Trapped in the North Pacific Ocean midway between the USA and Japan is one of the most extreme examples of marine pollution on Earth. A 2018 scientific report in the journal Nature estimated its size at 1.6 million square kilometres, about twice as big as Turkey. Some estimates suggest it may even be as large as 15 million square kilometres – almost the size of Russia. It is a problem to which we have all, wittingly or otherwise, contributed – and for which we all bear responsibility. Whether we even have the capacity to clean up the mess we have made, let alone the willingness to shoulder the financial cost, is a hotly debated topic.
The Great Pacific