Uxolo, AYISIYO iCocktail yeHolide eKhethekileyo

NguMark J. Spalding, uMongameli

Ekuqaleni kukaDisemba 2014, ndaba nethamsanqa lokukwazi ukuya kwiziganeko ezibini ezikhethekileyo eAnnapolis, eMaryland. Eyokuqala yayisisidlo sangokuhlwa seChesapeake Conservancy apho seva intetho echukumisekileyo evela kumbutho we-ED, uJoel Dunn, malunga nokuba kubaluleke kangakanani ukukholelwa ukuba sonke sinokunceda ukwenza i-Chesapeake Bay yelizwe elithandathu ibe yindawo enempilo yokuhlala, sebenza, kwaye udlale. Omnye wabawonga ngokuhlwa yaba nguKeith Campbell owasixelela ukuba iinyani zixhasa wonke umntu okholelwa ukuba iChesapeake Bay esempilweni yeyona nto ibalulekileyo kuqoqosho lwengingqi olusempilweni.

Ngobusuku obulandelayo, yayinguKeith kunye nentombi yakhe uSamantha Campbell (umongameli we-Keith Campbell Foundation for Environmental kunye nowayesakuba lilungu leBhodi ye-TOF) ababebhiyozela impumelelo kaVerna Harrison, owehlayo emva kweminyaka elishumi elinesibini njengoMlawuli oyiNtloko weSiseko. Isithethi emva kwesithethi siye saqaphela ukuzinikela kukaVerna kwiChesapeake Bay esempilweni kumashumi eminyaka. Abasesandleni ukunceda ukubhiyozela umsebenzi wakhe ukuza kuthi ga ngoku yayingabalawuli bangaphambili, i-federal yangoku, urhulumente, kunye namagosa asekhaya, ngaphezulu kweshumi elinambini lamaqabane asisiseko, kwaye ewe, inkitha yabanye abantu abanikela iintsuku zabo kwindawo esempilweni yaseChesapeake Bay.

Omnye wabantu ababezinikele kulo msitho yayinguJulie Lawson, umlawuli weTrash-Free Maryland, owayephethe iqabane lakhe lengqayi yamanzi esuka eBay. Ejongisiswe kakuhle kwafumaniseka ukuba yayingengomanzi akhe okusela. Enyanisweni, ndazisola ngokuva ukuba kukho nantoni na eselayo okanye ehlala kula manzi. Njengoko ubona kulo mfanekiso, amanzi awayesengqayini ayeluhlaza ngokuqaqambileyo, eluhlaza njengamhla aqokelelwa ngawo. Uqwalaselo olusondeleyo lubonise ukuba kwimisonto ye-algae kujinga amasuntswana eplastiki anobukhulu obahlukeneyo. Iglasi yokunyusela ingatyhila nangakumbi nangakumbi amaqhekeza amancinci eplastiki.

Isampulu awayeyiphethe yaqokelelwa ekupheleni kukaNovemba xa imibutho emibini yolondolozo, iTrash Free Maryland kunye ne-5 Gyres Institute, yaphuma ukuya kuqokelela iisampulu zamanzi kunye neesampulu ze-net of debris e-Chesapeake. Bameme ingcaphephe yaseChesapeake Bay kunye nomcebisi omkhulu we-EPA uJeff Corbin ukuba ahambe naye:  Kwiblogi kamva, wabhala: “Ndaqikelela ukuba asiyi kufumana nto ingako. Ithiyori yam yayiyeyokuba iChesapeake Bay iguquguquka kakhulu, inamaza angaguqukiyo, imimoya kunye nemisinga, ngokuchaseneyo neepateni ezithe cwaka ezivulekileyo zokujikeleza kolwandle ezinokugxila kungcoliseko lweplastiki. Bendingalunganga."

I-Microplastics ligama elisetyenziselwa ukuchaza amasuntswana amancinci eplastiki akhoyo ngoku kulo lonke ulwandle lwethu-intsalela yenkunkuma yeplastiki eyenza indlela yabo emanzini naselwandle. Iiplastiki azipheli elwandle; baqhekeza babe ngamaqhekeza amancinci amancinci. Njengoko uJulie wabhala kutshanje malunga nesampulu yaseBay, "Amawaka ee-microbeads ezivela kwiimveliso zokunyamekela komntu kunye nobuninzi beplastiki buqikelelwa ngamaxesha ali-10 kwinqanaba elifunyenwe "kwiindawo zenkunkuma" ezidumileyo kwiilwandle zehlabathi. Ezi ziqwenga zincinane zeplastiki zifunxa eminye imichiza yepetroli enjengemichiza yokubulala izinambuzane, ioli nepetroli, zisiba yityhefu ngakumbi yaye zityhefa emazantsi ekhonkco lokutya kweBay nto leyo ekhokelela koononkala abaluhlaza nerockfish etyiwa ngabantu.”

Upapasho lukaDisemba lwesampulu yenzululwazi yeminyaka emihlanu yeelwandle zehlabathi kwi-PLOS I-1 yayinzima kakhulu - "Iiplastiki zabo bonke ubungakanani zifunyenwe kuyo yonke imimandla yolwandle, idibana kwiindawo eziqokelelwa kuyo kwi-subtropical gyres, kubandakanywa ne-hemisphere gyres esemazantsi apho ukuxinana kwabemi baselunxwemeni kusezantsi kakhulu kune-hemisphere esemantla." Uphononongo luqikelelo lokuba ingakanani iplastiki ekwiilwandlekazi zehlabathi lugxininisa indlela ukuginya kunye nokubopheleleka okubenzakalisa ngayo ubomi elwandle.

