Ulwandle lwethu kunye nekamva lePlastiki

NgoJulayi, ndichithe iintsuku ezine kwiForam yaseKlosters, indawo esondeleleneyo yedolophu encinci kwi-Swiss Alps ekhuthaza intsebenziswano entsha ngokuhlanganisa iingqondo eziphazamisayo nezikhuthazayo ukujongana nemingeni yehlabathi ecinezela kakhulu kokusingqongileyo. Abamkeli abasamkelayo baseKlosters, umoya ocacileyo weentaba kunye nemveliso kunye netshizi evela kwindawo yendibano yefama yobuchwephesha ziyilelwe ukwenza iincoko ezicingayo nezingathathi hlangothi phakathi kwabathathi-nxaxheba abazingcaphephe.

Kulo nyaka, abangamashumi asixhenxe bethu bahlanganisene ukuthetha ngekamva leplastiki kwihlabathi lethu, ngakumbi malunga nendlela esinokuyinciphisa ngayo ingozi evela kungcoliseko lweplastiki ukuya elwandle. Le ndibano ibiquka iingcali eziphuma kwimibutho ephantsi kunye namasebe ekhemistri eyunivesithi kunye neshishini kunye nomthetho. Kwakukho abakhankasi abazimiseleyo abachasene neplastiki kunye nabantu abanomdla abacinga ngokuyilayo malunga nendlela yokujongana nenkunkuma yeplastiki kumazwe ahlwempuzekileyo emhlabeni.

Sichithe isiqingatha sexesha lethu kwintoni, kunye nesiqingatha malunga nokuba njani. Sijongana njani nengxaki ethe yanegalelo kokubini luninzi loluntu, kwaye enokuba yingozi kulo lonke uluntu?

Njengoninzi lwethu, bendicinga ukuba ndinesiphatho esihle kumda wengxaki yongcoliseko lweplastiki kulwandle lwethu. Ndacinga ukuba ndiyawuqonda umngeni wokuyilungisa kunye nemiphumo yokuqhubeka nokuvumela izigidi zeeponti zenkunkuma ukuba zivuthe, zikhukuliseke, okanye ziwele elwandle. Ndaqonda ukuba indima yeSiseko soLwandle inokuba kukuqhubeka nokuxhasa ezinye zeendlela ezibalaseleyo ezikhoyo, ukubonelela ngovavanyo, ukuzama ukukhulula iiplastiki, kwaye uchonge apho kunokubakho izikhewu ezinokuvalwa ngabantu abazinikeleyo kwihlabathi liphela.

Kodwa emva kweveki yokuthetha neengcali malunga nongcoliseko lweplastiki yolwandle, ukucinga kwam kuye kwavela kwinkxaso, uhlalutyo, kunye nokuthunyelwa kweeprojekthi ezilungileyo zokuxhasa ngemali kwindibano yethu yabaxhasi kwimfuno yokongeza into entsha kumzamo. Akufuneki kuphela ukuba sinciphise inkunkuma yeplastiki-kufuneka sinciphise ukuxhomekeka kwethu kwiiplastiki ngokubanzi.

 
Iplastiki yinto emangalisayo. Uluhlu olwahlukeneyo lweepolymers luvumela ububanzi obumangalisayo bokusetyenziswa ukusuka kumalungu afakelweyo ukuya kwimoto kunye neendawo zenqwelomoya ukuya kwiikomityi ezilula zokusetyenziswa, iindiza kunye neengxowa. Sacela oosokhemesti ukuba beze nezinto ezomeleleyo, ezilungele ukusetyenziswa okuthile, kunye nezikhaphukhaphu zokunciphisa iindleko zokuthumela ngenqanawa. Kwaye iikhemisti zasabela. Kubomi bam, siye sasuka kwiglasi kunye nephepha saya kwiplastiki phantse kuzo zonke iindibano zeqela-kangangokuba kwindibano yakutshanje yokubukela iifilimu zokusingqongileyo, omnye umntu wandibuza ukuba besiya kusela ngantoni ukuba ayizizo iikomityi zeplastiki. Ndicebise kancinci ukuba iiglasi zewayini kunye namanzi zingasebenza. “Iiglasi ziyaqhawuka. Iphepha liya kuba mdaka,” waphendula ngelitshoyo. Inqaku lakutshanje leNew York Times libonisa iziphumo zempumelelo yeekhemisti:

