Comments on: The Ocean Cleanup struggles to prove it will not harm sea life

By: Brendan Turley

Brendan Turley — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 18:06:24 +0000

The Ocean Cleanup seems to want it both ways. They claim that your concerns are based upon old data, but they don’t seem interested in truly understanding this complex and under-sampled ecosystem. In fact, ignorance of the system benefits the stated goals. If you don’t know what you are going to harm, then what are you harming? Sorry that’s the cynic in me.

Beyond the unfortunate dismissal by TOC to serious scientific concerns or inquiry, the whole idea seems ludicrous. For example, they have spent $30million+ and have little to show for it. And furthermore, if they were really interested in plastic pollution, which is a problem but less so than ocean acidification or warming, why don’t they focus their efforts near the source of the problem such as rivers or at least near coastlines? I sympathize with you because you have expressed this criticism repeatedly.

Keep up the good work, I appreciate your efforts to shed light on the valid concerns surrounding this high profile, scientifically dubious project.

By: RR Helm

RR Helm — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:34:29 +0000

In reply to Ellis Jacoby. This is why I propose moving their systems closer to shore, where plastic is more concentrated and easy to catch. I dont' want plastic in the oceans any more than they do, but we should harvest plastic at the potential cost of an ecosystem. That price is too great to pay.

By: RR Helm

RR Helm — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:33:37 +0000

In reply to Anthony Looyen. But who must pay the idiot tax? The animals that live out there?

By: Ellis Jacoby

Ellis Jacoby — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 19:18:59 +0000

It’s not realistic to expect that no life will be harmed in the mammoth task of cleaning the Earth’s oceans of our own waste. The point is, what will cause more harm to sea life, the abundance of plastic and other waste, or our methods of removing the waste? Clearly the former is the answer. Will some sea life be harmed in our cleaning the ocean? Inevitably. Will we have to make other bitter and hard to swallow changes to heal our planet? Absolutely. We got ourselves into this mess. We don’t have time to be that choosy. We have to get the cleaning done. Minimize the harm to sea life in the process, of course, but keep the broader, longer term ambition in perspective. Accept some of the pain and harm along the way, but let’s get this done as soon as possible.

By: PHILIP BROWN

PHILIP BROWN — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 16:35:37 +0000

Thank you for your thought full insight. It might be the only idea he thinks he will ever come up with so he is hanging on to it.

By: Anthony Looyen

Anthony Looyen — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 09:22:36 +0000

For the sake of the entire ocean and for our beaches, sacrifices must be made. Think of this as humanity’s ‘idiot tax’ for letting our trash situation get this bad.