Environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage have launched their brand-new film titled ‘Creature’, to raise awareness of the destruction of marine life not yet discovered.
The film shows the reactions of a coastal community to a mysterious beast that has been washed up on the shore and aims to highlight the negative effects of plastics in the ocean, both on those species we are aware of and those we are not. With 95% of the planet’s oceans unexplored, the latter is hugely likely.
“As a surfer, I wanted to do what I could to help,” said Tom Tagholm, director, Park Pictures. “Over the years I’d watched Surfers Against Sewage tirelessly fight the plastic polluting industry, and just as tirelessly unite human beings who care. This sense of community is ultimately what the film is about.”
Surfers Against Sewage are calling on citizens of the United Kingdom to sign its #GenerationSea petition, which will call on the Prime Minister to make legislative changes in order to protect the oceans and its inhabitants. The petition requests the creation of an independent watchdog to protect the oceans and wider natural environment as part of an Environment Bill, which will enforce the protection of the seas from plastic and other human pollution.
“Every year new and unique ocean dwelling creatures are being discovered in the depths of the marine world. Meanwhile, humankind is treating our sea as a ‘single ocean’ – filling it with plastic, changing it’s chemistry through carbon emissions and stripping it of all natural abundance,” said Ben Hewitt, director of campaigns and projects at Surfers Against Sewage. “We’ve built ‘Creature’ to represent the sea life that people are destroying without even being aware of it. People will only thrive if our ocean thrives.”
One sea bird or marine mammal dies every 30 seconds due to plastic pollution and this striking project by Surfers Against Sewage and Park Pictures shows both the impact humans can have by looking the other way and how crucial positive human action is.
“At present, we’re sleep-walking into slaughter,” Hewitt added. “But it’s not too late. With the help of the general public and policy makers, we can ensure our oceans remain a place that our sea life can continue to flourish in.”
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