~Plastic pollution limits the oceans~.
Oceans of Plastic – 8 million tons of plastic are flowing into the oceans every year and there are already 150 million tons of plastic in the ocean, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported in June 2018. Such plastic waste is having a significant impact on the ecosystem.
The greatest advantage of nylon (a type of plastic) and other fish nets derived from petroleum is that they do not decompose in the water. However, this advantage is the biggest cause of environmental destruction. In particular, “microplastics” and “ghost nets” (waste nets) are major global problems. Ghost nets from over 4.6 million commercial fishing vessels worldwide are estimated to account for 46% to 70% of all marine plastic trash by weight (HillNotes). This is more serious than straws and plastic plastic shopping bags. Even though straws account for 0.03% of ocean plastic pollution. Something is very wrong. This is the age of misdirection, a technique used by politicians to direct attention elsewhere. Surprisingly, the length of longlines set in one day is long enough to wrap around the earth 500 times (from Seaspiracy: False Sustainable Fishing). They are made of petroleum-derived plastic, which almost never decomposes naturally. The fishnets that continue to drift in the ocean after being discarded are truly a ghost, threatening marine life and destroying ecosystems.
On the other hand, nets made of natural fibers are eroded and decomposed by changes in temperature and humidity, organic matter, and plankton. This disadvantage is now being reevaluated in order to protect the ocean from pollution and sustain the ecosystem. Cannabis fiber, which is resistant to abrasion and has high strength, is attracting attention. Hemp plastic (biodegradable plastic: non-petroleum derived) made from hemp fiber eventually returns to the soil.