Women in Climate (WiC) network
Women in Climate (WiC) network
Posted by Bryony Hobden
17 June 2024On Tuesday evening, a group from the Women in Climate network headed to Exeter Phoenix to watch the feature documentary X TRILLION. This was to be quite a special experience. The documentary is about 14 women who travelled over 3000 nautical miles over the course of 3 weeks to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to conduct important research on microplastics. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a convergence zone of several oceanic currents that bring together lots of marine debris. Often, there is a perception that the garbage patch is one massive floating garbage island, but the reality is a lot more pervasive and sinister.
The documentary starkly reveals the magnitude of the threat posed by microplastics to the health of our oceans, our marine species, and ultimately, our own health. This is not just an environmental issue but a call to action for all of us to protect our planet.
The documentary saw these, at first strangers that comprised of scientists, activists, graphic designers, teachers, engineers, artists, and circular economists, become a closer group all drawn together by a common cause: the trillions of pieces of microplastic that have wound up in the great pacific garbage patch.
It was inspiring to watch these women, all leaders in their respective fields, journey to document the problem, but it was also very upsetting to see how big the problem is and the extent of the impacts it can have.
Artist and researcher Catherine Cartwright led the Q&A session, a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the issues raised in the documentary. She was joined by two speakers: Carry Somers, the founder of Fashion Revolution, and Dr Emily Duncan, an associate researcher in conservation biology at the University of Exeter. Both speakers had been part of previous eXXpedition voyages. Dr Emily Duncan, a key member of the X TRILLION North Pacific expedition, shared her invaluable insights and memories of the three-week voyage that we had just watched.
Questions covered topics from reducing microfiber shedding to finding opportunities in marine biology and fieldwork experience. Overall, it was a very inspiring and engaging evening.
For more information on X TRILLION and future screenings, follow the link.