The Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, is now 50 times more toxic than the most polluted rivers in China. The report is 5 years old, the situation is now twice as bad.
This is a concerning revelation, especially considering the Abyss’s critical role in sustaining the planet’s ecosystem. With only 200 deep sea marine biologists worldwide, we know very little about life 3000m below the surface. It’s hard to accept that we’ve turned one of the most remote places on the planet into a toxic waste dump. The consequences of this will be scary and will come back to bite humanity. Let’s give attention to this report and take action to protect our planet.
Over human population, this is not a problem because toxic chemicals are now making males sterile and reducing hormone levels. The problem is that it is also happening to nature.
There has been a huge drop in male sperm count and testosterone, up to 60%, over the last 50 years. https://lnkd.in/eV3uUuDD and it is currently declining at 2% every year. It is not just the number of sperm; it is also their quality and the likelihood of passing on genetic disease. We have already seen this in many cases; one of the worst examples was Agent Orange’s toxic contaminant, dioxin TDCC. The manufacturers, Dow Chemical and Monsanto, knew it was a problem, but it was cheaper to supply the contaminated, toxic product. Male sterility has been attributed to phthalates in plastic, but there are 14,000 other chemicals that are persistent and toxic to humans and nature.
What does it all mean? Well, unless we stop toxic and endocrine-disrupting forever chemicals, as well as plastic and partially combusted carbon, nature will be down 90% to 95% by 2045, and humanity will follow a few years later. Humanity is part of nature, and without nature, we cannot survive.
I don’t think Governments or Industry are going to change; it’s down to individuals and communities.