The Discovery of Plastic Pollution

The Discovery of Plastic Pollution

Author: Anja Krieger July 10, 2020 Duration: 56:22
Plastic pollution seems to be a pretty new issue, right? In the past few years, the topic has been all over the media. But if you explore the history of science, it turns out that the problem really isn’t all that new. Some scientists have been aware of plastic in the ocean for over half a century. So, how was plastic pollution first discovered? And why didn’t we hear about it earlier? In this episode, Anja speaks to scientists who called attention to the problem long before it was widely discussed. What happened back then, and how did we get to where we are now? Ed Carpenter, Steve Rothstein, Elizabeth Venrick, Arne Holmström, Hans van Weenen and Peter Ryan share their stories. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/07/17/ep-9-transcript/ Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen
 With: Adam Huggins and Mendel Skulski of https://www.futureecologies.net/ podcast and http://www.terencemickey.com/ of Memory Motel Sound credits: Ingrid Pollet, Yle Arkisto and Klankbeeld on Freesound.org (CC-BY-Attribution 3.0): https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/271524/ https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/192297/ Thanks to: Max Planck Institute for the History of Science: Hansjakob Ziemer, Stephanie Hood, Jürgen Renn, Christoph Rosol, Matthias Schwerdt, Ruth Kessentini, Ellen Garske, the library team and Anthropocene group; Ingrid Pollet, Jeffrey Meikle, Cindy Gierhart, Tim Howard, Deborah Blum, Christian Schwägerl, Luisa Beck, Brooke Watkins, Keridwen Cornelius, Eva Vander Gießen, Ines Blaesius, Rebecca Altman, Peter Spork, the people at Netzwerk Recherche and the Schöpflin Foundation, Erica Cirino, Chris Rose, Linda Godfrey, John Farrington, Kara Lavender Law, Gilbert Rowe, Bruce Burns, W.R.P. Bourne

Anja Krieger hosts Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment, a series that digs into the complex story of synthetic polymers. This isn't just a catalog of environmental damage, though that reality is confronted directly. Instead, the podcast carefully examines how these materials, foundational to contemporary life, now permeate every corner of the natural world and our own bodies. Anja guides listeners through a nuanced exploration, asking whether a sustainable coexistence is even possible. She doesn't provide easy answers but facilitates necessary conversations, bringing together researchers, activists, industry insiders, and communities on the front lines. Each episode is built on specific stories and scientific insights, moving from the deep ocean to human bloodstreams to policy halls. You'll hear about the chemistry of plastics, their journey as waste, and the cultural and economic systems that perpetuate their use. The strength of this podcast lies in its commitment to presenting a genuine spectrum of perspectives, avoiding simple blame in favor of understanding a truly global dilemma. It’s a thoughtful, sometimes surprising, and always human-centered look at one of the most defining material challenges of our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment
Podcast Episodes
How [Not] To Make A Plastics Treaty - The Mysterious Midnight Meeting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:26
It's 2026, and we still don't have a plastics treaty. Will we get one, what kind, and when? All of that is up in the air at this point. And after the failed round of negotiations last summer in Geneva, some strange insig…
Tackling Plastic Production: Why and How to Do It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:52
It's the elephant in the room: The growth of plastic production and how that contributes to pollution. In this episode, we're taking a look at why it's important to not only tackle the waste plastic causes, but also the…
Beyond Recycling - The Many Meanings of the Circular Economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:22
When we speak about plastic pollution, a central idea to solve it is that of the circular economy. And when this idea of circularity is mentioned, recycling is often the first thing that comes to mind. But recycling is j…
Guilt-free plastics? The idea of plastic credits and its realities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:40
Wouldn’t it be great to have something like guilt-free plastics? A plastic product you can just buy without worrying that you are contributing to pollution in the environment? That’s the promise of plastic credits. The i…
Plastic Pollution in Turkey, from Biology to Waste Trade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:20
In this episode we’ll travel to Turkey with Sedat Gündogdu. Sedat is a Turkish marine biologist and works as a professor at Cukurova University in Adana. When Sedat realized how much plastic trash was polluting the water…