TURNING TIDES
The Race For Water Odyssey is on a global round-trip to fight for the ocean
A staggering 1.3 million tons
of plastic waste is produced daily across Indonesia, ranking it second to China as the world’s largest contributor to marine plastic pollution. The importance of our oceans is often understated even though they cover more than 70 per cent of the planet’s surface. While the amount of nourishment derived from the oceans can feed upwards of half the world’s population, 50 per cent of the world’s oxygen is also supplied by the oceans. These facts are all the more startling when the World Economic Forum recently revealed that if the current mentality people have towards plastic waste continues, then by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Across the globe, many organisations have taken up the fight to help clear the oceans and as a result save people’s lives. Founded in 2010 by Marco Simeoni, a
Swiss entrepreneur passionate about the sea, the Race for Water Foundation is an organisation dedicated to the preservation of water and, in particular, our oceans. “The principal message we sought to convey is that first and foremost, the solution is on land,” Marco said. “Everyone can do their bit to stop plastic reaching waterways in the first place, and actively contribute towards the conservation of our oceans, by adhering to the 5Rs principle, which is to refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle.” By using research, expeditions, and focused studies it has shown a clear path towards providing
pragmatic and relevant solutions that can prevent plastic waste from reaching waterways while bringing the disaster of plastic pollution to light.
Currently on a five-year expedition, the Race for
Water Odyssey is underway and is following a path across the globe. With 35 stopovers, the mission is to raise awareness, identify, promote, and deploy local solutions for transforming plastic waste into energy. However, this is not the first such mission that has been taken up by the foundation—that was in 2015. Having originally set out to undertake a global assessment of marine plastic pollution, the final findings where extremely worrying and surprising as they found “plastic islands” do not exist. Only 1–3 per cent of plastics remain on the surface. This means that as a planet, we are facing a veritable soup of toxic micro-plastics with catastrophic effects on marine fauna and the entire food chain. This led to the second expedition, which will sail until 2021 with stops including the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The Race for Water ambassador vessel is manned by a five-person crew, weighs 110 tons, and is also the most prolific user of renewable energy on the world’s oceans.
The vessel is a showcase for energy transition thanks to its combined solar-hydrogen-kite propulsion system; as a result, the three power sources produce no CO2 at all.
Its five-year mission will take it from Lorient in the North Atlantic Ocean all the way through the South and North Pacific Oceans, through the Indian Ocean, and finally back to Lorient.
Based on specifications drawn up by Race for Water, many companies and other organisations are hoping to use the data to improve plastic usage and people’s lives. Besides having Breguet as its main partner, another of the foundation’s sponsors, the company ETIA, has developed a “Biogreen” solution for a more optimised conversion of plastic waste into energy by high-temperature pyrolysis.
“Our innovative Biogreen pyrolysis technology provides a solution that creates environmental, economic, and socially sustainable benefits,” said Marco. “With each generator able to process 1,500 tons of plastic per year, which is the waste produced by a population of 50,000 to 100,000, this solution would generate electricity for about 30,000 people in emerging countries such as Indonesia.”
The focused steps of collection, remuneration, hightemperature pyrolysis, and conversion to energy will ensure that people’s lives are directly connected with the idea of reducing plastic waste. Through the creation of jobs, the transformation of plastics into energy, and the eventual generation of value, people will be able to clean the oceans and make a living. This symbiotic connection between people and the world’s oceans is key to not only reducing the amount of plastic but also to moving forward with a clear plan to maintain such a reduction for future generations.