The problem with plastic in our oceans is everyone’s but only some people, organisations and governments are actively working to address it.
Whilst here in the west we absolutely should all be working to reduce our waste, there is no doubt that developing nations are more interested in finally being able to afford consumer goods than diligently working to squeeze their annual waste into a single glass jar. And why shouldn’t they? If you’ve had the chance to watch the sequel to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”, “An Inconvenient Sequel“, you would have seen that countries like India are pushing back on them being expected to take equal responsibility for the impacts of climate change when they rightly point the finger squarely at the west for causing it in the first place.
We in the west have the greatest responsibility to address the widespread and devastating impacts of our over consumption and that involves assisting developing nations by not selling them cheap, polluting fossil fuels or leaving them to drown in the plastic packaging our markets have created.
Positive Change for Marine Life are now punching way above their weight as a Not For Profit organisation who operate both locally – performing beach cleans in the Byron Shire and on the Gold Cost and working with businesses in close proximity to these beaches on reducing their supply of single use plastics – and now at a serious international level working with communities in India.
This dual approach to addressing negative human impact on our planet is the most ethical approach. You can support PCFML’s activities by either coming along today or making a tax deductible donation via their website.
Mullum Cares was very excited to promote and support the PCFML Mullum to Bruns River clean in August 2017. The featured image was some of the hall and the crew who participated.