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Phakathi kwezinto endizithathayo kwintlanganiso yaseKlosters kum kukuqonda ngcono ukuba mkhulu kangakanani na umceli mngeni esijongene nawo. Umzekelo, iipolima ezizimeleyo zinokuba zombini zikhuselekile ngokusemthethweni kukutya kwaye ziphinde zisetyenziswe ngokobuchwepheshe. Kodwa asinaso esona sixhobo sokuphinda sisetyenziswe kwezo polima kwiindawo ezininzi (kwaye kwezinye iimeko naphi na kwaphela). Ngaphaya koko, abaphandi kunye nabameli beshishini ababekule ntlanganiso baphakamisa umba wokuba xa iipolymers zidityanisiwe ukujongana nemiba yokutya emininzi ngaxeshanye (ukuphefumla kunye nokutsha kwi-lettuce, umzekelo), kudla ngokungabikho uvavanyo olongezelelweyo lokhuseleko lokutya okanye ukuphinda kusetyenziswe indibaniselwano. Okanye indlela imixube yepolymer esabela ngayo ekuvezweni ixesha elide elangeni nasemanzini-zombini zintsha kunye netyuwa. Kwaye zonke iipolymers zilungile kakhulu ekuthutheni i-toxins kunye nokuzikhulula. Kwaye kunjalo, kukho isoyikiso esongezelelweyo sokuba ngenxa yokuba iiplastiki zenziwe nge-oyile kunye negesi, ziya kukhupha iigesi ze-greenhouse ekuhambeni kwexesha. 

Owona mceli mngeni mkhulu kukuba ingakanani iplastiki eveliswayo yaza yalahlwa ebomini bam iselapha emhlabeni wethu, kwimilambo namachibi ethu, naselwandle. Ukumisa ukuhamba kweplastiki kwimilambo kunye nolwandle kungxamisekile-nangona siqhubeka sihlola iindlela ezinokwenzeka, ezingabizi kakhulu zokususa iplastiki elwandle ngaphandle kokwenza umonakalo ongezelelweyo kufuneka siphelise ukuthembela kwethu kwiiplastiki ngokupheleleyo. 

Laysan Albatross intshontsho elilambileyo, Flickr/Duncan

Enye ingxoxo yaseKlosters yagxila ekubeni ngaba kufuneka sibeke ixabiso lokusetyenziswa kweplastiki kunye nerhafu okanye ukuvala ngokufanelekileyo. Umzekelo, iiplastiki ezisetyenziselwa ukusetyenziswa esibhedlele kunye nakwiimeko ezinobungozi obukhulu (ukuqhambuka kwekholera, umzekelo) zinokufumana unyango olwahlukileyo kuneekomityi zepati, iingxowa zeplastiki, kunye neendiza. Uluntu luza kunikwa iinketho zokulungisa ulwakhiwo ngokweemfuno zalo ezikhethekileyo-besazi ukuba kufuneka balungelelanise iindleko zabo zokulawula inkunkuma eqinileyo ngokuchasene neendleko zokunyanzelisa ukuvalwa. Idolophu engaselunxwemeni inokujolisa kuthintelo lokunciphisa iindleko zokucocwa kolwandle ngokuthe ngqo kwaye olunye uluntu lunokugxila kwimirhumo ecutha ukusetyenziswa kunye nokubonelela ngenkxaso-mali yokucoca okanye ukubuyisela.

Isicwangciso sowiso-mthetho—nangona sisenokubunjwa—kufuneka siquke zombini inkuthazo yolawulo olungcono lwenkunkuma kunye nophuhliso lobugcisa obufanelekileyo bokuphucula ukusebenziseka kwakhona kwizikali zokwenene. Kuthetha ukulawula ukuveliswa kweeplastiki zeentlobo ezininzi kunye nokubonelela ngenkuthazo yokuphuhlisa iipholima ezinokuphinda zisetyenziswe kwaye zisebenziseke. Kwaye, ukufumana le mida yomthetho kunye nenkuthazo endaweni ngokukhawuleza kubalulekile kuba ishishini liceba ukuphinda kabini imveliso yeplastiki yehlabathi jikelele kwiminyaka engama-30 ezayo (kanye xa kufuneka sisebenzise ngaphantsi kwesi sikwenzayo namhlanje).

