A group of Grantham Scholars organised a public engagement event focused on the plastic pollution of our oceans and some of the solutions to this problem. The event was held online on Tuesday 21st November. There is a recording available here.
Each year, nearly 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enter our oceans. Plastic pollution is an issue that has grown to become one of the largest environmental concerns in recent years due to its significant impact on the greater ocean ecosystem. Pollution has a devastating impact on the health of marine species, choking or entangling marine life and impacting several species of seabirds, whilst impacting communities that rely on the ocean for their livelihood and well-being.
During this event, we heard from scientists, innovators, policymakers and more to explore modern-day solutions to the plastic pollution problem. From engineering solutions and policy change to clean-up technologies and world-class scientific research, our panel discussed the impact of plastic pollution on Ocean Health and suggested some modern-day solutions to the plastic pollution problem.
Speakers:
Prof. Richard Thompson OBE FRS – Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Marine Institute – University of Plymouth
Rowan Byrne – Senior Associate Marine & Aquatic Sustainability Plastics Lead – Mott MacDonald
Stuart McLanaghan – Head of Responsible Sourcing – Seafish
Dr Britta Denise Hardesty – Senior Principal Research Scientist – CSIRO Environment
This event was organised by Grantham Scholars Neil Lunt, Lowenna Jones, Rachel Lasko and Harry Watt.