In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, Henderson Island is the most exposed place on Earth to plastic pollution per cubic meter. This exceptional territory belongs to the Pitcairn Islands, the only British possession in the Pacific. The island’s beaches contain millions of pieces of plastic debris. Why? Because the island lies at the center of the South Pacific Ocean Gyre, an immense whirlpool that circulates in the ocean…
This isolated 31km2 atoll is uninhabited by humans, although archaeological discoveries suggest that it was populated by a Polynesian colony between the 13th and 15th centuries. Henderson Island is now covered by scrubby forest reaching heights of 5 to 10 meters, but Jared Diamond has suggested that it might have once been covered by actual forests.
The island is home to some 50 bird species, including four endemic ones. It is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for its birdlife and unique geology. This exceptional territory belongs to the Pitcairn Islands, the only British possession in the Pacific. In fact, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has recorded an average of 671 plastic objects per square metre on its soil, making it the territory with the highest density of plastic waste on the planet. The island’s shores contain 37 to 40 million pieces of debris, or almost 18 tonnes. See this article in Le Monde.
In June 2019, a huge clean-up operation removed almost 6 tonnes of garbage from beaches and bushes. But because of the ocean gyre, the gigantic whirlpool of ocean currents – the South Pacific being the largest on Earth – the garbage keeps coming back stronger and more numerous to Henderson.
The point is simple. As long as we can’t stem this hemorrhage at source, this jewel of the Pacific will continue to suffer the backwash of plastic bags, cups and other fishing nets swirling around in the ocean. Here is a selection of organizations active in this field, including Plastic Odyssey and Surfrider Foundation Europ.
There’s still time to act. Consciences are slowly but surely awakening around the world. Bravo and thank you to them.
The challenge is immense, but within our grasp. One day, this island will be immaculate again.
