World Environment Day & Plastics

 I'm well into a mystery novel that involves two murders, one in Antarctica, the other in rural Britain, each improbably related to the other. It is one in a series of clever "birder murder" books written by a Britsh/Canadian, Steve Burrows, including A Foreboding of Petrels. Yesterday I came upon a conversation in this novel which mentions Point Nemo, the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, the location in the Pacific Ocean farthest from land. It's named after Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Even there, the ultimate "middle of nowhere", there is evidence of micro-plastics. 

Last night I saw that today is World Environment Day and this year's theme addresses the omnipresent threat of plastic on our planetary home. Here is a portion of the UN description of our challenge:

Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet—even in our bodies in the form of microplastics. World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution.

By drawing inspiration from nature and showcasing real-world solutions, the campaign will encourage individuals, organizations, industries, and governments to adopt sustainable practices that drive systemic change.

This year’s World Environment Day comes exactly two months before countries meet again to continue negotiating a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

This hits home in many ways. Our Canadian government is making noises about becoming an energy superpower, which really means ramping up the production of fossil fuels. Oil does produce energy and it is also the source for plastic. Is this who we want to be as a nation thanks to the trade threat of our southern neighbours. 

It also occurred to me last evening that we had been out in the water earlier in the day, kayaking along a stretch of the Moira River where we saw green and blue herons, turtles and wild iris. Paddling is almost always a spiritual experience for us and at one point I stopped to acknowledge Creator and Creation. I am aware, though, that both our venerable canoe and our kayaks are made of plastic. It's likely that many of the birds we see have plastics in their bodies, as do we. 

 When "kayaktivists" have formed flotillas to block oil tankers critics note that the boats are made of plastics and the protesters have probably driven to the launch site in gas-powered vehicles.  

While we can't escape the use of plastics we need to remember that their widespread usage only took off during WII. They have become an addiction with products we purchase often wrapped in multiple layers of the stuff. We can reduce the production in mindful ways for the good of all living creatures. God help us if we don't.