CNN visits Midway Island to promote documentary on plastic pollution

The theme of World Oceans Day this year was plastic pollution.  It seems CNN took that to heart, as they posted Every bird on this island eats plastic to their YouTube channel yesterday.

CNN gained rare access to Midway Atoll to see the shocking amounts of plastic that makes its way across the Pacific Ocean and into our food chain.

CNN has more in Midway: Why Barack Obama visited a tiny island in the Pacific.

1.5 million Laysan albatross call Midway home. The albatross carry five tons of plastic onto the island each year - plastic that was created, consumed and then dumped by humans, and is now is being fed by these birds to their chicks.

The plastic bags, coffee cups and toothbrushes we use each day don't magically disappear when we throw them away. Some plastic gets recycled, but a lot of it - 8 million tons each year - ends up in the world's oceans.

CNN visited Midway this summer, where an endless plastic tide washes up on shore every day, poisoning and killing the island's rich wildlife. Plastic is part of the sand and part of the fish, and experts fear it could be making its way into the food we eat.

Our exclusive documentary from one of the remotest island chains on the planet is due out soon. It explores the damage that plastic pollution is doing to the world - and the damage it could be doing to you.

Plastic pollution in the oceans has been a recurring subject of this blog.  In addition to this year's World Oceans Day, I've written about the Pacific Garbage Patch, banning plastic bags, and shoes made from marine plastic.  I couldn't resist posting about this topic again when the opportunity arose.

As for the documentary itself, I have high hopes.  The last environmental documentary I recall CNN releasing was "Blackfish."  Even though it was snubbed by the Oscars and got a lot of pushback, it had its intended effect, as SeaWorld is phasing out its current Orca shows in San Diego.  May the upcoming feature be as effective!