0:00:10.582,0:00:14.312
I should have been in the ocean surfing,

0:00:14.892,0:00:21.032
but my passion for finding a solution[br]to the plastic-pollution issue

0:00:21.032,0:00:22.641
had me in the lab.

0:00:24.003,0:00:27.663
I was taking up where[br]my colleagues had left off,

0:00:27.663,0:00:30.699
and the reason that I'm here today

0:00:31.174,0:00:35.723
is to explain to you my research[br]over the last three years.

0:00:36.764,0:00:39.930
Let's take it back from the start.

0:00:41.273,0:00:44.604
Plastic showed up 70 years ago.

0:00:44.933,0:00:47.545
It brought convenience to people.

0:00:47.843,0:00:51.505
Plastic is very cheap,[br]so it has a very low cost;

0:00:52.321,0:00:56.505
it has durability,[br]and it's very convenient.

0:00:58.503,0:01:02.625
According to Times Magazine in 1955,

0:01:03.473,0:01:06.796
plastic made people's life easier.

0:01:07.373,0:01:09.473
They focus on the fact

0:01:09.473,0:01:13.333
that disposable dishes and plastic

0:01:13.333,0:01:19.104
would make the life of housewives[br]much more convenient

0:01:19.722,0:01:23.503
because they will spend[br]less time washing the dishes,

0:01:23.503,0:01:25.955
and gain time to go shopping.

0:01:27.203,0:01:31.024
Overall, plastic had a big impact

0:01:31.551,0:01:34.857
in different spheres of our everyday life,

0:01:35.214,0:01:36.989
such as food,

0:01:36.989,0:01:38.541
healthcare,

0:01:38.541,0:01:40.540
transportation,

0:01:40.540,0:01:42.316
plastic surgery

0:01:42.629,0:01:44.746
and even clothing.

0:01:45.534,0:01:47.488
Let's take a look at your clothes -

0:01:47.488,0:01:50.594
or your neighbor's clothes[br]if you feel comfortable.

0:01:51.094,0:01:52.743
Look at the tag

0:01:52.743,0:01:56.151
and realize that most of our clothes

0:01:56.151,0:02:01.559
are made out of polyester,[br]nylon and lycra.

0:02:02.317,0:02:05.382
All these materials are plastic.

0:02:05.815,0:02:08.486
And while doing yoga,

0:02:08.486,0:02:11.133
you may only be covered in plastic.

0:02:11.506,0:02:13.121
Namaste.

0:02:14.230,0:02:19.506
Plastic has brought great convenience[br]to people around the world

0:02:19.506,0:02:22.558
and is used on an everyday basis.

0:02:22.558,0:02:24.847
We all touch plastic today.

0:02:25.285,0:02:29.067
But the short term[br]convenience that it brings

0:02:29.067,0:02:34.536
has a very long-term ecological cost.

0:02:35.996,0:02:37.975
When you picture paradise,

0:02:37.975,0:02:40.225
this is what you picture.

0:02:40.225,0:02:42.027
This is Hawaii.

0:02:42.027,0:02:44.700
But this is also Hawaii.

0:02:45.757,0:02:48.613
This is also called away.

0:02:49.458,0:02:53.979
When you take a plastic bottle[br]and you throw it away,

0:02:53.979,0:02:56.796
this is where it may end up.

0:02:57.607,0:03:00.950
Hawaii is known for its plastic pollution.

0:03:01.799,0:03:03.468
On our beaches,

0:03:03.468,0:03:07.011
more than 95% of the plastic

0:03:07.459,0:03:10.554
comes from outside of Hawaii.

0:03:11.388,0:03:13.079
Mostly from Asia

0:03:13.079,0:03:17.199
because of the geographical[br]position of the Hawaiian islands.

0:03:18.399,0:03:19.910
But overall,

0:03:19.910,0:03:23.408
we are all responsible for this crisis

0:03:23.408,0:03:26.612
because we all consume plastic.

0:03:28.869,0:03:34.789
Out of 8,300 million[br]metric tons of plastic

0:03:34.789,0:03:38.512
produced to date since the 1950s,

0:03:39.238,0:03:44.118
about 30% is currently being used,

0:03:45.260,0:03:48.552
and a small share, that is recycled.

0:03:49.240,0:03:53.594
Then about 10%[br]of the plastic is incinerated.

