With shovels and other tools, hundreds of volunteers gathered today to clear the sandbanks beaches in the north-western region of Galicia in Spain, as millions of plastics aggregated into pellets (pellets) washed ashore, sparking environmental concerns and political blame-shifting.
Also known as mermaid tears (mermaid tears) these plastic beads are used to produce everyday items from water bottles to shopping bags and are known to exacerbate the problem of plastics ending up in oceans and rivers around the world.
These millions plastic that washed up on Spanish shores came from at least one container that capsized from the Toconao – a Liberian-registered vessel chartered by shipping giant Maersk – off the coast of neighboring Portugal last month, the company that makes the products said in a statement , Bedeko Europe.
Deputy Prime Minister Maria Jesús Montero told state broadcaster TVE that the government is concerned about possibly “severe impacts” but does not yet know the exact impact and whether it will affect fishing.
Images showing residents using various household items to help clean up beaches brought back memories of the worst environmental disaster in Galiciathe spill of 63,000 tons of fuel oil in 2002 that led to the closure of Spain's richest fishing grounds.
“Unfortunately, we've all been reminded of images from the past that we wish we could erase from our memory,” Montero said.
It is estimated that 10 trillion plastics aggregated into pellets pollute marine ecosystems every year, according to a 2020 Pew Charitable Trusts report.
The environmental group Ecologistas en Accion denounced the “inaction of the regional government two weeks after the leak was discovered” and said in a statement on Friday that it would file a lawsuit against Toucan Maritime, the vessel's Dutch owner, for environmental crime.
Galician regional governor Alfonso Rueda, of the conservative opposition Popular Party, said the central government had known about the leak of the plastic pellets for more than two weeks, but only informed the region on January 4.
The government spokesman in Galicia stressed that the maritime rescue service first informed the regional coastguard about the incident on December 20.
Source: News Beast
With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.
