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China. Indonesia. Philippines. Vietnam. Sri Lanka. This chart says it all: https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/ htt

China. Indonesia. Philippines. Vietnam. Sri Lanka. This chart says it all: https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/ https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting... They are everyone's oceans and these countries are disproportionately choking them with plastic. Blame must be focused on them for meaningful change to happen. I'm a foreigner living in one of these countries and it is shocking how absolutely careless and ignorant the majority of the population is with their plastic waste. Tons and tons of it. I see it every day. First hand. They view waterways as trash cans. Formal waste management is rare. Ask a local where to throw a plastic bottle and they are more than likely going to point to the ground.

ASlave2Gravity 8y ago
Doesn't China buy up a lot of US / EU plastic waste via recycling programmes? Are these numbers offset because once China buys the waste, they simply dump it? Are we knowingly selling our plastic waste to a state that will miss-manage it? I know China lately has stopped buying plastic waste from states.
- theandrewbailey 8y ago
  China doesn't take plastic anymore. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/world/china-recyclables-ban.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/world/china-recyclables-b...
  - undersuit 8y ago
    The article that GP linked uses data from 2010. It might take longer than two years for the effect of China refusing the US's trash to actually make a change in media graphics.
- swebs 8y ago
  You obviously have access to the internet. Feel free to look it up before posting instead of clogging the comments with things that might be true.
  - dang 8y ago
    Please don't cross into incivility in comments here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
0xcafecafe 8y ago
I am surprised India is not there in that list. Are they doing something well which other countries aren't?
bleigh0 8y ago
So called "developed" countries were once similarly careless with their waste. And their developed status was a result of such carelessness and the free expansion of their industries. It seems slightly unfair to expect developing countries to achieve a similar level of development via a sustainable methodology immediately, when that has not been the path for the richest countries in the world. (Given that developing countries are likely more concerned about the health of their population, and as such, focused on raising GDP, then the health of the ocean). Skipping to sustainable-led development is not impossible and obviously would be hugely advantageous for all, but it is still equally unfair to assign blame to such countries and label them as careless.
- cableshaft 8y ago
  So we should give all developing countries a pass on destroying the habitability of the planet because we used to be as bad ourselves when we didn't know better? While it may be 'fair', I don't think that's sustainable. Even if these countries eventually become 'developed' and start behaving better, there will be new countries that will become 'developed' to take their place, and we'll just keep having these issues over and over until it's too late. We're already (collectively) fucking the ecosystems and wiping out tons of species of flora and fauna, and making the living situation of billions (and possibly trillions) of life forms on this planet more toxic and less comfortable all in the name of convenience and growth. And it seems like we're on a trajectory of only making things worse in the future. We need to start doing something about it, the developed countries by being an example and by taking advantage of our desirable trade status by providing incentives (trade, foreign aid, whatever) for developing countries to clean up their act sooner than later.
  - bleigh0 8y ago
    I don't dispute that it is unsustainable. I agree with the sentiment of what you are saying (and did in the end of my comment) despite you strawmanning my comment. I was just making the point that assigning blame to current developing countries is unfair because blame should be equally apportioned to today's developed countries who, throughout their period of industrialisation, kicked off the anthropocene.

ASlave2Gravity 8y ago

Doesn't China buy up a lot of US / EU plastic waste via recycling programmes? Are these numbers offset because once China buys the waste, they simply dump it? Are we knowingly selling our plastic waste to a state that will miss-manage it? I know China lately has stopped buying plastic waste from states.

theandrewbailey 8y ago
China doesn't take plastic anymore. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/world/china-recyclables-ban.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/world/china-recyclables-b...
- undersuit 8y ago
  The article that GP linked uses data from 2010. It might take longer than two years for the effect of China refusing the US's trash to actually make a change in media graphics.
swebs 8y ago
You obviously have access to the internet. Feel free to look it up before posting instead of clogging the comments with things that might be true.
- dang 8y ago
  Please don't cross into incivility in comments here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

0xcafecafe 8y ago

I am surprised India is not there in that list. Are they doing something well which other countries aren't?

bleigh0 8y ago

So called "developed" countries were once similarly careless with their waste. And their developed status was a result of such carelessness and the free expansion of their industries. It seems slightly unfair to expect developing countries to achieve a similar level of development via a sustainable methodology immediately, when that has not been the path for the richest countries in the world. (Given that developing countries are likely more concerned about the health of their population, and as such, focused on raising GDP, then the health of the ocean). Skipping to sustainable-led development is not impossible and obviously would be hugely advantageous for all, but it is still equally unfair to assign blame to such countries and label them as careless.

cableshaft 8y ago
So we should give all developing countries a pass on destroying the habitability of the planet because we used to be as bad ourselves when we didn't know better? While it may be 'fair', I don't think that's sustainable. Even if these countries eventually become 'developed' and start behaving better, there will be new countries that will become 'developed' to take their place, and we'll just keep having these issues over and over until it's too late. We're already (collectively) fucking the ecosystems and wiping out tons of species of flora and fauna, and making the living situation of billions (and possibly trillions) of life forms on this planet more toxic and less comfortable all in the name of convenience and growth. And it seems like we're on a trajectory of only making things worse in the future. We need to start doing something about it, the developed countries by being an example and by taking advantage of our desirable trade status by providing incentives (trade, foreign aid, whatever) for developing countries to clean up their act sooner than later.
- bleigh0 8y ago
  I don't dispute that it is unsustainable. I agree with the sentiment of what you are saying (and did in the end of my comment) despite you strawmanning my comment. I was just making the point that assigning blame to current developing countries is unfair because blame should be equally apportioned to today's developed countries who, throughout their period of industrialisation, kicked off the anthropocene.