Speakers: Laurent Lebreton (Scientific Director, The Ocean Cleanup NGO)
Date: Thursday, September 21 at 1pm
Place: Amphi Charpak
Seminar summary:
The accumulation of floating plastic debris in the oceanic gyre of the North Pacific Ocean, commonly referred to as the 7ᵉ continent is a syndrome of our addiction to and mismanagement of plastic. During this presentation we will explain the research efforts of The Ocean Cleanup project, a non-profit organization, which has set itself the goal of reducing the mass of floating plastic debris in the oceans to 90% by 2040. We’ll detail the various expeditions that led to the mapping of this 7ᵉ continent made of plastics of all shapes and sizes. We will also present the stages in the development of waste recovery systems and the new knowledge these trials have brought us. Finally, we’ll end with a look at another ocean, the Indian Ocean, which is attracting the organization’s interest with a view to a worldwide expansion of its ocean clean-up projects.