear up to share the diver’s view of trash underwater on Earth Day.
