The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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Dustin Koski is also the author of Robin Hood Vs. King Arthur, a fantasy comedy about exactly what it sounds like: www.amazon.com/Robin-Hood-Vs-...
Further Reading:
www.kcur.org/health/2023-05-0...
www.captain-charles-moore.org...
www.earthisland.org/journal/i...
www.nationalgeographic.com/sc...
education.nationalgeographic....
www.rubicon.com/blog/great-pa...
www.nationmaster.com/country-...
engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/2605
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-...
www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
www.theguardian.com/environme...
www.theguardian.com/environme...
www.britannica.com/story/talk...
news.climate.columbia.edu/201...
www.nationalgeographic.com/sc...
www.tsunami.gov/?page=tsunami...
www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/9/11/1....
recycling-revolution.com/indi...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
wtert.org/wp-content/uploads/...
tos.org/oceanography/article/...
www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-1...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas...
economictimes.indiatimes.com/...
www.pewtrusts.org/en/research...
www.nature.com/articles/s4417...
divermag.com/the-great-pacifi...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s...
• The Great Barrier Reef...
www.epa.gov/assessing-and-man...
nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/docu...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatal...
www.livescience.com/62096-gre...
www.washingtonpost.com/busine...
www.newscientist.com/article/...
www.vice.com/en/article/pkpn8...
www.cbc.ca/news/science/waste...
conservationx.com/project/id/...
www.eco-business.com/news/ai-...
www.iisd.org/articles/policy-...
Sponsor

[@bradlevantis913]

It’s nice that Karl sounds very cheerful telling us about our impending doom 😂

[@Ethan-42]

Don't worry about upsetting us Americans with British terms, most of us think it's cool

[@chetgoodenough8749]

That's why I subscribed to all his channels

[@jacksonbachman2486]

In Futurama, they shot their garbage into space. Hilarity ensued, and all ended well.

[@SnickC13]

Farnsworth said its the futures problem lmao.

[@madmallett]

Honestly think it’s the way forward at this point

[@YOUNGPADAWON]

Crazy half the comments are about Simon 💀

[@Thehomelessathlete]

lmao dude said dont be mad americans should believe in freedom of speech who gives af

[@NickCADA]

We miss Simon.

[@dougmartin7129]

Simon who?

[@ScottieD87]

Including this one

[@Hanloss]

​@@NickCADAlol speak for yourself!

[@jamesmartin6050]

Good to hear that Karl is no longer the interim host

[@TimothyStewart-xw6el]

When I saw the clean up ship dumping the net filled with trash, It nearly brought me tears of joy. I hate littering.

[@davidsalisbury1688]

Mad respect Karl for using the word "Redonkulous" 😃

[@ignitionfrn2223]

2:20 - Chapter 1 - Charles moore's unglamorous discovery 3:40 - Chapter 2 - The scale of waste 6:55 - Chapter 3 - Ingredients of castoff destruction 11:05 - Chapter 4 - Every ocean gets a patch or 2 13:10 - Chapter 5 - The ever growing threat 17:55 - Chapter 6 - The cleanup campaign 22:40 - Chapter 7 - Real solutions for the real problem 25:35 - Conclusion

[@sloshed-rat]

Hey Karl, good job. Forget everyone griping about Simon. You did great. I know you'll continue to do great.

[@marvilust]

Keep up the good work. I grew to accept the change and love your style.

[@user-ek8gs4ij4r]

Although gill nets were outlawed, they're still used illegally. They're still a serious problem with discarded gill nets killing massive numbers of sea life.

[@BeeFunKnee]

I thought I had it bad! I go outside to remove plastic rubbish from the shore here on the Back Cove in Portland Maine, where I live right nearby. I always collect a decent amount of plastics, even syringe needles. Sadly, I find those every time I go out there! Lots of plastic bags and liquid container caps, but I've also encountered lobster lines, combs, toothbrushes and plastic eating utensils. I once found a discarded boat's plastic port-a-potty. Most the garbage seems to have been there for quite a while. Well, I'm that old fool who puts on wading boots and ventures right out there amongst the reeds, picks what I encounter, then dumps it from my 5 gallon bucket onto a single spot so I can show it all in a KZbin video later on. Then I take it all to our dumpster. I also keep a quick journal so I can look back on what I've accomplished. If I were to see the garbage vortex in real life, or any other one, I would need to vomit probably. And if the trash trucks didn't come to empty all our dumpsters and trashcans we'd all be up to our eyeballs in filth by now, too.

