Planet or Plastic?

193 countries agreed at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March 2022 to initiate an agreement against plastic pollution of the environment. The National Geographic exhibition "Planet or Plastic?" shows that it is high time for this.

Littering of the environment and oceans with plastic waste has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. According to a study conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven on behalf of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the amount of microplastics in the oceans is expected to quadruple by 2050. According to the European Parliament, the total weight of all plastic waste in the world's oceans is already around 150 million tonnes. Dependence on plastic has therefore long since developed into a global problem.

We can't do without plastic

"Planet or Plastic?" builds on National Geographic's multi-year global initiative to reduce the amount of single-use plastic entering the oceans. The exhibition tells the story of plastic from its invention just over a century ago to its mass consumption today.

It is not about generalised plastic bashing. On the contrary. In many areas of life, we have long been unable to do without plastics. They have revolutionised medicine and made space travel easier - they also extend the shelf life of fresh food, make it possible to supply clean drinking water to those who don't have it and save lives in airbags and helmets. This should never be forgotten.

However, despite its usefulness and convenience, an exorbitant amount of plastic products are disposed of improperly. Since the 1950s, around 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated worldwide - only around nine percent has been recycled. Waste has been found in the ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the surface to the seabed. Marine animals have ingested it or become entangled in it.

What is needed is conscious handling

So what is it all about? Clearly about the right, conscious use of plastic. Solutions and answers to a number of pressing questions. The "Planet or Plastic?" exhibition is polarising. And that's a good thing. With 60 powerful images by renowned photographers from around the world as well as infographics and videos, it emphasises the need for a balance between the use of this material and the protection of our environment. In this way, the exhibition enables an in-depth examination of the topic.

But that's not all: "Planet or Plastic?" shows very clearly what we can all do to reduce the use of single-use plastic products in the future and to reuse, recycle and dispose of them. There are often alternatives. Research is well underway and many manufacturing companies are rethinking their approach.