The world's oceans are already drowning in plastic trash. Instead of stemming this pollution, plastic manufacturers aim to dramatically increase U.S. plastic production over the next decade.

Take action: https://biodiv.us/2K38a81

Discover solutions for a sustainable future from the 2019 Explorers Festival, where leading scientists and storytellers shared their insights. Watch a key discussion: Tracking Plastic Sea to Source.

National Geographic is your premier source for science, exploration, and adventure, delivering impactful stories through world-class experts.

Subscribe to our channel: NatGeoSubscribe. Find more content on our Official Site, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Visit the main National Geographic YouTube channel.

Tackling plastic waste is a critical obstacle to achieving a circular economy. At the 2019 Pacific Summit, Kosi Latu, Deputy Director of SPREP, discussed the challenges facing the Pacific region and potential solutions.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a UK charity launched in 2010 by world record-breaking sailor Ellen MacArthur, is a global thought leader accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

Learn more about their work at ellenmacarthurfoundation.org, subscribe to their YouTube channel, or connect on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium.

Ocean plastic is a solvable issue requiring personal responsibility and practical solutions. The Seabin Project, a crowdfunded invention, exemplifies a promising reactive approach. These bins effectively collect floating plastics, oil, and micro-plastics down to 2mm in marinas.

While Seabins are effective, they are not the ultimate solution. The project's 50% for-profit, 50% not-for-profit model supports education, science, research, and community engagement, which are considered the real long-term answers. This topic was discussed at a TEDx event; learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx.

Baby sea turtles are dying due to ingested microplastics, highlighting an urgent environmental crisis.

You can help protect marine life. Take the pledge to #BreakFreeFromPlastic and make a difference: https://bit.ly/2UHjppR

Simon Bernard, Expedition Leader of Plastic Odyssey, presents the first round-the-world expedition on a boat powered solely by plastic waste. A graduate of the French Merchant Navy Academy, Simon is passionate about environmental solutions. He founded the Plastic Odyssey NGO to reduce ocean pollution by promoting plastic recycling solutions adapted for developing countries.

His talk will explore the mystery of missing plastic, challenging the "continent of plastic" myth. It will also discuss how open innovation can reduce plastic leakage and how we can all contribute to a circular economy. Connect online at @simn_bernard and @PlasticOdyssey.

Plastics are now found even in the deepest parts of our oceans, highlighting the pervasive nature of this pollution.

Join Oceana and the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement to help address this critical issue: https://bit.ly/2FxAZYR.

Explore the remote Russian High Arctic with conservation biologist Joshua Powell in the new series, *Frozen Islands, Arctic Seas*. Powell delves into critical biodiversity issues facing the region.

This week, he highlights the threat of plastic waste, often mistaken for food by seabirds. New episodes air every Wednesday – subscribe now to follow his journey and insights.

Connect with Joshua Powell on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about his work via National Geographic.

At Talks at Google, Peter Kohler (The Plastic Tide) and Dr. Stefan Leutenegger (Imperial College London) discuss the escalating ocean plastic crisis. They highlight how plastic threatens a vital $5 trillion economic resource and humanity's life support.

The Plastic Tide initiative quantifies this problem using drone imagery and machine learning. Their work involves a vast drone imagery database and a deep-learning algorithm for plastic detection and geo-referenced mapping.

The speakers will present early results, related research, and future strategies to limit ocean plastic. Learn more about their efforts at The Plastic Tide.

Artist Dianna Cohen reveals the harsh truths of plastic pollution, impacting our oceans and daily lives. She also offers insights on how to break free from the plastic gyre.

Learn more at the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Van Jones presents a compelling social justice case against plastic pollution. He argues that plastic waste disproportionately harms impoverished communities and nations "first and worst," with far-reaching consequences for everyone, regardless of location or income.

In this powerful TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch [TEDxGP2] talk, filmed in 2010, Jones offers actionable ideas to reclaim our "throwaway planet." The event was produced by the Plastic Pollution Coalition at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, California.

Learn more at www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org

Join our mission to tackle excessive plastic use by supermarkets. We need your ideas to demand change.

Download the app at http://www.anewmission.org/join-the-revolution to contribute to this movement.

Thanks to @MakeAChangeWorld and @AnewMission. #DrasticPlastic

Boyan Slat, born 1994, is a Dutch inventor and entrepreneur. At 18, after encountering more plastic than fish while diving in Greece, he questioned why ocean pollution couldn't be cleaned. This inspired him to research plastic pollution, leading to his passive clean-up concept, which he presented at TEDxDelft in 2012.

He founded The Ocean Cleanup, temporarily pausing his aerospace engineering studies to lead a team of approximately 50. His 2017 speech detailed a design breakthrough for the project.

Follow The Ocean Cleanup's progress on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Miriam Turner, Interface's Assistant VP of Co-Innovation, identified a unique opportunity. With 660 million people globally relying on oceans for livelihoods, many in poverty, she was inspired by Aquafil's recycling efforts to create an inclusive business model.

Her vision involved purchasing discarded fishing nets directly from local fishermen, providing them with vital extra income. This initiative would simultaneously clean beaches and oceans, benefiting both communities and the environment.

This concept was published by Interface Europe on September 3, 2013. More details can be found at www.interface.com/neteffect.

Founder David Katz, Co-Founder Shaun Frankson, and plastics expert Mike Biddle were interviewed in Victoria, BC. They discussed The Plastic Bank's mission to reduce global poverty and plastic waste.

This interview was published on August 20, 2013.

Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an immense, floating accumulation of plastic waste.

He continues to raise awareness about the escalating and detrimental problem of plastic debris choking our seas.

Plastic and synthetic debris are silently choking our oceans, posing horrific impacts on marine wildlife and ecosystems. As an island continent, marine debris is particularly important for Australia. Creatures become entangled, drown, or ingest concentrated toxins, jeopardizing the food chain. Plastics also transport and introduce new species into environments.

To address this critical issue, the CSIRO research team spearheaded the world-first Marine Debris Survey, studying plastic pollution along Australia's coastline. This vital research was published on September 9, 2012, by ABC Catalyst.

In OCEAN HEROES, Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute explain: WHAT IS A GYRE?

Learn more about protecting our oceans at One World Oceans. You can also explore our special collection, "Plastics in Our Oceans," and find the 5 Gyres Institute's documentary, Plasticized.

PLASTICIZED documents a pioneering scientific expedition focused on plastic waste. It recounts a first-hand journey aboard the Sea Dragon with the 5 Gyres Institute through the South Atlantic Ocean.

This eye-opening film highlights the institute's global mission to study the reality, effects, and scale of plastic pollution worldwide. It was published on December 24, 2012.

British ocean rower and environmental campaigner Roz Savage discusses plastic pollution, labeling it a "man-made global catastrophe." Her solo row from San Francisco to Hawaii provided first-hand experience with the problem's immense scale, including meeting scientists on a "Junk craft" hundreds of miles east of Hawaii to share research.

The core message is clear: we must reduce our plastic use. Each individual can significantly lessen their consumption, making a positive global difference.

This interview, conducted by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv, was published on January 28, 2014. For more information about Roz Savage, visit www.rozsavage.com.