[@agent74113]

good old Karl!

[@writethepath8354]

The despair in this one

[@trentr9762]

we need to be taking better care of our environment, regulations need to be passed to stop companies and punish leaders for doing this and we need to work hard to at least try to clean up this mess. Its been going on for far too long

[@RobBulmahn]

As a tangent, I think "rubbish" is slowly starting to gain popularity. In my current apartment, and the previous one, the trash chute is labeled as "rubbish." Either way, most Americans know what you're talking about, and if people want to complain, just ignore the haters.

[@markcaza6083]

Happy to see Mr Smallwood again!

[@hugolafhugolaf]

That’s what she didn’t say.

[@davideakin6974]

wasn't expecting to see Karl here!

[@seanbordenkircher7854]

Seeing Karl on this channel introduced me to Fact Fiend and now Wiki Weekends. You guys have some of the best colloquialisms!

[@geographicstravel]

Check out Karl's Socials: Fact Fiend: www.youtube.com/@FactFiend Wiki Weekends: www.youtube.com/@wikiweekends Untitled Side Channel: www.youtube.com/@untitledsidechannel Twitter: twitter.com/KarlSmallwood

[@NickCADA]

Wheres simon?

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content 😊😊😊

[@victoriaeads6126]

The conundrum of the GPGP is that it has become an ecosystem. Removing the plastic entirely may put already vulnerable creatures that we barely know about at serious risk. I ascribe to the "clean up the nets and big pieces" school of thought on this one.

[@caseymacdonald878]

Busy recording videos for like seven other channels, Mega projects video the effort to clean up the garbage patch?

[@dohboi75]

Great job Karl👍

[@RobBulmahn]

16:20 Deca-bromo-di-phenyl-ether

[@caseymacdonald878]

Someone tell Simon this is a Mega projects video the effort to clean up the garbage patch

[@PhantomSinger1]

There's also a river cleanup program to try and intercept trash before it reaches the ocean. They used GPS trackers to find where garbage tends to form a bottleneck and that's where the interceptor ships can sit without blocking the entire river. Communities downstream of the interceptors can notice less trash washing up after one rainy season, so imagine the difference if a dozen or so of these trash scooping ships are put to work in different rivers.

[@kategrant5971]

What's weird is that Simon ditched this channel but then started a new channel called "Places" which is essentially the same thing.

[@888johnmac]

this was never a channel Simon owned , he was paid as narrator

[@aidensheridan9728]

And redoing the topics tow I still watch them

[@SoundShinobiYuki]

I find it goes into more depth than most of the Geographics videos. I like it so far.

[@heretictom]

KARLLLLLL? you are everywhere now. I'm not mad. Rubbish is a great word, perfectly acceptable (I'm assuming my opinion matters because I'm American, as is tradition)

[@AbuAmatullahAlAmriki]

Karl, i hope you have a nice day. I appreciate these videos.

[@awkc63]

I never knew it was this bad, nor did I know there were others... Humanity is the worst thing ever invented.

[@jamesheichel9465]

Well how about you set the trend and change that for yourself. 🧐🧐🧐🧐. I didn't think so.

[@tonyasinola9282]

I Agree

[@USGrant21st]

because it's fake, the whole plasticphobia is gaslighting

[@ashleycross7593]

It's makes me sick that there is bell ends dressed in orange blocking roads and stopping ambulances, when they should be raising awareness of shit like this.

[@gniawd]

Yay Karl! Rip Fact Fiend. But I do love seeing you on here.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your style karl! Keep up the good work 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Damons-Old-Soul]

1:34 If they are getting mad over trash, they were rubbish to begin with.

