Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he’s drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.




  1. fuzzysaurus says:

    as a toastmaster i must say ‘egads’. what a horrible presenter. look at your audience once in a while there…

  2. killer duck says:

    #1 what don’t you go do something productive.

  3. Kanjy says:

    They say there’s a huge floating island of garbage—especially plastic—the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How come I haven’t ever seen any pictures of it?

  4. tcc3 says:

    Its right next to that island from Lost. Very hard to find.

  5. Paddy-O says:

    “the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — an endless floating waste of plastic trash.”

    It fills the whole universe, and beyond? I knew they are called Eco-Nuts for a reason, I didn’t know they were THAT stupid.

  6. JG says:

    It’s because of “intelligent” comments like the previous 5 that I worry about the future. For all of you, basically if it’s not happening in your backyard it doesn’t exist!

    So keep polluting and I’m sure one day it will happen in your backyard. Then it will be too late…

    But don’t worry there’s still a lot of room to destroy, so probably it wont be your backyard; it will probably be your children’s, grand children, great grand children… Just fuck them, you wont be around to suffer the consequences…

  7. patthews says:

    http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4132
    I think that really sums it up.

  8. BertDawg says:

    #1 – Right, shoot the messenger.

  9. BigBoyBC says:

    I wonder if it can be found on Google Earth?

  10. Paddy-O says:

    # 9 BigBoyBC said, “I wonder if it can be found on Google Earth?”

    No, because it doesn’t exist…

  11. chuck says:

    I have a solution:

    The FDA should set an “acceptable” level for the number of used plastic bottle caps that can be added to food.

    Then the next time you have a hot dog, it will be 70% squirrel, 10% rat feces and 20% recycled plastic bottle caps.

  12. PMitchell says:

    I want pictures or he is a liar

  13. AdmFubar says:

    just need the right marketing… how about Garbage Patch Dolls??..
    there has got to be a way to link the two?

  14. Gaolbird says:

    This is crap.. why should we care not to pollute? I mean I am not gonna be living on this planet after I am dead.. why should I care for future generations??

    Pollute away!! Life free.. Live happy

  15. ECA says:

    For those that want to see the PATCH..

    treehugger.com/great%20pacific%20garbage%20patch-jj-001.jpg

    1. its not a single patch.
    2. its NOT JUST the patch, that is the problem. Listen to the video, there is MORE floating around out there then WHAT can be seen or found.
    3. this is a Multi level problem.
    WHAT has SUNK to the bottom, is still there.
    WHAT the fish have EATEN is still there
    WHAT the birds have eaten is STILL THERE.
    WHAT you see in the first 2-3 feet of water, is LESS THEN 1/10 of the CRAP we have out there.

  16. Kanjy says:

    PATCH
    NOT JUST
    MORE WHAT
    WHAT SUNK
    WHAT EATEN
    WHAT STILL THERE
    WHAT LESS THEN CRAP

    #16, ECA, I wondered that maybe if I isolated just the capitalized words in your post, there might be a secret message or something. Instead, all I got was poetry.

  17. patthews says:

    I’ve been reading the wikipedia article (TRUST EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET) and it says the 1988 paper this is based on only “postulated” the existence of a garbage patch. Not found, but only extrapolated from data collected in the sea of Japan. I recommend checking out that Skeptoid episode I posted earlier, it’s 10 minutes long and explains everything. The garbage patch doesn’t exist.

  18. bobbo says:

    #18–patthews==what is your point? That plastic DOES degrade and becomes harmless in seawater in how many years? That there is no “island” but that that is just a poor metaphor for the concentration of circulating plastic pollution? What???? Be as specific as possible.

    I do find it interesting that there is no similar garbage patch in the Sargasso Sea. I wonder if the issue is more of timing, areas investigated, concern for the issue, or what?

    Is the video above just a lie? Staged? How do you explain the collection of bottle caps?

  19. Joe M says:

    I wonder if the total tools that deny this are the same pinheads that buy water in a bottle? They argue about whether there is a defined patch or not out there?

    I assume that they’ve never been to the beach either. What self centered asses that seek to deny things like this to make themselves feel better.

  20. The Owner of You says:

    Just one problem: You’re taking the TED conference seriously.

  21. Rocky M says:

    You people are beyond stupid. Get your head out of the sand. Wake up and look around a bit. Or better yet, go fishing, or to the beach, anywhere.


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