Ngemingeni emininzi engqondweni, ndihlala ndinomdla wokuqhubela phambili uphuhliso lwekiti yesixhobo sowiso-mthetho, esinokusetyenziswa ngokudityaniswa namava e-Ocean Foundation kunye nokufikelela kwimithetho yoontanga-ku-peer kwi-acidification yolwandle kwinqanaba likarhulumente e-USA. , nakwinqanaba lesizwe kumazwe ngamazwe.

Ndiza kuqaphela ukuba kuya kuba ngumsebenzi onzima ukufumana naziphi na izimvo zomthetho wongcoliseko lweplastiki ngokufanelekileyo. Siza kufuna imvelaphi enzulu yobugcisa kwaye siya kufuna ukufumana iingcamango ezifumana unobangela wengxaki, endaweni yalezo zinxibo zefestile, ukuze siphumelele. Ngamanye amazwi, kuya kufuneka sisebenze ukunqanda ukuba lixhoba labantu abaneembono ezinkulu nezimangalisayo ezivakalayo ezinemida enzulu okanye izisombululo ezikhangeleka kwaye ziziva zilungile ezingasifikisi apho sifuna ukuba khona njengeBoyan Slat's “ Iprojekthi yokucoca i-Ocean.  

Ngokucacileyo, thina kwi-Ocean Foundation ayingabokuqala ukucinga ngokwesicwangciso sowiso-mthetho kunye nophuhliso lwekiti yesixhobo somthetho. Ngokunjalo, kukho ukwanda kwenani lemibutho esebenze kunye nabenzi bezigqibo ukuphuhlisa izicwangciso ezifanelekileyo zokulawula. Ukufumana ikiti yezixhobo zomgaqo-nkqubo ezibanzi, ndingathanda ukuqokelela imizekelo eyimpumelelo evela kwinqanaba likamasipala nelikarhulumente, kunye nemithetho ethile yelizwe (eRwanda, eTanzania, eKenya, naseTamil Nadu efika engqondweni njengemizekelo yakutsha nje). Ndingathanda ukusebenzisana nabalingane abavela kwi-ClientEarth, amalungu e-Plastic Pollution Coalition, kunye noshishino oluchonge izicwangciso eziyimpumelelo. Ngokusekwa kweQonga laseKlosters lalo nyaka, iQonga lonyaka ozayo lingagxila kumgaqo-nkqubo, kunye nezisombululo ezisemthethweni kwingxaki yeeplastiki kulwandle lwethu.

UMark J. Spalding, uMongameli we-Ocean Foundation ilungu leBhodi ye-Ocean Studies ye-National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Usebenza kwiKomishoni yoLwandle lwaseSargasso. UMarko nguMntu oMkhulu kwiZiko le-Blue Economy, kwiZiko le-Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Ukongeza, usebenza njenge-CEO kunye noMongameli we-SeaWeb, ungumcebisi we-Rockefeller Ocean Strategy (ingxowa-mali yotyalo-mali engazange ibonwe ngaphambili) kwaye wayila inkqubo yokuqala ye-carbon blue offset, i-SeaGrass Grow.

​¹Lim, Xiaozhi "Ukuyila ukuFa kwePlastiki" New York Times 6 Agasti 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/science/plastics-polymers-pollution.html
²UShiffman, uDavid "Ndibuze iingcali ezili-15 zongcoliseko lweplastiki yolwandle malunga neprojekthi yokucoca i-Ocean, kwaye banenkxalabo" iSayensi eQisiweyo yaseMzantsi 13 Juni 2018 http://www.southernfriedscience.com/i-asked-15-ocean-plastic-pollution-experts-about-the-ocean-cleanup-project-and-they-have-concerns