Not only are oceans around the world in trouble due to rising temperatures and coral bleaching, but plastic pollution has reached just about every aspect of sea life. We hear about seabirds with huge amounts of plastic bits in their stomachs. Endangered sea turtles tangled in nets and other debris. A giant Sperm Whale was ever killed after ingesting over 54 pounds of plastic waste.
Sadly, these horrific facts don’t seem to be making a dent in the stream of waste that is entering the ocean. Consumption is continuing to rise, and animals are paying the price.
This powerful animation called Selfish hopes to drive the point home, with an ironic twist on a sushi chef preparing a meal. We see the accomplished chef preparing his ingredients, which instead of fresh fish, are a laundry container, and a bunch of plastic straws. He delicately chops them up, serving them to his aghast clientele, which include the fated seabirds and ocean dwelling critters.
Also included in the animation are powerful stats, mentioning not just the way animals are affected, but humans too. Those of us that eat seafood are likely to ingest over 11,000 pieces of micro-plastics every year.
Created by Chen, PoChien, It’s a sobering yet needed look at our global challenge of reducing or eliminating our plastic waste.
