The Mediterranean area faces a extreme menace from plastic air pollution, with a median of 229,465 tons of plastic waste added yearly, in keeping with warnings from specialists.
Middle East Technical University (METU) Marine Sciences Institute college member professor Ahmet Kıdeyş expressed considerations over the escalating air pollution ranges within the Mediterranean, evaluating it unfavorably to different seas worldwide.
Highlighting plastic air pollution as a world disaster second solely to world warming, Kıdeyş revealed alarming figures relating to the extent of the difficulty within the Mediterranean. “The average yearly influx of plastic into the Mediterranean is 229,465 tons, with 99% found on the seabed and the remainder scattered across the sea. Egypt contributes 74,031 tons annually, including 55,000 tons from the Nile River, while Italy, Türkiye, Algeria and Albania also contribute significantly,” said Kıdeyş.
Accumulated plastic on seashores measures 374 kilograms per sq. kilometer (2,135.52 kilos per sq. mile) in Türkiye, underscoring the severity of the disaster.
Emphasizing that microplastics smaller than 10 microns pose a big menace as they enter the meals chain, Kıdeyş harassed the pressing want for worldwide collaboration. He highlighted ongoing discussions on a world plastic prevention settlement, anticipated to be enforced in 2025. While acknowledging the challenges, Kıdeyş expressed hope that substantial measures, together with decreasing single-use plastics, might considerably curb the rising tide of plastic air pollution within the area.
Professor Sedat Gündoğdu from Çukurova University’s Faculty of Fisheries has highlighted the first elements contributing to air pollution within the Mediterranean. Gündoğdu identified that widespread use of single-use plastics within the tourism sector, waste generated by vacationer actions in coastal areas and international locations missing correct waste administration infrastructure alongside the Mediterranean coast are main contributors.
Gündoğdu emphasised that the counterclockwise present within the Mediterranean leads to every nation polluting the coasts of its neighbors. “Rivers like the Nile, Seyhan, Ceyhan, and Büyük Menderes significantly contribute to pollution, while cities such as Barcelona, Izmir, Antalya, Adana, Mersin, Alexandria, Beirut, Athens and Marseille create substantial waste burdens,” he defined.
“Regrettably, our northern coasts are currently the most polluted area in the Mediterranean. Flow patterns, riverside activities and insufficient urban treatment infrastructures amplify the influx of waste. Countries within a 1,000-kilometer (621.37-mile) radius lack developed waste management infrastructure. Syria and Egypt resort to dumping their garbage directly into the sea and Israel utilizes Palestine as a makeshift landfill, exacerbating the waste issue due to conflicts and destruction in the region,” Gündoğdu famous.
Gündoğdu highlighted the in depth vary of pollution current in wastewater, together with home and agricultural contaminants, industrial chemical substances, dyes, natural compounds, oils, heavy metals and microplastics. He emphasised that the water stays unpurified with out tailor-made purification techniques concentrating on these pollution, resulting in a big inflow of pollution into the seas.
Expressing his considerations, Gündoğdu warned of an impending disaster the place the seas might remodel right into a “plastic soup.” He famous that if the present trajectory of plastic manufacturing and consumption continues, air pollution is predicted to triple within the subsequent decade, leading to an alarming 90 kilograms of plastic per day alongside a 1-kilometer shoreline. Gündoğdu projected that the Mediterranean and Aegean areas might see round 90 kilograms of plastic per sq. kilometer in seawater, translating to thousands and thousands of microplastics. Stressing the urgency to handle the basis trigger, he advocated for a 40% discount in plastic manufacturing over the following 20 years, emphasizing that merely cleansing plastic from the seas with out curbing manufacturing is inadequate. While cleansing the water floor, Gündoğdu cautioned in opposition to applied sciences like rubbish traps, which inadvertently hurt marine life and harassed the necessity for a complete discount in plastic manufacturing.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
