the niagara river is a very popular fishing destination for anglers. however, legacy pollution from past industries has contaminated waterways and aquatic life. with every fish caught, anglers and fish-consumers are at risk for poisoning. ddt, pcbs, heavy metals, and other toxins accumulate in the fish through biomagnification. this video describes the protective measures that you can take while fishing and provides some representation to those who greatly depend on fishing as their main source of food.
]]>the influx of refugees to european countries has caused massive pollution, partly due to the simple increase of population in urban areas as well as refugee camps that use plastic as temporary homes. perhaps one of the most pressing issues of this crisis is the life jacket graveyard. over 700,000 life jackets have been left on the coastline and in landfills. because of their non-biodegradable material, these life jackets just sit there as a reminder of the toll taken by refugees. but these graveyards are a hazardous risk to biodiversity.
odyssea, a ngo located in athens, greece has taken on this challenge by recycling over 55,000 life jackets from greek islands and transforming them into various products. this organization has also facilitated a connection of ngos in greece that hope to minimize the environmental effects of the refugee crisis. once we start talking about this problem, then we can start solving it.
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(sources: clip 0:02 – 0:06 unhcr syrian emergency http://www.unhcr.org/syria-emergency.html photo 0:25 – 0:28 http://www.greek-islands.us/map-greece/ clip 0:29 – 0:36 unhcr syrian emergency http://www.unhcr.org/syria-emergency.html clip 1:05 – 1:25 moria refugee camp in greek island of lesbos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gzvf1dubmk drone footage courtesy of greenpeace greece clip 1:48 – 1:53 lovest what we do https://www.facebook.com/lovestbyodyssea/videos/239365186457586/ clip 1:59 – 2:08 cnn’s video on odyssea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5ym6xewk0i photo 3:25 – 3:31 al jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/12/life-jacket-mountain-metaphor-greece-refugees-151228132054372.html background information, research and facts: http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2016/6/24/refugee-crisis-creates-ghostly-ocean-debris https://gelr.org/2016/03/27/environmental-impacts-of-the-refugee-crisis/ https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-06-30/refugee-camps-limited-resources-lead-environmental-degradation http://solidarity2refugees.gr/refugee-accomodation-center-city-plaza/ http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html http://www.odyssea.org.gr/#intiatives http://www.ekathimerini.com/209500/article/ekathimerini/community/abandoned-refugee-life-jackets-recycled-into-revenue-raising-items https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/may/06/the-volunteers-turning-refugee-lifejackets-into-symbols-of-hope http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/dangers-of-plastic http://www.stonesoup.io/2016/10/19/interview-a-modern-odyssea/)
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