by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse
Americans are horrified about the wildlife harmed by the BP Gulf disaster: Official count yesterday was 1,300 dead or injured. Watching the oil-saturated birds suffering in videos physically turned my stomach. We know from Exxon Valdez that recovery rates are a small percent of the actual number of injured and dead wildlife, and this BP disaster is far from over. But, what about the harm from oceans filled with plastic bottles that are petroleum products? The swirling garbage gyres in the ocean look like a bomb exploded with varying sizes of plastic "shrapnel" that will kill wildlife. Each year globally plastic "kills more than 1 million sea birds and 100,000" whales, dolphins and seals. This is one issue where we can save lives by changing consumption patterns even if the government and corporations won't take action.
continued at Daily Kos....
