“We live in a time when nearly every problem has a solution. We must make protecting 72% of our planet a priority. The health of our blue heart – the global ocean is vital to our own health and health of the planet. Project Kaisei and our collaborators around the world believe now is the time to protect our ocean.” Mary Crowley
Every year over 300 million tons of plastic are produced, much of it for one-time use and less than 5% of the world’s plastics are recycled. National Geographic estimates that over 85 million plastic bottles are used every three minutes. In many cases, plastic waste that is not incinerated or land-filled makes its way to the oceans.
Currently there are no proposed solutions to resolve the issue of removal of marine debris floating in the oceans. Most believe it is not possible to clean such a vast region, and aim for more responsible handling of waste on shore. Using advanced technology, however, Project Kaisei will test existing technologies to learn if debris collected in the Plastic Vortex can be detoxified and processed into fuel via a patented technology that is now just beginning operations in a number of countries.
Pollution Generators
In terms of our general population, many people are not aware of the problems in our oceans, ranging from:
- Proliferation of plastics
- Overfishing and illegal fishing methods
- Marine debris
- Acidification
- Temperature rise
- Continued coastal development
Pollution Issues
The significant problem of marine debris/ocean trash manifesting in our ocean gyres is exacerbated by the following issues:
- The plastic vortex is not visible to the general public. This creates a special problem of awareness of the depth and breadth of the issue. Scientific research, news reporting, films, pictures and personal voyages continue to evolve and now highlight this global problem.
- Incidents in international waters were difficult to identify and prosecute. International cooperation is now beginning to generate guidelines for support of our global ocean.
- Economics and cultural dynamics add to the diverse problems encountered by the marine debris issue. Bringing together governments, public and private sectors and industry specialists is establishing a united front for developing solutions.
“The oceans are the blue heart of our planet.
For a healthy earth we must give our ocean ecosystem a chance to recover. Project Kaisei heralds that chance.”