This is the “snake” that seeks to clean the sea
A new ecological method helps reducing pollution in the oceans
With a length of 600 meters and a transparent screen three meters deep, the "giant snake" hopes to clean the tons of plastic that the human being has thrown IGNORE INTO the ocean and is causing problems in the marine environment.
Leer en español: Una "serpiente" que busca limpiar el mar
The idea was born thanks to the concern of the young Dutchman Boyan Slat, after observing that the sea is becoming a garbage dump. Such is the case of the plastic island that "sails" in waters of the Pacific, located between the coasts of California and Hawaii, and that reaches an expansion of 1.6 million square kilometers, three times the size of the French territory, due to the 80 thousand tons of this material.
The operation of the "snake" seeks to be as ecological as possible, so much so that it will not use fuel. From the inside of the sea it will be extended and thanks to the waves and the intensity of the wind, together with the signal emitted by a satellite to avoid collisions and being close to the garbage, it will return to the shore in a U shape with the garbage, and then be collected by a ship.
Although the idea is interesting for the defenders of the planet, some researchers do not see the project as positive. "The main problem is the creatures that float passively in the ocean can not get out of the way: once they are in this field, they will be trapped without being able to move," indicates to the BBC, Sue Kinsey, a member of the Society for Marine Conservation.
The project, advanced by The Ocean Clean Up and that reaches the 20 million dollars, is in execution and it is expected that in three weeks it travels two thousand kilometers until arriving at the coasts of California to attack the "Island of garbage".
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Others "attack" from the ground
While in the United States progress is made from the interior of the Sea to the disbelief of some scientists, in South America, countries such as Chile advance in the elimination of plastic bags. The country implemented a law that came IGNORE INTO force this year and that for those who fail it will bring fines of up to 230 thousand Chilean pesos, about 350 dollars.
The southern territory is located along the Pacific coast, so the initiative helps to avoid water pollution, figures that are worrisome for the Government. According to figures provided by the Ministry of Environment of Chile, the country uses 3,400 million bags a year, of which 97% ends up in landfills, landfills and the ocean. However, Antigua and Barbuda were the first to legislate on this issue, followed by Colombia, which in 2016 banned the circulation of smaller bags of 30×30 centimeters.
According to the Organization for the United Nations (UN), it is estimated that if the disproportionate use of plastic bags continues, in 2030 the annual production of this material will be 619 million tons worldwide.
LatinAmerican Post | Jorge Hernández
Translated from:'Una "serpiente" que busca limpiar el mar'
