Plastic in the Ocean Is Creating a New Geological Era
In Plastic in the Ocean Is Creating a New Geological Era, host Simon Reeve visits with an expert on plastic pollution and observes visible integration of plastics into the soil and even the food chain in the Mediterranean Sea. This video is excerpted from BBC's Incredible Journeys With Simon Reeve, a series that highlights one journalist’s travels across the globe and the diverse cultures and peoples he meets along the way.
Lesson Express
Q: Describe what the environmental campaigner Daniel means about plastic becoming part of the geology.
A: Layers of plastics become embedded in the soil and the plant roots; it cannot be simply picked up off the ground.
Q: How is the dry riverbed a highway for plastics to enter the ocean?
A: When it rains, the force of the water flows fast to the ocean, picking up small pieces of plastic that break off from bigger pieces of trash. The river carries this plastic directly to the ocean.
Q: How is plastic becoming a part of the food chain?
A: Plastics get caught in the soil and break into smaller pieces. These pieces flow from the rivers into the oceans. Fish eat the small pieces. When humans consume the fish, they consume the plastic.
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