LONDON (CU)_ Bristol charity City to Sea, was founded in 2015, focused on putting an end to plastic pollution. Accordingly, the organisation has been working with communities around the world in order to provide practical solutions to the plastic problem, which has been a central case for environmental campaigners for decades.
More than 3 months ago, City to Sea teamed up with environmental research organisation Darwin200 in order to observe and find out more about plastic pollution along the coastal waters of the country. Accordingly a team of marine experts and researches got on board the Pelican of London and set out on a journey around the British Isles 13 weeks ago. Now the sailing ship has moored in Bristol to survey the coastline and will set sail again later today.
During the expedition the team will visit several islands and archipelagos, including Shetland, Lundy, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. According to Stephanie Lavelle, Plastic researcher and project director of Sea Sanctuaries Trust, the team on board the Pelican of London include young scientists who would have been the same age as Darwin embarked on historical journey on the beagle.
“I don’t think he would have imagined the challenges we face today with climate change and plastic pollution,” she said. “It’s everywhere we look, even when there are beach cleans going on when we do our surveys, we are still finding an amazing amount of single use plastics like plastic bottles and fragments.”
Experts claim that as the whole world has begun to re-emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic, it is more important than ever to have the issue of plastic pollution back on the agenda.
“This first of a kind study will provide invaluable data as well as compelling evidence to inspire people, businesses and governments to get ship-shape when it comes to tackling plastic pollution,” Jo Morley, head of marketing and campaigns of City to Sea, said. “Our oceans, locally and globally, play a crucial role in our fight against climate change, and they need our help now, more than ever before.”
