Climate Action North East have started a project which investigates the effects of plastic pollution. Ocean plastics are extremely detrimental to ocean life and biodiversity, made worse by the changing climate. Biodiversity and climate change go hand and hand, as each species plays their part in maintaining a balanced ecosystem, which will not remain possible if numbers continue to decline. In a balanced ecosystem, species such as sea plants and phytoplankton are able to successfully carry out photosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. Tidal surges, plastic pollution from the North Sea on the Sunderland coast, and littering are pushing increasing amounts of flotsams and plastic up the nearby estuaries and onto local estuarine beach areas. The project aims to tackle this by planning On-Land cleans ups; On-Water clean ups; On Rocks; and On Mud, which investigates marine waste and the impacts on ocean habitats.
