Every year, millions of metric tons of plastic are produced around the world. While half of this plastic garbage is recycled, burnt, or disposed of in landfills, a sizable percentage of what remains winds up in our oceans. Moreover, countless pieces of ocean plastic garbage have accumulated to form a vortex of plastic debris three times the size of France in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. What is the source of all this plastic? Freny Fernandes and Louis Lugas Wicaksono of Visual Capitalist used data from a research article by Lourens J.J. Meijer and team to highlight the top ten countries generating plastic pollutants in the oceans surrounding them in this image. Let's start with how this plastic debris gets into the oceans in the first place. The majority of the plastic debris discovered in deep blue oceans comes from litter in parks, beaches, and along storm drains that line our streets. Plastic debris particles are carried into our sewers, streams, and rivers by wind and rainstorm runoff. The rivers then become plastic superhighways, carrying trash to the oceans. Damaged fishing nets or ghost nets that are directly tossed into the high seas contribute a significant amount of ocean plastic. Countries that contribute to the plastic problem Some may believe that the countries that produce or consume the most plastic harm the waters the most. Yet that is not the case. Countries with a smaller geographical area, longer coasts, high rainfall, and weak waste management systems are more prone to wash plastics into the sea, according to the study. China, for example, generates ten times the amount of plastic garbage as Malaysia. Nonetheless, it is estimated that 9% of Malaysia's total plastic trash ends up in the ocean, compared to 0.6% in China. The Philippines, a 7,000-island archipelago with a 36,289-kilometer coastline and 4,820 plastic-emitting rivers, is estimated to emit 35% of the ocean's plastic. In addition to the Philippines, it is estimated that over 75% of the accumulated plastic in the ocean comes from unmanaged garbage in Asian countries such as India, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Brazil is the only non-Asian country on this list, with 1,240 rivers, including the Amazon. The Road to a Plastic-Free Sea. The most obvious strategy to prevent plastic accumulation is to reduce plastic use. Fewer outputs mean less waste. The second stage is to manage the created plastic garbage, which is where the difficulty resides. Several high-income countries produce a lot of plastic waste but are better at processing it or exporting it to other countries. Meanwhile, many middle- and low-income nations that both need and receive mass exports of plastics have yet to establish the infrastructure required to process it. #podcast #oceanpollution ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a-2w8B787A

Europe & US agree on more sanctions for Russia During a virtual meeting between the US and heads of European nations on the latest phase of the war in Ukraine, the allies reached "a broad consensus on the need to increase pressure on the Kremlin" through the deployment of more sanctions, the Italian government announced on Tuesday, adding that the allies had also agreed on the need to "increase the international isolation of Moscow." In a tweet, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced thatwe will increase our sanctions against Russia again.It's unclear what penalties are in the works, but the energy sector is seen to be the most likely target. According to an Italian press release, the conference participants reaffirmed their "shared resolve to diversify energy sources in order to reduce reliance on Russian supply." Most western corporations have already cut ties with Russia, from computer platforms to fast food restaurants, but oil and gas sales to Europe continue since many EU countries have been unable to find sufficient supplies to replace the 40% of gas the continental alliance gets from Russia. That hasn't stopped the US from encouraging the EU to join its battle against Russia's energy industry, pledging to cover the gap with American liquefied natural gas, a considerably more expensive fuel that most European countries lack the facilities to store in huge quantities. Bruno Le Maire, France's economic minister, said on Tuesday that he intended to "convince" his country's more hesitant neighbors of the necessity of a total embargo on Russian oil imports, condemning unnamed countries for "still hesitating" and claiming that reaching a consensus on the issue may take weeks. Germany has spoken out strongly against the notion, claiming that it would plunge the country into a deep recession. The EU, on the other hand, is confident in its capacity to wean itself off Russian gas, stating that it will be able to reduce consumption by two-thirds by the end of the year.According to the EU executive commission, replacement fuel would be piped in from Norway and Azerbaijan, imported from the United States, and generated locally through expanding green energy initiatives. Even while it sanctions most other Russian industries, the EU sends roughly $850 million (€650 million) every day to Russia for oil and gas. Thanks for watching. Please consider subscribing to the channel #podcast #Sanctions #EU #Russia ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tg7yyfilY0