A continent of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean

[4est_4est_Gump]

Voting for politicians who want stricter regulations. If a politician makes a promise to so much as make an official study of the island, I don't even need a solution just stage one "scouting" and they've got my vote. That's what I'm doing.

Continental Drift?

or

Continental Divide.

This is why government expands even as it sucks.

Everyone has that one little niche where they say, okay, THIS is where I need some big government...

 

[shoulderblade]

A new entry has arrived:

4. "nearly the size of Alaska"

3. "twice the size of Texas
2. "twice the size of the continental U.S."
1. "3 to 7 Spains, and its growing!"

Hmmm. I thought I saw "1% the area of Texas" back there somewhere, not very dramatic but I think the point is made anyway. Oh my! We need more research. $$$

Where is evolution when you need it? Some enterprising microbe should be able to cash in on this.

What about the GM food types. Build us a plastic eater.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

We're gonna need that trash to survive after Glow Ball Warning turns us into Waterworld...

 

[eyer]

But you cannot convince the ignorant

Do you not understand what "ignorant" means?

 

[phrodeau]

Some people simply refuse to accept scientific evidence. Same with climactic change deniers. Their beliefs are based on nothing at all.

 

[zipman]

The truth about the "continent" of trash can be found here children, you can sleep tonight:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110104151146.htm

LOL, so you found an assistant professor who disputes the size of the garbage patch so therefore, it doesn't exist or isn't a problem?

Seriously?

There are none so blind as those who choose not to see.

 

[Peregrinator]

Jesus fucking christ.

Here's some information, with video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7rNYzSH-BA

Here's some more information.

http://askville.amazon.com/Great-Pa...th-similar/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=40998522


If you don't believe it exists, you are trying very hard to avoid seeing any evidence of it.

 

[bronzeage]

Jesus fucking christ.

Here's some information, with video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7rNYzSH-BA

Here's some more information.

http://askville.amazon.com/Great-Pa...th-similar/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=40998522


If you don't believe it exists, you are trying very hard to avoid seeing any evidence of it.

It's really no effort at all.

The core of all of this is the desperate hope that nothing humans do effects the planet. This means it doesn't matter what we do. If our actions had some real consequence, there would be real responsibility.

Dodging responsibility is what it's all about.

 

[Peregrinator]

It's really no effort at all.

The core of all of this is the desperate hope that nothing humans do effects the planet. This means it doesn't matter what we do. If our actions had some real consequence, there would be real responsibility.

Dodging responsibility is what it's all about.

I think I learned all I needed to know about the anti-environmental crowd here when one of them called me selfish for not wanting to drill in ANWR and then a few posts later was asking why he shouldn't be able to drive a gas-guzzling SUV if he wanted.

 

[bronzeage]

I think I learned all I needed to know about the anti-environmental crowd here when one of them called me selfish for not wanting to drill in ANWR and then a few posts later was asking why he shouldn't be able to drive a gas-guzzling SUV if he wanted.

It maybe a 20th century phenomena. Some people are able to carry their self centered toddler stage all the way into adolescence and never progress beyond that point. "Wanting something" is justification enough for having it, and the effects on other people are of no concern.

For the toddlescent, this is the definition of freedom.

 

[piccicatopolka]

If I were President, we would remove all troops from the Middle East immediately and start the creation of an environmental army to deal with these challenges around the world. Neither left nor right has the guts to deal with real problems. Its easier to create pretend boogey men than deal with real issues.

I would TOTALLY vote for you after helping run your campaign!

 

[Peregrinator]

It maybe a 20th century phenomena. Some people are able to carry their self centered toddler stage all the way into adolescence and never progress beyond that point. "Wanting something" is justification enough for having it, and the effects on other people are of no concern.

For the toddlescent, this is the definition of freedom.

It's an extension of yuppie thinking. Gonna get mine. What's truly remarkable is the lengths people will go to to discredit a simple truth.

 

[unregistered]

 

[unregistered]

 

[zipman]

White has pored over published literature and participated in one of the few expeditions solely aimed at understanding the abundance of plastic debris and the associated impact of plastic on microbial communities. That expedition was part of research funded by the National Science Foundation through C-MORE, the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/).

They said it was "continent" size Zip, I said show me.

You also said the following:

No, just show me there is a problem. Show me the aerial pics.

The links show there is clearly a problem.

But you would rather stick your head in the sand and pretend it isn't a problem, like you do with any environmental issue.

 

[phrodeau]

At what point do you decide to do something about it? If a patch of ocean that's 250 parts per million plastic is no concern, what concentration would be a concern?

 

[eyer]

So...

...another entry now adds itself to the list:

5. "less than 1 percent of the geographic size of Texas."

4. "nearly the size of Alaska"
3. "twice the size of Texas
2. "twice the size of the continental U.S."
1. "3 to 7 Spains, and its growing!"

 

[badbabysitter]

eyer is awesome... he has absolutely nothing to contribute to this thread whatsoever.... so that means he has to act like a fucking prick

 

[bronzeage]

At what point do you decide to do something about it? If a patch of ocean that's 250 parts per million plastic is no concern, what concentration would be a concern?

It wouldn't matter if you could walk to Taiwan on the trash.

A Lit conservative is someone who will never change their lifestyle for the benefit of someone else and expects the rest of us to pay the bill for him.

 

[zipman]

So...

...another entry now adds itself to the list:

5. "less than 1 percent of the geographic size of Texas."

4. "nearly the size of Alaska"
3. "twice the size of Texas
2. "twice the size of the continental U.S."
1. "3 to 7 Spains, and its growing!"

*Using my Sesame Street singing voice* so Eyer might get a clue

"One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong."

 

[Sean Renaud]

It wouldn't matter if you could walk to Taiwan on the trash.

A Lit conservative is someone who will never change their lifestyle for the benefit of someone else and expects the rest of us to pay the bill for him.

Unless you could drive trucks over it to keep the cheap labor from China coming in that might concern them.

 

[Liar]

For all of the the tub thumping environmental doomsayers, here's your "continent:"


From the article:

The studies have shown is that if you look at the actual area of the plastic itself, rather than the entire North Pacific subtropical gyre, the hypothetically "cohesive" plastic patch is actually less than 1 percent of the geographic size of Texas.
"The amount of plastic out there isn't trivial," White said. "But using the highest concentrations ever reported by scientists produces a patch that is a small fraction of the state of Texas, not twice the size."
Another way to look at it, White said, is to compare the amount of plastic found to the amount of water in which it was found. "If we were to filter the surface area of the ocean equivalent to a football field in waters having the highest concentration (of plastic) ever recorded," she said, "the amount of plastic recovered would not even extend to the 1-inch line."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110104151146.htm

That's one helluva goal post.

 

[bronzeage]

Unless you could drive trucks over it to keep the cheap labor from China coming in that might concern them.

Are the trucks bringing cheap filiment light bulbs?

 

[Sean Renaud]

Are the trucks bringing cheap filiment light bulbs?

Nope. Their bringing crude oil and cans of corm if there are young ladies to be bought.

 

[warrior queen]

Do you not understand what "ignorant" means?

I'm going with 'unaware or uninformed'.