Bibliography

• Ellwood,W 2008, 'DrowningInPlastic,'New Internationalist,Issue415, pp.4-19
• http://erwikipedia.org/wiki.Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch, Wednesday 21 October 2009
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniecrawley/, Thursday 22 October 2009
• http://www.badlani.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/bird-killed-by-plastic-bags.jpg
• www.projectkaisei.org, Thursday 22 October 2009
• www.seaplexscience.com, Friday 23 October 2009
• www.diveintoyourimagination.com, Friday 23 October 2009
• www.thegarbagepatch.com, Monday 16 November

Conclusion

After in-depth research on the North Pacific Gyre it has been proposed that a cohesive approach should be undertaken by surrounding countries of the gyre to attract attention and awareness of this issue and emplace strategies to clear the current plastic debris. 
Specifically the governments should innate an organization responsible for utilizing the strength of media coverage and raise individual awareness to the public. 
Further more it is proposed that it would be beneficial to enforce a legislation that by international law fishermen would have to partake in clearing the trash and funding for development of suitable nets in exchange for their fishing rights. This proposal has been chosen as it is the most beneficial for the future sustainability of the global community. 

Justification Of Chosen Proposal

After extensive review of the two proposals it has been concluded that proposal 2 will be more efficient in reducing the garbage vortexes impact on the environment and would be more easily sustained in comparison to proposal 1.
 Proposal 2 will financially be more affordable for governments deemed responsible and would raise more attention to individuals which intern could produce more people of the general public wanting to pitch in and help clear the debris.
Proposal 1 would not be easily sustained as there have been no future proposals stated for keeping the debris from re-creating unlike proposal 2 which can be carried on for many years to come and fishermen will need to continuously clear the water to make an income through the obtainment of their fishing rights.
Proposal one would be nearly impossible to pass the legislation of banning the manufacturing of plastic products as so many items are generated from it and allot of people would loose there source of income if they were put out of work which would consequently result it further problems. Although this solution is deemed impossible now after the enforcement of proposal 1 it would be more easily accepted and easilly funded.

Decision Matrix Table - North Pacific Gyre

Criteria-

• Economic- Is the proposal economically appropriate and affordable for all?
• Environmental sustainability- Will the proposal increase or improve the environmental sustainability?
• Acceptance in the global community- Will the proposal be accepted by the majority of the global community?

DECISION MATRIX TABLE - 

• 
  
  PROPOSAL 1
  
  
  
  Governments around the world would initiate a conference to decipher which country is responsible to fund a global legislation to be implemented. It would effectively prevent the continued practice of using plastic when alternative eco-friendly products are available for use. 
  
  Specifically penalties and other measures would be enforced on companies that use excessive plastic, and the proceeds from this would go towards a globally funded organization that particularly focuses on clearing the plastic debris from the vortex and prevents further redevelopment of it. Funds additionally provided by countries responsible will also go towards marine conservation and rescue for species threatened or exposed to this gyre. 
  
  
  
  
  PROPOSAL 2
  
  
  
  A cohesive approach would be undertaken by surrounding countries of the gyre to attract attention and awareness of this issue and emplace strategies to clear the current plastic debris. Specifically the governments would innate an organization responsible for utilizing the strength of media coverage and raise individual awareness to the public. Further more it would then enforce a legislation that by international law fishermen would have to partake in clearing the trash and funding for development of suitable nets in exchange for their fishing rights. 
  
  
  
  CRITERIA 1
  
  
  
  Will the proposal increase or improve the environmental sustainability?
  
  ·       Increase biodiversity in the area eventually
  
  ·        This plan would protect species exposed to the gyre
  
  ·       Innate marine conservation tactics
  
  ·       Prevent further redevelopment of the gyre
  
  ·       Reduce litter due to the enforcement of the plastic ban
  
  ·       This proposal may not be able to be sustained for future years though
  
  ·       Reduce and remove plastic debris
  
  ·       Eventually promote further introduction of biodiversity into the area
  
  ·       Reduce marine animal deaths caused by debris
  
  ·       Prevent extinction of depleting species numbers
  
  ·       This proposal would be sustainable and able to be carried on for a very long time successfully
  
  
  
  
  CRITERIA 2
  
  
  
  Is the proposal economically appropriate and affordable for all?
  
  ·       Costs of organising the global conference (organising to meet and make a decision would be costly)
  
  ·       Cost of government workers would be costly
  
  ·       To pass laws and legislation on a global scale may be time consuming and costly
  
  ·       Loss of income from ban on using plastic and impacted industries e.g. food manufactures
  
  ·       People would need to be employed to enforce law on companies who use plastic unnecessarily in products
  
  
  
  ·       Initial cost of creating appropriate nets would impact of the fisherman’s livelihood
  
  ·       Funding labour would be costly
  
  ·       Creation of the organization would be costly to fund 
  
  ·       Obtaining media attention would be difficult and expensive
  
  
  
  CRITERIA 3
  
  
  
  Will the majority of the global community accept the proposal?
  
  
  
  ·       Not all people would accept a legislation banning the use of plastic for manufacture and a lot of companies would lose a lot of potential income
  
  ·       Majority of people with an environmental conscious would support this move for laws and legislation.
  
