Social Affairs
Artworks to raise public awareness of marine pollution
An artwork creation campaign on plastic waste and polystyrenes is taking place in Minh Chau commune, Van Don district, Quang Ninh province, with a view to raising public awareness of marine pollution.
Themed “I love the ocean/Born to be wild”, the campaign is organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bai Tu Long National Park, and the Center for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub) from May 29 to June 9.
Completed artworks will be displayed on local beaches or the community center of the Bai Tu Long National Park.
Phan Thanh Nghi, Deputy Director of the Bai Tu Long National Park said the campaign aims to raise local community’s awareness of the serious plastic pollution in the sea through arts, thereby helping to change their behaviors in using plastics and polystyrenes, which are popular at local aquaculture farms.
The artwork campaign is part of the 2018 community-based marine turtle conservation program, implemented by the IUCN with support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to the Vietnam Sea and Island Week (June 1 – 8), the World Environment Day (June 5), and the World Oceans Day (June 8).
According to the IUCN and partners, in the three clean-up campaigns in the vicinity of Ha Long Bay from 2016 to 2017, polystyrenes on islands in Bai Tu Long accounted for 60 – 80 percent of total collected waste. Polystyrenes is dangerous for the environment when they are broken into small and uncollectible pieces, marine species may eat these pieces and die.
Statistics show that one million plastic bottles are bought and 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide every minute. Meanwhile, up to eight million tons of plastic waste is discharged into oceans around the globe each year, harming coral reef ecosystems and marine species.
A work is made of plastic bottles. Photo: Resource & Environment Newspaper
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Phan Thanh Nghi, Deputy Director of the Bai Tu Long National Park said the campaign aims to raise local community’s awareness of the serious plastic pollution in the sea through arts, thereby helping to change their behaviors in using plastics and polystyrenes, which are popular at local aquaculture farms.
Another artwork in the creation campaign. Photo: Zing.vn
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According to the IUCN and partners, in the three clean-up campaigns in the vicinity of Ha Long Bay from 2016 to 2017, polystyrenes on islands in Bai Tu Long accounted for 60 – 80 percent of total collected waste. Polystyrenes is dangerous for the environment when they are broken into small and uncollectible pieces, marine species may eat these pieces and die.
Statistics show that one million plastic bottles are bought and 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide every minute. Meanwhile, up to eight million tons of plastic waste is discharged into oceans around the globe each year, harming coral reef ecosystems and marine species.