0:03:54.834,0:03:58.732
But 60% of all this plastic

0:03:58.732,0:04:01.830
that's been made since the 1950s

0:04:02.161,0:04:06.926
is currently in the environment[br]and in landfills.

0:04:08.360,0:04:10.501
This is an enormous problem,

0:04:10.501,0:04:13.399
and we are far away from fixing it.

0:04:16.680,0:04:22.575
Plastic production in the next 32 years[br]is going to ramp up.

0:04:23.489,0:04:25.415
The projections are

0:04:25.415,0:04:30.261
that 12,000 million[br]metric tons of this plastic

0:04:30.261,0:04:35.174
will end up in our environment[br]and landfills by 2050.

0:04:35.550,0:04:40.616
This is double what we[br]have accumulated in 70 years.

0:04:43.782,0:04:45.662
At the University of Hawaii,

0:04:45.662,0:04:50.944
at the "Center for Microbial Oceanography:[br]Research and Education,"

0:04:51.912,0:04:54.966
we study the degradation of plastic.

0:04:56.111,0:05:00.833
The finding of our research[br]showed that the impact of plastic

0:05:00.833,0:05:03.360
is even worse than what we thought.

0:05:03.831,0:05:07.030
Let me share with you what we discovered.

0:05:07.781,0:05:11.176
My colleagues Sara Ferron[br]and Samual Wilson

0:05:11.553,0:05:13.599
were making measurements

0:05:14.293,0:05:19.100
of the biological production[br]of methane in seawater,

0:05:19.492,0:05:21.452
and the numbers they got

0:05:21.452,0:05:24.663
were way higher than what they expected.

0:05:25.103,0:05:28.482
They went back to[br]their experimental protocol,

0:05:28.482,0:05:31.502
and they realized that most of the methane

0:05:31.502,0:05:35.511
was coming from nonbiological sources;

0:05:35.858,0:05:41.156
it was coming from the bottles[br]in which they were incubating seawater.

0:05:41.953,0:05:45.682
The bottles were made out[br]of a specific plastic:

0:05:46.163,0:05:48.418
high density polyethylene,

0:05:48.418,0:05:50.477
also named HDPE.

0:05:51.152,0:05:54.765
HDPE will react because of the sunlight,

0:05:54.765,0:05:58.196
will degrade and emit methane.

0:05:59.007,0:06:01.655
Plastic emits methane;

0:06:01.655,0:06:04.678
methane is a greenhouse gas.

0:06:06.144,0:06:11.146
Methane makes up[br]20% of all greenhouse gases.

0:06:12.386,0:06:17.667
Methane is 21 times[br]more powerful than CO2.

0:06:17.667,0:06:21.255
You take 21 molecule of CO2,

0:06:21.255,0:06:25.357
and it corresponds[br]to one molecule of methane.

0:06:26.724,0:06:28.575
This is also one of the reasons

0:06:28.575,0:06:33.556
why so many scientists are focusing[br]on the the production of methane,

0:06:33.556,0:06:37.698
from the permafrost[br]to agricultural practices.

0:06:38.754,0:06:41.071
So this unexpected discovery

0:06:41.071,0:06:44.245
was the start of my[br]two-year post doctorate

0:06:44.245,0:06:46.486
at the University of Hawaii,

0:06:46.486,0:06:48.415
where I focused mostly

0:06:48.415,0:06:54.010
on the emissions of greenhouse gases[br]from plastic in the environment.

0:06:56.009,0:06:59.655
After this mind-blowing finding,

0:06:59.655,0:07:02.023
we expanded our research.

0:07:02.457,0:07:07.733
We selected the seven most commonly[br]used types of plastic in the world.

0:07:08.417,0:07:10.576
Low density polyethylene,

0:07:10.576,0:07:12.175
LDPE,

0:07:12.175,0:07:17.506
was the plastic type that will produce[br]the most greenhouse gases.

0:07:18.177,0:07:20.157
Some examples of LPDE

0:07:20.157,0:07:21.867
are plastic bags,

0:07:21.867,0:07:23.578
shampoo bottles,

0:07:23.578,0:07:26.516
containers for food and vegetables.

0:07:27.269,0:07:31.027
A lot of the LDPE products[br]are single-use plastic:

0:07:31.356,0:07:32.411
we buy it,

0:07:32.501,0:07:33.497
we use it,

0:07:33.567,0:07:35.831
and then we throw it away[br]in a few minutes.