Sonke sinokwenza njengoJulie size siphathe isampulu yamanzi kunye nathi. Okanye sinokwamkela umyalezo esiwuvayo ngokuphindaphindiweyo kwi-Trash Free Maryland, i-5 Gyres Institute, i-Plastic Pollution Coalition, i-Beyond Plastic, i-Surfrider Foundation, kunye namaqabane abo amaninzi kwihlabathi jikelele. Yingxaki abantu abayiqonda ngokusisiseko-kwaye umbuzo wokuqala esisoloko sibuzwa ngulo "Singayenza njani iplastiki iphume elwandle?"

Kwaye, kwi-Ocean Foundation, sihlala sifumana izindululo ezivela kwimibutho eyahlukeneyo kunye nabantu ngabanye malunga nokususwa kweeplastiki kwi-ocean gyres apho iye yanda khona. Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, akukho nanye kwezi epensile. Nokuba sinokusebenzisa inkqubo yakhe ukuqokelela iplastiki kwi-gyre, ke kusafuneka sazi ukuba kuya kubiza malini ukuthwala loo nkunkuma ukuyisa emhlabeni kwaye iyigqume ukuba ibe namafutha ngandlela ithile. Okanye, yiguqule elwandle, kwaye emva koko uthwale amafutha ukuya emhlabeni apho kunokwenzeka ukuba isetyenziswe kakhulu. Iindleko zomjikelo opheleleyo wokuya kufuna iplastiki, ukuyiguqulela kumandla okanye ukwenza enye indlela yokusetyenziswa kwayo idlula kakhulu ixabiso lawo nawaphi na amandla okanye enye imveliso ehlaziyiweyo eveliswayo (oku kungaphezulu nangakumbi ngoku ukuba amaxabiso eoyile aphantsi).

Ngelixa ndinexhala lokuba kuya kuhlala kunzima ukwenza ukuba ukususa iplastiki elwandle kube lula ngokwemali (njengelinge loshishino lwenzuzo); Ndiyakuxhasa ukukhupha iiplastiki kulwandle lwethu. Kuba, ukuba sinokususa isixa esikhulu seplastiki nakwi gyre enye, iya kuba sisiphumo esihle eso.
Ke impendulo yam eqhelekileyo ithi, "Ewe, sinokuqala ngokwenza indima yethu ukuba singavumeli enye iplastiki ukuba ingene elwandle ngelixa sifumana indlela yokususa ngokwezoqoqosho ungcoliseko lweplastiki elwandle ngaphandle kokwenza umonakalo." Ke xa sisondela kuNyaka oMtsha, mhlawumbi ezi zezinye zezigqibo esinokuzigcina egameni lolwandle:

• Okokuqala, eyona ingumngeni kakhulu ngeli xesha lonyaka: Nciphisa ukwenziwa kwenkunkuma. Emva koko, lahla yonke inkunkuma ngokufanelekileyo.  Sebenzisa kwakhona apho kufanelekileyo.
• Fumana ezinye iindlela kwizinto zeplastiki othembele kuzo; kunye nokwala ukupakishwa kwenkonzo enye, iistraws, ukupakishwa okugqithisileyo, kunye nezinye iiplastiki 'ezilahlwayo'.
• Musa ukuzalisa imigqomo yenkunkuma ngokugqithisileyo kwaye uqinisekise ukuba isiciko silingana ncakasana—ukuphuphumala kudla ngokuvuthuza esitratweni, kukhukuliswe kwimijelo yesiphango, nokuphumela emanzini.
• Ngaba ukhuthaze abatshaya ukuba balahle iimpundu zabo ngokufanelekileyo—kuqikelelwa ukuba isinye kwisithathu (i-120 lamawaka ezigidi) yazo zonke izitondu zecuba ziphelela emanzini eUnited States kuphela.
• Phatha ibhotile yakho yamanzi kwaye iingxowa zokuthenga kwakhona ezinokusetyenziswa nawe-Sisebenzisa iibhegi ezi-3 zeetriliyoni ngonyaka kwihlabathi liphela kwaye uninzi lwazo luphela njengenkunkuma.
• Ziphephe iimveliso zokhathalelo lomntu "microbeads" - ziye zaxhaphaka kwimijelo yamanzi nakwiilwandle njengoko ziye zaxhaphaka kwintlama yamazinyo, ukuhlamba ubuso, kunye nezinye iimveliso kule minyaka ilishumi idlulileyo.
• Khuthaza abavelisi kunye nabanye ukuba balandele ezinye iindlela ezongezelelweyo-i-Unilever, i-L'Oreal, i-Crest (i-Procter & Gamble), u-Johnson & Johnson, kunye ne-Colgate Palmolive zezinye zeenkampani eziye zavuma ukwenza oko ekupheleni kwe-2015 okanye i-2016 (ukuze ufumane uluhlu olupheleleyo).
• Khuthaza ishishini ukuba ukuqhubeka nokufuna izisombululo zokuthintela iplastiki ukusuka ekungeneni elwandle kwasekuqaleni.