THE WORLD’S TRASH
ORIGIN OF THE GARBAGE FOUND IN SIAN KA’AN, MEXICO
Sian Ka’an is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Mexico’s largest federally protected reserves. During the course of this project, we have documented products that were made in sixty different countries and territories, all washed up onto Sian Ka'an's shores. Although we can't be sure where a product was dropped, the labels indicate where they were produced.
Below is further proof that humans from all over the world are connected through our oceans, and that your actions in one part of the globe can affect communities on other continents:
We are all connected.
80% of all ocean plastic pollution originates from land based sources. That means that when someone litters on the street, they are effectively littering our rivers and oceans. And when this garbage enters the ocean, it gradually destroys ecosystems while traveling around the planet via currents and weather patterns.
In order to help us visualize and understand how trash moves around the world, we invite you to experience “Earth,” a beautiful and interactive global view of our weather and climate created by scientists. The source of the maps is data collected by NASA supercomputers and updated every three hours.
Below is a sample video showing international air currents. To see the full functionality of this amazing tool visit earth.nullschool.net.