0:07:39.018,0:07:40.548
Unfortunately,

0:07:40.548,0:07:42.728
polyethylene, or LDPE,

0:07:42.728,0:07:45.008
is also the most produced,

0:07:45.411,0:07:46.549
consumed

0:07:46.797,0:07:51.054
and discarded type of plastic[br]in the environment.

0:07:51.756,0:07:56.751
It also degrades quick,[br]because of its weak chemical structure,

0:07:57.364,0:08:02.475
and eventually contributes[br]to the pool of micro plastic.

0:08:05.709,0:08:10.363
As plastic degrades in the environment[br]because of the sunlight,

0:08:11.269,0:08:14.230
the plastic will start having cracks,

0:08:14.230,0:08:17.029
bits, micro fractures,

0:08:17.029,0:08:21.199
the surface area of the plastic[br]will increase with time,

0:08:21.199,0:08:22.229
and then,

0:08:22.229,0:08:25.402
more greenhouse gases will be produced.

0:08:26.709,0:08:28.920
Let's think about a bottle.

0:08:31.090,0:08:35.599
The bottle of plastic[br]that you bought at a shop

0:08:36.360,0:08:38.829
produces very little greenhouse gases,

0:08:38.829,0:08:40.060
but with time,

0:08:40.060,0:08:43.120
the same bottle of plastic will degrade,

0:08:43.572,0:08:45.838
the surface area will increase,

0:08:46.445,0:08:49.749
and eventually, it will[br]break down in small pieces,

0:08:50.800,0:08:51.770
and with time,

0:08:51.770,0:08:54.336
more and more gases will be produced.

0:08:54.862,0:08:57.075
Let's put numbers here.

0:08:57.482,0:08:58.532
For example,

0:08:58.532,0:09:03.890
if we think of LDPE powder,[br]and LDPE pellets -

0:09:03.890,0:09:06.312
pellets are basically nurdles;

0:09:06.312,0:09:07.931
they are virgin plastic

0:09:07.931,0:09:11.576
used by the plastic industry[br]to make other plastic items.

0:09:12.771,0:09:14.711
For the LDPE powder,

0:09:14.711,0:09:18.933
we will get 488 times[br]more methane produced

0:09:18.933,0:09:20.606
than for the pellets.

0:09:21.822,0:09:22.902
This means then,

0:09:22.902,0:09:25.612
as plastic degrades in the environment,

0:09:25.612,0:09:28.770
all this plastic[br]that we've been discarding

0:09:28.770,0:09:30.780
is currently degrading,

0:09:30.780,0:09:34.750
so more and more gases[br]will be produced with time.

0:09:36.782,0:09:38.668
As an oceanographer,

0:09:38.668,0:09:41.395
most of my work is in the ocean.

0:09:41.915,0:09:44.392
Most of the experiments we did

0:09:44.392,0:09:47.575
were to look at plastic[br]submerged in water.

0:09:47.963,0:09:50.143
But as a comparison,

0:09:50.143,0:09:52.303
we took plastic submerged in water,

0:09:52.303,0:09:55.126
we compared it to plastic in air.

0:09:55.893,0:09:58.481
This is when things got really scary.

0:09:58.481,0:10:00.268
We basically saw

0:10:00.268,0:10:03.003
that the plastic exposed to air

0:10:03.003,0:10:06.833
will produce two times more methane

0:10:06.833,0:10:09.029
than when it's submerged in water

0:10:09.723,0:10:13.474
and 76 times more ethylene -

0:10:13.474,0:10:15.402
which is another greenhouse gas -

0:10:16.014,0:10:18.445
than when plastic is in water.

0:10:19.452,0:10:21.272
This changed things.

0:10:21.272,0:10:25.669
It means that not only[br]the plastic in the ocean

0:10:25.669,0:10:29.915
but the plastic all around us[br]in the environment -

0:10:29.915,0:10:35.336
in your back yard, your car,[br]toys at the beach -

0:10:35.783,0:10:38.955
are currently emitting[br]greenhouse gases

0:10:38.955,0:10:42.182
and contributing to climate change.

0:10:43.863,0:10:45.924
Now we have to investigate more

0:10:45.924,0:10:49.912
and see if it is[br]a significant contribution.

0:10:51.243,0:10:54.162
These results only further the need

0:10:54.162,0:10:59.141
to find broader solutions[br]to our overconsumption of plastic.