[@luuorallemn9921]

Karl, you are, by far, my favorite host for this channel. You have the right balance of fascination, horror, and outrage at some of these topics that I think we all share on the other side of our screens. 👍👍

[@theconqueringram5295]

"Yay, Hell World here we come!" -Karl Smallwood, 2024

[@agent74113]

from that pic, Charles Moore looks like he came from the GPGP

[@brianmurphie7501]

Dunno about trying to minimize British colloquialisms. The entire Whistlerverse is founded on the fact that Americans tend to think that anyone with a British accent is automatically smart and well informed

[@debbiemoore2747]

Being British I can assure you this is not the fact. It's a stupid hangover to when we were an empire.

[@HeatherLandon227]

Use as much British terms as you'd like! I love it! :)

[@bethmarriott9292]

Not me misreading it as 'Cabbage Patch' and knowing I'm getting it wrong each time 😭

[@queenofscots839]

Plastic.. thank you DuPont

[@jamesheichel9465]

And how are they at fault???

[@queenofscots839]

@@jamesheichel9465 Hahahah are you being serious? Look it up

[@USGrant21st]

without plastic this world would have been stuck in middle ages

[@queenofscots839]

@@USGrant21st except we could have used hemp instead like Ford did. However DuPont had the money to make sure it was illegal. Same with pharmaceuticals

[@giannidcenzo]

Rock and roll tuna pants

[@albiedam3312]

About time Simon did a video on Britain

[@ashproof]

I'm going to lie down now. And try not to cry... Awe man. Now I'm crying.

[@victoriaeads6126]

The conundrum of the GPGP is that it has become an ecosystem. Removing the plastic entirely may put already vulnerable creatures that we barely know about at serious risk. I ascribe to the "clean up the nets and big pieces" school of thought on this one.

[@javiskii]

Karl is so entertaining as a storyteller

[@mrbigfish6951]

Good to see you Smallwood

[@world_still_spins]

+1 for Karl to shave his hair. Manscaped may sponsor that video.

[@Aura-Of-Syrinx]

Wiglett!

[@tomholroyd7519]

It's nice of Mother Earth (Mother Ocean?) to conveniently collect all the trash so we can bag it and recycle it.

[@madbradfreeman]

The 1992 novel by Neal Stephenson, Snowcrash, featured the GPGP. I call prior art!

[@debbiemoore2747]

The garbage patches are a reminder that it's too easy to turn our heads and think of it as somebody elses problem. Forgetting we live on one planet and its everybodys problem irregardless of geographic location.

[@geographicstravel]

Yeah, it's not a great feeling. Especially when so many people are happy to deny that climate change is even happening, despite the staggering amount of evidence. Some of it before our very eyes.

[@TheManLab7]

If saying the word "runnish" seems to affects Americans then it just goes to show how delicate they are and how angry they get over thee most basic stuff.

[@jackcarlson8875]

No one's getting mad over here hearing the word rubbish buddy, relax.

[@bradbrandon2506]

Well, Karl, you made learning a very dark and sad subject actually quite enjoyable. I don't know how, but you did it. Great job! (Seriously, and also who the hell takes offense to saying, rubbish? I'm American and I say rubbish sometimes 😂😂😂)

[@steveh-m665]

Kyle - excellent haircut! Great content, too!

[@brieanastraiton3665]

Wow i had no clue Simon wasnt doing geographics anymore. Been quite a while since ive watched this channel i guess lol. Did he finally let danny out of the basement??😂😂

[@bradlevantis913]

If you have travelled Southeast Asia there is a lack of infrastructure to deal with refuse. It’s like North America in the 50’s and 60’s. Just burry it in the sand. It’s wild Add to that plastic recycling only really works if there is profit (which limits it to larger pieces) it’s not surprising where we are now

[@StefanMedici]

Helps that first world nations ship ship their "recycling" to SEA nations, particularly Malaysia.

[@russelllomando8460]

nothing personal about eric...KS, i like your Britt-witt and scarcasm and anteater, great job, thanks. after i received my Brit Citizenship, i had some lovely rows (pronounced rau - fight / discussion) with garbage v rubbish. same as cookie v biscuit. remember...it's not biscuit monster. the old-time diapers (pampers, luvs) won't bio-degrade for at least 500 years. and there's a surprise inside. Dude....KS....you gotta as our host.

