In this article from the Washington Post, it points out the little amount left over the ocean that has not been touched or disturbed. Currently, only 13% of the oceans could be considered as a, "Wilderness". That means the other 87% of the ocean has been used for fishing, or shipping, or has been polluted. Only about 7% of the oceans is actually protected. More of the ocean should be protected because if there is 87% that could be controlled and fixed, all that water could become protected.https://newsela.com/read/climate-oceans-humans/id/45015
Plastic Eating Bacteria
Two high school senior girls in Vancouver have recently discovered a process that helps break down plastic. This process begins with solvent that dissolves the plastic, and then what is left over can be consumed by their newly developed bacteria. This bacteria was made to specifically eat phthalate, a material found in plastic that is hard to break down. Over in Japan at Kyoto University, they found a completely new bacteria species that eats plastics. There are also current studies on how meal worms can eat Styrofoam and plastic. I believe that this could be a extremely beneficial discovery to the world. Being that all the plastic ever used is still floating around somewhere on earth either in landfills or oceans, although side effects are not yet known. Learn about the bacteria here!
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