0:11:01.206,0:11:03.485
I'm not here to vilify plastic;

0:11:03.485,0:11:06.213
I'm here to understand the science

0:11:06.213,0:11:09.793
behind the emissions[br]of greenhouse gases from plastic.

0:11:10.525,0:11:11.584
Of course,

0:11:11.584,0:11:15.647
there are places around the world[br]where plastic has saved life,

0:11:16.115,0:11:17.536
but overall,

0:11:17.536,0:11:23.822
the plastic we use is unnecessary[br]and is only used as a convenience.

0:11:25.856,0:11:29.635
Plastic is designed to last a long time,

0:11:30.235,0:11:34.100
yet we still use it[br]only for a few minutes.

0:11:36.376,0:11:38.434
When we are done using plastic,

0:11:38.896,0:11:41.295
it may end up in the environment,

0:11:41.756,0:11:43.035
in Hawaii,

0:11:43.537,0:11:47.797
and this for an[br]undetermined period of time.

0:11:49.017,0:11:53.462
It can easily last longer[br]than your own lifetime

0:11:53.738,0:11:57.068
or even your children's life.

0:11:59.689,0:12:01.257
What to do next?

0:12:02.057,0:12:05.102
I see this issue as a two-way approach.

0:12:05.887,0:12:07.996
We have to think of the past,

0:12:08.417,0:12:10.755
and we have to think of the future.

0:12:12.047,0:12:13.706
So to deal with the past

0:12:13.706,0:12:16.153
and all this plastic[br]that's been produced,

0:12:16.528,0:12:19.619
we have to find reactive solutions.

0:12:20.877,0:12:23.136
But then, to deal with the future,

0:12:24.597,0:12:28.116
we need to find a proactive solution

0:12:28.702,0:12:33.146
to prevent the creation[br]of the future plastic.

0:12:35.648,0:12:36.859
For the past,

0:12:36.859,0:12:40.269
we have all this plastic[br]in the environment,

0:12:40.658,0:12:42.720
and we only need to remove it,

0:12:43.298,0:12:44.888
as simple as that.

0:12:44.960,0:12:47.328
We can remove plastic[br]through beach cleanups,

0:12:48.418,0:12:50.034
ocean cleanup,

0:12:50.556,0:12:52.904
drain river cleanup,

0:12:53.490,0:12:54.640
even plogging,

0:12:54.640,0:12:57.688
that I started in Barcelona in 2009,

0:12:58.422,0:13:01.162
long before the word even existed.

0:13:01.749,0:13:05.544
And also there is recycling[br]and waste-to-energy.

0:13:06.670,0:13:11.100
More effective than reactive solutions[br]are proactive solutions

0:13:11.498,0:13:14.096
and how to deal with the future plastic.

0:13:14.489,0:13:17.017
We have to be proactive.

0:13:18.097,0:13:22.700
This means dealing with the issue[br]from where it's coming from

0:13:23.120,0:13:25.226
rather than where it ends up,

0:13:25.226,0:13:26.507
like Hawaii.

0:13:26.690,0:13:30.757
It means finding better material,[br]better technology

0:13:31.121,0:13:34.917
and decrease the plastic[br]production from the source.

0:13:36.569,0:13:40.000
So imagine yourself[br]after a long day at work,

0:13:40.564,0:13:43.391
you go back home,[br]you're about to take your keys,

0:13:43.391,0:13:47.350
and then you see some water[br]flowing from under your front door.

0:13:47.690,0:13:51.581
You rush quickly into the house,[br]you walk to the bathroom,

0:13:51.581,0:13:53.922
and you see that the water[br]is coming from there.

0:13:53.922,0:13:57.200
You look and you see[br]the bathtub overflowing.

0:13:57.593,0:14:00.619
So at this point, you have two solutions.

0:14:00.861,0:14:04.031
You either run out of the house,[br]you take a bucket,

0:14:04.031,0:14:08.270
you bail out the water[br]from the bathtub;

0:14:08.973,0:14:11.223
or you have the second solution,

0:14:11.223,0:14:14.697
that is drastically much more efficient:

0:14:15.222,0:14:17.943
you look at the source of the problem,

0:14:17.943,0:14:20.921
and you turn off the tap.

0:14:25.022,0:14:28.177
So next time you throw plastic away,

0:14:29.092,0:14:31.679
think about a way to avoid it

0:14:32.123,0:14:34.224
and think of Hawaii.

0:14:34.862,0:14:36.097
Thank you. Merci.

0:14:36.643,0:14:39.036
(Applause)