The Mediterranean Sea has the highest concentration of plastic waste in the world, according to a new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
The countries that emit the most plastic are Turkey, Spain and Italy.
The report is based on a compilation of a large number of different research studies and analyses.
– Above all, we want to draw attention to the damage that plastic causes to animals and other organisms in the Mediterranean Sea, says Inger Näslund, responsible for marine issues at WWF.
The report points out that 18 percent of tuna and swordfish are estimated to have plastic debris in their stomachs. Sea turtles and seabirds also often ingest plastic fragments. In the Ligurian Sea in the northwestern part of the Mediterranean, 56 percent of plankton organisms are contaminated with microplastics.
Worst concentration
According to calculations, 150,000-500,000 tons of plastic waste are dumped annually in the seas around Europe, of which the largest proportion ends up in the Mediterranean Sea.
Globally, the Mediterranean Sea is comparable in terms of littering to the vast areas of plastic accumulation discovered in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Although the Mediterranean Sea is the worst in terms of concentration of trash – 1.25 million microplastic pieces per square kilometer, which is four times more than in the North Pacific Ocean. The Mediterranean Sea contains only one percent of the world's water, but seven percent of all the world's microplastics.
The reason is largely the large number of people in the region, around 150 million in the sea area itself. In addition, the region is visited by 200 million tourists each year.
Turkey's biggest culprit
The worst litterer is Turkey, which is estimated to dump 144 tons of plastic per day into the Mediterranean Sea. Spain and Italy follow with 126 and 90 tons per day respectively.
A large proportion of plastic waste is single-use items, such as plastic bottles. But unlike the Pacific Ocean, much of the trash in the Mediterranean is invisible.
“Everything sinks faster in the Mediterranean and thus disappears from view. This is because the ocean currents are weak in the Mediterranean,” says Inger Näslund.
To put an end to this, WWF wants a binding agreement between the countries. The goal should be to reduce the amount of single-use plastic and achieve 100% recycling of waste by 2030.
Source: TT