[@christianavance9124]

Ive always wondered if it would be possible ( and whether or not not its a worse idea) to send trash, especially that made from fossil fuels to reachable underground lava flows/ slow but active volcanoes. Would it melt it all down safely or would it create an even worse disaster to the environment. I blame this thought on the Superman movie were he was asked to send all the nuclear weapons to burn up in the sun.

[@djdrack4681]

Deca Bromo Di Phenyl Ether Deca = 10, Bromo = it has a bromine in place of a carbon in the base chain, Di Phenyl = 2x phenyl side chains, Ether...the base of it all is a Ether (instead of a alkane like Propane/Hexane)

[@dhawthorne1634]

So, is the surname Smallwood of geographic or anatomical origin? Those old Angles loved some cheeky humor, after all.

[@zerk317]

Heh. Small wood.

[@resileaf9501]

Think there's a way to get the US to declare war on the garbage patches? Feels like this would give the US military/navy to use their gigantic funding for something good for once.

[@jamesheichel9465]

The Navy polices the oceans and coastlines for the entire world. We're literally one of the few reasons pirates/ criminals don't control trade routes.

[@user-yu1ed4eo5n]

So happy aren't you, Karl?

[@furiouslester]

You shaved yer beard! And grew hair! Ad read. KEEPS?

[@Tormekia]

Marine biologists gotta be some of the hardest drinkers on the planet. Bar Fly: Hey, what's with that guy? He's drinking a pint of vodka?! Bartender: Marine biologist back from a research mission. Marine Biologist: ALL GONE! POOF! (Slams glass on bar) same again!!! PLASTIC! Jelly fish... tooo much gone. All gone. Woo poof... stinky poot poot. . Barfly: Man. And here I thought his ex took the house. Marine Biologist: (places head on desk) no more fish in the sea... wrong on that one too... not plenty of fish... jellyfish... lots...

[@williambrennan5701]

that's a lot of rubbish 🤣

[@cheekyfragrance]

I like you Karl, small wood or otherwise. Great Vid.

[@stevey_z]

This isn't the future because almost everyone who reads this will live to see plastic outlawed

[@ZMB-on5ub]

"Who the fook is that guy?" -Conor Mcgggrgeggegror

[@jpablo700]

As an American, rubbish!

[@mrbigfish6951]

If world leaders put a scrap value on plastic for a pre planned week sometime in the future the areas would be spotless in no time

[@jamesheichel9465]

It does have a scrap value depending on what it is. Of course the real scrap value is -$1,000,000,000. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️

[@ashleycross7593]

Also using a cardboard straw doesnt seem like such an inconvenience anymore.

[@steven-wi7zl]

Yeah, except the machines making the straws, the packaging the paper comes in, the packaging for the machine, the packaging for replacement parts etc etc etc all plastic

[@Lancer376]

Have you not heard of an aluminum straw? They're like 5$ for a 4 pack and come with a pipe cleaner for them.

[@archstanton6102]

I have a bamboo straw

[@whuzzzup]

Not really. The trash you see here comes from developing/poor countries in asia/africa. Us using less plastics has absolutely nothing to do with this as "our" trash won't reach the ocean. Nothing changes because you using a paper straw does not make nonexisting garbage collecting better.

[@USGrant21st]

that shows how easy it is to brainwash some people

[@dominicwaghorn6459]

I came here for Eric lol. Sorry Karl haha😊

[@lukeboyuk83]

Did u buy these channels from Simon?.

[@ZikedY]

No, Simon never owned this channel, he just used to host on the channel. One of the channels Simon owns and hosts on is brain blaze

[@auntheidi9389]

All th commenters voted and we've decided we like you, Karl with a K, and you can use all the British colloquialisms you wish.

[@Paul-uj8bk]

In my part of the U.S. "rubbish" has a distinct legal definition which is differentiated from 'garbage' 'trash' 'litter' etc. "-Rubbish: combustible and noncombustible waste materials, except garbage, including paper, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches or trunks, yard trimmings, tin, cans, metals, bricks, lumber, concrete, mineral matter, glass, crockery, and including the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke or other combustible material."

