After the battle of the Midway in June 1942 there was much wreckage from the damaged, sunk and wrecked ships. After years, the wreckage dispersed and things returned to the peaceful existence it once was.

Now there is another plague, this time of plastic rubbish washing up on the shores of the islands of the Midway. Groups of worried residents, visitors and environmental groups are now on the beach clearing away tonnes of plastic that is washing up on the shores.

Much of the plastic has shipped off cargo vessels or from cruise ships visiting the area. So once more we have a battle going on in the Midway with not only human life at peril this time but the wildlife on and around the islands. If you have the option to help out on beach clear ups at Midway, or closer at home, please do and save the planet and wildlife near you. Good cleaning.

There is now an estimated 250 million tonnes of waste plastic floating around in the oceans which is starting to wash up on the beaches around the world.  Here in the UK we have seen, in the past four years, an increase of plastic, mainly litre size mineral water bottles, washing up at an astounding rate.  Surveys done by the Marine Conservation Society have concluded that there is a 50% increase of plastic being washed up year on year since the survey began in 1993.  Much of the waste originates from the vessels hugging our coastline including a large number of plastic sticks from cotton buds.  One of the most disturbing facts is the amount of plastic beads that are washing up on our coastline.  The beads number trillions so at first glance look like sand, at sea the beads look like shrimp and small fish causing the decline of many sea birds.   The birds pick them up thinking they are food and, like the Albatross, feed them to their young.  The toxins in the beads and the fact that the young are not eating means they eventually starve. 

So if you have chance to join in a beach clean up please go along, it is a great day out and meet new friends.  If the beach is too far away, look out for local events arranged by the National Trust, Environmental Agency and local councils.  Every thing we can do to clean up the environment, no matter how small, will help enormously. 

Having seen pictures of starving Albatross chicks fed plastic objects by their parents thinking them to be fish is harsh, but then to hear that shipping companies regularly dump waste, including plastic objects, into the sea is appalling.  The estimated amount of plastic floating about on the oceans is the size of America and weighs a massive 100 million tonnes, all waiting to wash up on the beaches of every continent.  A study by the University of California shows that not only are we polluting the surface of the oceans but also 40% of the world’s oceans have inhabitants who are fighting for survival.

One of the greatest sources of plastic and sewage pollution comes from cruise ships that regularly empty waste into the sea.  An average cruise ship with 3000 passengers and crew generates 30,000 gallons (137,000 litres) of human waste and 255,000 gallons (over one million litres) of grey water from showers, dishwashers and the like all of which can, and often does, go into the sea after some form of basic treatment.  Solid waste such as food and rubbish amounts to seven tons (seven point one tonnes) each day.   That is a massive amount of pollutant and does not include oily bilge water and the emissions from the engines of the ships that are equal to running 12,000 family cars a day.

Flying is seen to be the real monster when it comes to climate change; however, a research paper leaked to the press in recent weeks suggests that the biggest single culprit of C02 emissions is not aviation but shipping, pouring 1.12 billion tonnes into the atmosphere each year.   That figure compared to flying which puts 650 million tonnes of C02 into the atmosphere is much lower yet some believe more damaging due to the height of the emissions in the troposphere.

The destruction of habitats such as coral reefs is happening at such a dramatic rate through tourism that some areas of reef around the world will soon be closed in order to promote survival of the areas.  We are so mobile that we think nothing of jetting off to the other side of the world to visit a wonder of nature and in doing so are part of its destruction.  Moreover, when we get there we jump into motor boats to wiz over fragile habitats causing more destruction.
However it is not all doom and gloom as there is a growing band of tour operators who provide sustainable and ethical holidays even planting trees as an off-set for your carbon footprint. www.responsibletravel.com www.exodus.co.uk www.ethicalescapes.com

If you want to help save the Albatross save postage stamps and post them to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy Lodge, Bedfordshire who collect the stamps and turn them into funds to support their work saving the great bird.  Leave some paper around the stamp and a postmark if you can. Please pay the postage, Thank you.