The Gulf of Mexico after a ruptured gas pipeline sent flames to the surface of the sea. Photo / Twitter: Brian Kahn
The Gulf of Mexico after a ruptured gas pipeline sent flames to the surface of the sea. Photo / Twitter: Brian Kahn
Last week gas leaking from an underwater pipeline ignited on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, creating a circular blaze dubbed the "eye of fire".
It looked like a portal to another world or the beginning of the end of days. If Godzilla emerged from it, the reaction wouldhave been: seems about right.
Reuters reports it took five hours to put the flames out but the unforgettable images endured, going viral around the world.
It was not a subtle metaphor. There can be few more poignant depictions of the violent tussle between human consumption and nature.
Subtler images with the same metaphor have appeared in the pages of this paper this week.
They aren't iconic. It's hard to know what you're looking at, but they're just as alarming.
They were taken during a study of the Bay of Plenty coastline - Tauranga to Ōpōtiki - and depict microplastics found in shellfish.
A microplastic fragment found in Bay of Plenty shellfish. Photo / Supplied
"There was not one area sampled where microplastics were not present and particularly high levels were found in shellfish, including tuatua, cockles and wedge shells," University of Waikato researcher Anita Lewis found.
Higher concentrations were found near wastewater outfalls in populated areas.
"Kaimoana (seafood) gathering in New Zealand is common practice and this research is showing microplastics and nano-plastics are now bioaccumulating in our food chain."
New Zealand has the fourth-largest fishing zone in the world and kaimoana gathering and eating is not just a common practice, it has been part of our culture since the first Polynesian (Māori) voyagers arrived on our shores.
It's increasingly clear that it's under threat.
Paua curry a la plastic cups, fish and chips laced with fast fashion fibres, whitebait fritters topped by tiny bits of old chip wrappers - that's where we're headed.
We each have a part to play in trying to cut down our consumption of plastics.
But focusing the spotlight too much on individuals' responsibilities gives a free pass to the areas where regulation could have more direct impact: the companies including so much plastic in their products and packaging with little care for where it ends up.
Consumers can vote with their wallets and make eco-conscious choices in an attempt to influence companies to do better, but there will always be a mass market for the cheapest and most convenient options and that's where plastic shines.
New Zealand's phasing out of single-use plastics is a great start, but it's a slow burn and the problem goes beyond plastic products designed to be used once.
Regulation could also inspire innovation to reduce microplastics in longer-lasting items, such as synthetic materials in clothing, or - as Lewis suggests - washing machine filters that prevent such fibres from winding up in wastewater.
Lewis points out the public sector could also make a difference in this process, by investigating different types of membranes used in wastewater treatment plants with the goal of allowing fewer microplastics to reach our oceans in treated water.
The ocean fire may be out, but the microplastic pollution problem will continue to simmer within if we can't innovate with the same urgency.
