jean—We’ll cut to the chase.
Unless we take a stand and demand change, scientists predict that by 2050, 99% of all seabird species will have consumed plastic in some form, and that the mass of plastic in the ocean will outweigh the mass of fish in the ocean.
We’re running out of room and we’re running out of time. Will you take a stand with the National Wildlife Federation to reduce the harm from plastics that are choking the very life from marine wildlife we care about so much?
In a seminal report published in 2014, scientists calculated that there are at least 5.25 trillion individual pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans— a total of 268,940 tons. That number is enough to fill over 38,000 garbage trucks and its known victims include more than 340 species—including bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, brown pelicans and every known species of marine turtle.
The Hawaiian monk seal is the only marine mammal found solely in U.S. waters. But it’s one of the species affected—disturbingly, scientists have found three and a half pounds of plastic in a monk seal’s stomach and they aren’t the only animal carrying around our waste.
It is estimated that plastics currently cover 40% of the world oceans’ surface. Please stand with us in reducing this number for not just critically endangered species, but all marine wildlife.
Sadly, without your help, the problem is going to get much worse before it gets better. Entire ecosystems are becoming engulfed by a smog of tiny particles called microplastics that extend far below the surface and even beyond the scope of the naked eye.
Just how far down does the problem go? According to new research, one liter of water from the Mariana Trench—the deepest known point in the Pacific Ocean—contains thousands of tiny plastic pieces. We have a very good idea of how plastics of all kinds impact shallower surfaces, but it’s unclear what the impact will be in the deep sea.
We’re at a crossroads. We’ve identified a problem that stands to drastically alter the very food chain of marine mammals not only across the nation but the planet. The problem is large in scale, but surmountable if we take small steps like reducing single-use plastics.
We need your help. We ask that you join with us to sign this petition and take a historic stand before it’s too late.