  ·       People who are not environmentally conscious would disapprove of this proposal as it would mean loss of their jobs and therefore livelihood
  
  
  
  ·       Initially the fishermen may react negatively towards the extra workload
  
  ·       The public would be further introduced to this issue and obtain knowledge through media coverage and it is expected that many people would want to help
  
  ·       The public is suspected to pressure the governments to do something about this issue
  
  ·       The countries surrounding the gyre may think it is deemed unfair as it would be only them responsible for funding the organization not the initial litters which have come from throughout the world
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Proposals To Clean Up This Garbage Vortex and Prevent it From Forming Again

Proposal 1:

Governments around the world would initiate a conference to decipher which country is responsible to fund a global legislation to be implemented. It would effectively prevent the continued practice of using plastic when alternative eco-friendly products are available for use. 

Specifically penalties and other measures would be enforced on companies that use plastic, the proceeds from this would go towards a globally funded organization that particularly focuses on clearing the plastic debris from the vortex and prevents further redevelopment of it. Funds additionally provided by countries responsible will also go towards marine conservation and rescue for species threatened or exposed to this gyre. 

Proposal 2: 

A cohesive approach would be undertaken by surrounding countries of the gyre to attract attention and awareness and emplace strategies to clear the current plastic debris. Specifically the governments would innate an organization responsible for utilizing the strength of media coverage and raise individual attention to the public. Further more it would then enforce a legislation that by international law fishermen would have to partake in clearing the trash and funding for development of suitable nets in exchange for their fishing rights. 

Predicted Future Impacts

Lack of Biodiversity is a predicted future outcome if this trash vortex is not downsized. Ingestion of plastic by marine animals can suppress their immune systems and cause a low reproductive rate resulting in extinction of certain species such as birds, turtles and fish. The loss of such species would then have a significant impact on the food chain, which intern could result in the extinction of other species resulting in a negative spiral for the current food chain that we all survive on.

Interesting video with facts on the gyre

http://www.santabanta.com/video.asp?video=4640

Economic and Political Effects of the Gyre

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch creates a number of problems both economically and politically.
Politically the world leaders must take action to decipher whose problem this really is and this could ignite argument as the oceans currents have shifted the plastic debris so there is no direct link as to who created it and thus what country or government is responsible for fixing this problem?
Economically the government or governments who claim responsibility for this mess will have to fund the costs for proposals to clear the waste and future plans to ensure it does not recreate itself.


It has been discovered that most of this marine debris has been carried by oceanic currents from the shores of North America and Asia to north east of Hawaii where this gyre lays. Therefore it is recommended that these governments should work out feasible ways to clean up this mess.But the real solution lays in assuming responsibility for the outcomes of our 

actions, and to start using environmentally-sustainable products while disposing of our waste responsibly. 

Social Effects of the Trash Gyre

Social

• unethical 
• preventable
• cruel 

Socially this trash vortex if unstopped will eventually effect everyone. As part of the chain of life everything has to eat to sustain life. If these animals are ingesting tiny peaces of plastic it then leads to us eating the animals (e.g.: fish) and ingesting the plastic as-well. So, quite literally, you are what you eat, drink and breath - plastic! And unfortunately plastic hosts a number of consequences if ingested in our bodies. 


Why Is Plastic in the Ocean Harmful?

1. Plastic builds up inside an animals system upon ingestion
2. Chemicals in the plastic such as PBA'S are transferred to the animals tissue and lead to Biomagnification ( the effect in a food web when chemicals in the water or in the food animals eat are transferred to and accumulate in an animal’s tissue.  This pollution becomes more and more concentrated in tissues of animals higher up on the food web.)
3. Persistent Organic Pollutants already in the water become attached to plastic and ass to unnatural chemicals being ingested and absorbed
4. Organisms large and small attach onto the abundant plastic and are transported to places they would otherwise not been able to reach 
5. Marine life can become entangled or trapped in large debris 

Below is a video which explains this in more detail ; 

Another socially related problem is the loss of animal life from the destructive influence of 
the trash vortex and therefore people in the future will be unable to see specific animals due to extinction and will not witness or experience the interaction with nature and its true 
beauty.

Environmental Effects Of Plasic

This sea of plastic imposes many detrimental effects on sea life each year:

• Plastic debris causes deaths to more than one million seabirds each year
• Plastic debris also causes the death of 100,00 marine mammals yearly
• Plastic contributes to 60-80% of all garbage in the ocean
• Each square kilometre of ocean contains 13,00-18,000 pieces of plastic

Percentage of marine species worldwide ingesting or entangled with plastic:

• 86% of turtle species with ingestion or entanglement
• 23% of marine mammals with ingestion
• 28% of marine species with entanglement
• 36% of seabird species with ingestion
• 16% of seabird species with entanglement

Garbage Patch Film 1

This film informs you of facts and figures of The North Pacific Gyre

Garbage Patch and the risks it imposes for the future for not only sea

life but all humans aswell

Introduction- The Pacific Trash Vortex

The North Pacific Gyre is a vortex of marine litter, it contains high concentrations of suspended plastic and debris which cause havoc to ocean life.

This particular gyre is twice the size of Texas and is located in the center of the North Pacific Ocean. But despite its size and density it is non visible from satellite photography or the naked eye due to the contents of very, very small pieces of plastic being suspended beneath the ocean surface.

The rotational pattern of the North Pacific Gyre draws in waste material from the ocean. Materials are captured by oceanic currents and wind driven surface currents which gradually move floating debris towards the center trapping of the region to create this garbage vortex.

This picture shows how trash (orange dots) entering the sea from land along the Pacific Coast is caught by the gyre. On its way the trash is concentrated and eventually ends up in one of the two shown vortices. As a consequence, in these areas, the surface water contains six times more plastic than plankton biomass (dry weight). - Green-Peace

http://reusablebags.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/greenpeace_trash_vortex.jpg