兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 Gets 57,000 Research Assistants
Right now, plastic in our seas, alongside global climate change, is probably the hottest environmental potato. Huge amounts of plastic pile up in the water and get deposited in almost every part of the ecosystem, where it causes damage in ways of which we do not yet know the full extent. To learn more about the level of plastic pollution, the national science Centre, Astra, together with MarinePlastic launched ‘Masseeksperimentet’ (The Mass Experiment). In October, Danish schoolchildren throughout the country rallied together to collect and identify plastic waste on Denmark’s coastlines: a job that otherwise would be impossible to carry out on the same scale.
The man heading this scientific project is Kristian Syberg. He is Associate Professor in Environmental Risk at 兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 University’s Department of Science and Environment and spokesman for MarinePlastic - a multidisciplinary centre that conducts research into plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and includes researchers from 兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 University, DTU, the National Museum of Denmark, Aarhus University and Aalborg University.
Unique data
In October, in the physics classroom at Store Magleby School in Drag?r, the children of Form 7A were busy analysing the plastic, which they had just collected a few hundred metres away. They were clearly surprised at how much they found and were concentrating on finding out what types of plastic they had brought back.
This is providing us with a totally unique dataset. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world - this mapping of a whole country’s pollution like this
?I’d say that doing this and seeing the effect plastic has on nature is making me more aware about caring for nature,? says Noah, a pupil in the class, as he slogs away trying to classify a piece of plastic from his collection. He is just one of the many thousands of children who spend hours gathering and analysing plastic in Denmark’s nature. It will then be Kristian Syberg’s job to analyse the vast dataset that results from the work - something he is really looking forward to:
?This is providing us with a totally unique dataset. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world - this mapping of a whole country’s pollution like this,? explains Kristian Syberg. ?For me as a researcher, it is hugely exciting to have such a dataset, and it can help us to create knowledge to support societal processes and create action in society on an enlightened basis.?
Initially, Kristian Syberg will write a report based on the material collected. He then expects to publish one or two scientific articles. Finally, the work of the children will be incorporated into a major database at the European Environment Agency.
One of the new things about the way the children collect plastic is that they do not only collect on the coastlines. Kristian Syberg, who has been working on plastic pollution since 2014, explains how the Mass Experiment involves collecting waste in seven different nature types. Thereby we will gain completely new knowledge of how much plastic waste is spread in the environment.
More information about the researcher
He has previously conducted research into chemical pollution, but since 2014 has been concentrating on plastic pollution, after he started working with the NGO, Plastic Change, with which he has also travelled for the purpose of mapping and collecting plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. He received both the National Energy Globe Award and the 兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 University’s Research Dissemination Award in 2018.
Means of political change
At Store Magleby School, a satisfied Kristian Syberg observes from the sidelines, while the children analyse their findings. He regards plastic pollution not only as an acute environmental problem, but also as a symptom of some structures in the world that are worrying because they are the result of what he refers to as “a social structure that is constructed on a material growth curve that needs to be constantly increasing.” Consequently, he also regards the increased knowledge as a great means of bringing about change at the political level:
?兴发娱乐官网手机版客户端 are already seeing progress. Many things are happening, and there is increasing willingness to make some changes. That’s what makes it positive to work on these issues,? he explains.
Apart from the fact that it would not be possible on a practical level to collect such large amounts of data himself, Kristian Syberg is also delighted to see an understanding of environmental problems developing amongst his young assistants: ?They are not necessarily all the scientists of tomorrow. But we can see that generally they are interested in protecting the nature and environment in which they live. Working on something practical like this really energises them. It is reassuring to see that future generations want to do something good for the environment,? says the researcher.