Venice’s famous canals are facing a growing pollution problem. Once plastic litter ends up in the water, it becomes incredibly difficult to remove. Why is this plastic so dangerous, and what can be done about it?
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00:00Venice is a city built on water, but for years its famous canals have been battling a growing
00:10pollution problem. Like in so many coastal areas, plastic litter ends up in the water,
00:15where it's incredibly difficult to remove. Here and across the globe, plastic pollution
00:21is putting natural ecosystems and our own health at risk. But what makes this plastic
00:27so dangerous and what can be done about it?
00:37In Venice's Grand Canal, researchers from Italy's Marine Sciences Institute peer through
00:42the murky depths using a multi-beam sonar, an instrument that maps the seafloor using
00:48acoustic waves.
01:15Smart tires used as docking bumpers by Venetian boats are just one part of the problem. High
01:20tides sweep through Venice's narrow streets, carrying all kinds of waste into the historic
01:25canals, where it either sinks or washes up on beaches. Volunteers work hard to clean
01:30the islands, like here in Murano, but much of the waste remains hidden beneath the waves.
01:58A robot like this one. Fantina Madricardo coordinated the European-funded Maelstrom
02:03project. The team has developed a floating platform that relies on seabed maps and AI-guided
02:09cameras to spot litter on the seabed and retrieve it with remarkable precision.
02:28The patented prototype offers hope for eventually removing tires and other litter polluting
02:36Venetian waters. Until then, the plastics will keep breaking down into tiny fragments.
02:42The research team trails a special net behind their boat, collecting samples that reveal
02:48the full extent of the microplastic problem.
03:16Each year, we unknowingly ingest and inhale tens of thousands of tiny plastic particles.
03:24These microplastics have been detected in human blood, breast milk, and even brains.
03:29They infiltrate our lungs, liver, and other vital organs. Scientists continue to investigate
03:34the full health implications, but evidence of potential harm grows. Laboratory studies
03:40show that some of these microscopic plastics can damage DNA, disrupt hormonal systems,
03:45and may contribute to cancer development.
04:11But how can we rid our seas of microplastics? The Ava River in the Portuguese coastal town
04:16of Vila do Conde faces a double challenge. Plastic pollution and the invasive water hyacinth
04:23plant both threaten the fragile estuary ecosystem. But hope is bubbling up from the riverbed.
04:30The bubble barrier, tested as a part of the same Maelstrom project, creates a curtain
04:34of rising air bubbles across the river. It intercepts plastics and invasive plants before
04:40they reach the ocean, while allowing fish and boats to pass through freely.
05:10It's much easier to intercept these invasive plants covered in microplastic particles in
05:20the river before they reach the ocean. Pilot tests show that the bubble barrier can catch
05:25an impressive 86% of debris flowing downstream, even trapping the smallest pieces of plastic.
05:34Scientists from the University of Porto are now analyzing the bubble barrier's impact
05:39on the estuary's ecosystem.
05:53Municipal services remove the accumulated waste from the collector. The town of Vila
05:58do Conde played an active role in co-designing and co-funding the system. If the barrier
06:04proves effective, the municipality hopes to keep it running permanently and inspire
06:09other coastal towns to follow suit.
06:29The energy used by the air compressor is partially offset by the solar system designed
06:34by the University of Malta.
06:37You don't need to keep it on all the time, because there are times when there's less
06:41flow in the river. If we use it in that way, the amount of energy generated by the panels
06:47will completely offset the energy used by the system, because of course we do want to
06:53collect the plastics, but we don't want to generate CO2 in the process.
06:58The bubble barrier in Portugal and the seabed-cleaning robot in Venice have already retrieved tons
07:03of litter from the waters. But the scientists behind the Maelstrom project emphasize that
07:07cleaning alone isn't enough. They're working with everyone involved, organizing public
07:12beach cleanups, citizen science campaigns and outreach events. From factory owners to
07:18local authorities, from beachgoers to schoolchildren, everyone has a role to play.
07:26We need to continue to work upstream on prevention. We need to continue to try to change attitudes,
07:33concepts, and also to promote awareness and responsible choices. So we need to work with
07:40people, the community, but also with industry.
07:45In the end, the best solution is to prevent plastic from ever reaching our rivers, seas
07:51and oceans.