Ghana Plastic Pollution
Plastic Pollution in Ghana: Video and Photos
A quick glimpse of the plastic soup we have cooked. The most recent Plastic Pollution in Ghana Photos.
March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020
14 Min read time
#half The plastic-waste choked Korle Lagoon near the center of Accra, Ghana's capital city. Ghana is facing a plastic waste crisis. © 2020 Muntaka Chasant
A quick glimpse of the plastic soup we have cooked. The most recent Plastic Pollution in Ghana Photos.
We are at a crisis point.
Plastics have entered the fossil records. This means that the current geological epoch is being shaped by plastic waste.
Scientists recently found up to 1.9 million microplastics1 covering just 1 sq near the seafloor, the greatest quantity ever reported.
A study2 in 2017 estimates that 8.3 billion tons of plastics have been produced to date, and about 79% are still in the environment.
More than 10 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year3.
A study in Nature estimates that up to around 2.41 million4 tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean every year from rivers alone.
It’s still being debated, but it definitely looks like we are already in the Plastic Age.
Plastic Pollution In Ghana
Ghana is facing a severe plastic waste crisis.
Plastic Waste Statistics in Ghana
According to a UNDP report, Ghana generates around 1 million tons of plastic waste each year. Only up to 5% are recycled. The rest accumulates in the environment, with roughly 28% ending up in the sea.
The video below reveals what we have done to our environment, and why we must act quickly.
Video: Effects of Plastic Pollution in Ghana
The video above shows single-use plastic waste floating on the surface of the Korle Lagoon in Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana, as some of the plastics head to the sea. Fed by the Odaw River, the Korle Lagoon links to the Gulf of Guinea, the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
Ghana is facing a severe plastic waste crisis.
Ghana’s urban waterways are chocked with single-use plastics — unbranded plastic takeaway food boxes, water bottles, pure water plastic bags, shopping bags, etc.
Some of the plastic waste eventually ends up in the ocean, threatening marine life.
Visit the link below to read more about Ghana’s plastic pollution problems:
RELATED: Plastic Pollution in Ghana: Causes, Effects & Solutions
Check out the gallery below
Plastic Pollution in Ghana Photos
These are some recently captured plastic pollution photos.
Also check out these galleries
How would you tackle Ghana’s plastic pollution problems? Leave your comment below.
© 2020 Muntaka Chasant
Sources
- https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899
- https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782?ijkey=e82adb26659b810c29768aa9ac71495f53b14801&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
- https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768?ijkey=BXtBaPzbQgagE&keytype=ref&siteid=sci
- https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15611
March 9, 2020
14 Min read time
MUNTAKA CHASANT
Hi, Muntaka Chasant here. I'm, among many other things, an entrepreneur and a social documentary photographer. I'm here on the front line of urban struggle — only with my wits and cameras — capturing key moments, collecting untold stories, and helping to forge new paths.
Pingback