[@Zacharyswansonchannel]

Karl, I bet you still ate your tuna regardless. That’s why we have garbage patches, we all like to turn the other way and blame someone else instead of making the change ourselves. Always baffles me how such an intelligent man can not see his own hypocrisy.

[@ededdynova]

I thought this patch was no more due to the floating eco plastic garbage eating machine???

[@chriscorry2672]

Are you filming this from a dungeon?

[@rachelavincent]

Liking the reverse psychology on trash/garbage/rubbish apologising to the Americans in case he uses the English (I know it's all English but I am English) in the face of American script, this cuts off the English getting riled about him using the American. Those words grate. We like rubbish. Not in the ocean though.

[@H3LLGHA5T]

Hey, that's no way to talk about France.

[@MacTX]

I stopped recycling my plastic almost 2 decades ago when I found out that it wasn't actually being recycled and was just being shipped over to China for them to deal with. Chinese companies just took the money and either buried it or more often dumped it into the ocean.

[@joegondek4886]

Recyclables no longer get shipped to China, and Recycling can be impactful as a bridge to a greater waste solution

[@ryananderson8511]

It’s very disturbing and quite sad that there’s an easy solution for a lot of the plastic issues they could just use hemp which Henry Ford figured out could make rope gasoline and a type of carbon fiber

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thanks.

[@joeyr7294]

Are the headphones in the background functional or just a cool as lamp?

[@geographicstravel]

I believe they're a lamp. Karl's got so many cool things on his shelf, I'm jelly.

[@joeyr7294]

@@geographicstravel lol ok, thanks! I'm also a little jealous tbh.

[@DeanHankin]

Not visible on Google Earth.

[@caseymacdonald878]

No more fact fiend but you're doing Simon side channels damn it😢

[@UIMcocodog]

Gunwale is pronounced gun-all btw 😊

[@t20594]

Apparently they flushed all the Simon comments

[@Hanloss]

Doesn't seem so as seems there's plenty, wish they would delete them though, so pointless. If you're that interested in the presenter versus the actual content, go watch his channels.

[@RogueTurban]

bruh where is simon we want fact boi

[@merleaddison8293]

UNION!!!!

[@ProlificInvention]

Where Simon?

[@resileaf9501]

He left of his own will months ago. Try to keep up.

[@ProlificInvention]

@@resileaf9501 Now I know, thank you.

[@darkerarts]

God, this so depressing! Great vid though

[@thomasbrewer4564]

Karl, I like having you on this show so much better.

[@FrithonaHrududu02127]

Ok I am absolutely not a scientist of any sort but..... instead of cleaning it is there a way of compacting it , laying strata of gravel, soil plant trees and creating a new island. Please don't mock me in the comments but I really wonder if that is something that could happen

[@plot1184]

As good as this idea sounds, this will not work. Most of the oceans are several kilometers deep. So you need tons and tons of material to create this island. You have to imagine that you cannot make a column, the island needs to have a gradient to the bottom of the ocean. Imagine you have about 1,000,000 km² of area on sea level how much area this would be on the ocean floor. You would need a staggering amount of material which all needs to be transported by ship. In addition the oceans aren't just masses of water. There are currents which transport material and on the ground can erode the floor over time. This means that even if we would be able to create these masses of lands the currents in the oceans would then erode the islands away, uncovering the hidden plastics again.

[@FrithonaHrududu02127]

@@plot1184 yeah I was trying to figure that part out. I was thinking something along the lines of deepse oil rigs , not offshores. Offshores are essentially solid gantries fixed to the ocean floor but deep sea ones are floating with basically cable and anchors. It would be a variation of that

[@furiouslester]

Kimon Smisler.

[@Robotron2084psn]

Someone's an FF fan.

[@JasonDoublett-ek8zc]

Cool stuff 😎 man 😮

[@jasandipsingh235]

Nice

[@gerrywood3584]

Wheres simon😊

[@DaVe-iSnOtHoMe.MaN.LemmingsWeB]

Gyre is pronounced ( Gi er ) gier lol sorry missin Simon lol good he needs like 2years worth of saved up vacation days