The Pacific Ocean is not a landfill
Though few would ever accuse President Bush of being a champion for the environment, in 2006 he did create the largest and most strictly regulated Marine Protected Area in the world. The Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument is a island chain in northwest Hawaii that's home to vast coral reefs and 7,000 extremely rare species. Also, it just so happens to be located in one of the trashiest currents in the Pacific.Fishing gear, plastic bottles, lighters, refrigerators, etc. follow strong currents that run directly through the islands. An estimated 57 tons of garbage wash onto the sensitive reefs and beaches every year, while the cleanup efforts only net about 35 tons -- do the math. The original budget was based on only 28 tons of trash per year -- we love government planning.
To top it all off, just after declaring the islands a national monument -- the Bush Administration screwed up any hope at an environmental legacy by slashing the budget by 80%. Now, with less money and resources, there's little hope of keeping up with stream of trash floating towards the monument. According to Elliot Norse, president of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Washington State:
"It is wonderful that our nation has made a commitment, and this administration deserves a lot of credit for designating the world's largest marine reserve, but there is a responsibility that goes along with that... Unfortunately in recent years the U.S. has not made picking up trash in our most special places in the ocean a priority."To be fair, no matter how much money is or was allocated towards cleaning up the islands, the most disturbing part of the story is that so much trash continues to be thrown into our oceans. The administration has since made attempts to throw more resources towards the cleanup efforts, but let's face it -- with the wars, economic stimulus, and bailouts going on -- there's not exactly a lot of room left in the budget.
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