Plastic pollution is recognized as a massive, global environmental issue, responsible for the deaths of over a million marine animals each year.
It is a danger to all marine life including birds, sharks, turtles and marine mammals, causing injury and death through drowning, entanglement, or starvation following ingestion. It is also a danger to human life.
On Earth Day on April 22, 2016, Sea Shepherd Global teamed-up with Shanghai-based creative agency, Fred & Farid, to shine a spotlight on the massive issue of plastic pollution in our oceans.
Fred & Farid and Sea Shepherd have produced a short film that captures the reactions of swimmers at a public pool that has been filled with plastic pollution.
“Faced with the option of swimming in a pool full of plastic pollution, most people would choose not to enter the water. However, this is not an option extended to the many marine creatures who are forced to live in this kind of pollution everyday,” said Sea Shepherd Global CEO, Captain Alex Cornelissen.
“We hope that this video inspires discussion and public debate about the global problem of plastic pollution. Pressure must be placed on governments and corporations to introduce policy changes to stem the tide of this on-going disaster, and to shift their focus to more environmentally sustainable businesses practices, globally,” he concluded.