I OPEN WITH A STARTLING PIECE OF NEWS concerning man’s fascination with the mysteries of the clear blue oceans.

From the Washington Post “Wonkblog,” the following: “Good Job Humans: The oceans now contain 5 trillion pieces of floating plastic,” by Chris Mooney, Dec. 10:

“A major new study of the world’s oceans has reached a shocking conclusion: Thanks to humans, there are now over 5 trillion pieces of plastic, weighing more than 250,000 tons, floating in water around the world.

“With a global population of about 7.2 billion, that’s nearly 700 pieces per person.

“The study, published in the journal PLOS One by Marcus Eriksen of the Five Gyres Institute in Los Angeles and a large group of colleagues, is based on data from 24 separate ocean expeditions, conducted between 2007 and 2013, to sample plastic pollution. Plastic was either observed from boats, or hauled up from the ocean by nets, in 1,571 locations. The data were then used to run an ocean model to simulate the amount and distribution of plastic debris.

“The result not only yielded the estimate of over 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the global ocean — it also cast light on how plastic changes within the ocean (breaking down into smaller pieces) and circulates around the globe. Pieces between 1 millimeter and 4.75 millimeters in size were by far the most prevalent class of plastic in the ocean. However, by weight, really large pieces of plastic, greater than 200 millimeters in size, were the most significant.

“‘What we are witnessing in the global ocean is a growing threat of toxin-laden microplastics cycling through the entire marine ecosystem,’ commented lead study author Eriksen of the Five Gyres Institute.

“Worryingly, even though there are far fewer people living in the Southern Hemisphere, the research found that its oceans have about the same amount of plastic, suggesting that winds and ocean currents may transport our trash all around the world.

“The authors stress that they suspect their estimate is ‘highly conservative’ — there could be a lot more plastic out there than that. For as they note, there is also a ‘potentially massive amount of plastic present on shorelines, on the seabed, suspended in the water column, and within organisms.’

“In particular, the authors cite a figure from the trade group Plastics Europe, which suggests that 288 million tons of plastic are produced annually. Compared to a figure like this, the 250,000 tons described in this study represent ‘only 0.1 percent of the world’s annual production’ — again underscoring that the numbers reported in the study, large though they are, are probably a low-end estimate.

“Plastic gets into the oceans because we use it and then throw it away (properly or otherwise). For the vast majority of us, that’s where our relationship with plastic ends — we don’t see what happens next. How does it end up in the oceans? Most simply, plastic bags might literally blow there. Some plastic gets deliberately dumped there. And then there’s runoff: Plastic on land can wind up in the water, or flow into the oceans from rivers emptying to them.

“Once in the oceans, plastic breaks into smaller pieces and circulates — traveling into five major ocean gyres, which spiral in large circles, winding the trash inward. Most famously, some of it accumulates in great Pacific Ocean ‘garbage patches,’ which have particularly high plastic concentrations (however, this does not necessarily mean you will see a huge heap of trash floating on the ocean surface).

“The ecological consequences of ocean plastic pollution are severe — many marine animals may not only get entangled in plastic, but may ingest this long-lasting material, thinking it is food. That’s not only bad for fish, it could ultimately be bad for us. If we consume fish that have consumed plastic, then it is possible that we may ultimately end up eating plastic (or its chemical remnants) too.

“So after we throw our plastic objects away, maybe we’re not really done with them after all.

“So what should you do? ‘It is imperative that the use of plastics include a 100-percent recovery plan, or choose 100-percent environmental harmlessness in your choice of material,’ says Eriksen. ‘The status quo,’ he adds, ‘is no longer acceptable.’”

Next, a piece from the Union of Concerned Scientists site “The Equation,” a blog on independent science plus practical solutions: “At COP 20 in Lima: The Buzz about Renewable Energy,” by Rachel Cleetus, senior climate economist, Dec. 10.

“I’m in the beautiful city of Lima, at the annual United Nations climate talks, or COP 20. Even as negotiators labor over ‘non-papers’ and ‘elements of draft negotiating text,’ the real buzz here is about the incredible opportunity to drive down global emissions by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency. What makes this a particularly exciting time is that the costs of renewable energy are falling dramatically. The clean energy transition has never been more affordable — or, frankly, more urgently needed.

“Renewable energy is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide. In 2013, renewables accounted for more than 56 percent of net additions to global power capacity. Recent data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) shows that global clean energy investment in the first three quarters of 2014 added up to $175 billion, 16 percent higher than in the same period of 2013.

“Solar energy, in particular, has experienced tremendous growth. In 2013, for the first time, global growth in solar photovoltaic (PV) outpaced new wind capacity. Annual growth in global solar PV capacity has averaged almost 55 percent over the past five years.

“Recent news stories have highlighted that investment banks are also increasingly recognizing the financial benefits of investments in renewable energy. For example, Goldman Sachs has committed to $40 billion in existing and planned renewables investments, including in BrightSource Energy, which designed the solar thermal system for Ivanpah, the largest solar plant in the world.

“However, to scale up clean energy even more rapidly to help meet climate goals, we need strong policy support, such as renewable energy and energy-efficiency standards and incentives; investments in transmission infrastructure to integrate higher levels of renewable energy; investments in research and development; and a price on carbon.

“The rapid growth of renewables, their falling costs, and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions makes a weak extension of the production tax credit by the U.S. Congress — an effective federal incentive that supports business development of wind and other renewable energy sources — seem all the more misguided. …

“Renewable energy costs are falling worldwide. In the U.S., for example, the national average cost of wind power has dropped more than 60 percent since 2009, making it competitive with new fossil fuel plants in many regions. Solar PV system costs fell by about 40 percent from 2008 to 2012 and by another 15 percent in 2013.

“Looking ahead, the two trends of improved technologies and reduced costs are expected to continue, according to research from BNEF, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), U.S. Department of Energy. …

“In a joint climate announcement with the U.S., China set a goal of achieving a 20-percent share of non-fossil energy in total primary energy by 2030. ‘Renewable Energy Prospects: China,’ a recent report from IRENA and the China Renewable Energy Centre, shows that China can meet and exceed that goal affordably. The analysis shows that China can increase its renewable share of energy from 13 to 26 percent by 2030, and the share of renewables in the power sector to 40 percent by 2030. This pathway would also help deliver tremendous public health benefits to a country plagued by pollution from its dependence on coal-fired power.

“The U.S. has announced a draft Clean Power Plan to limit carbon emissions from power plants, the single largest source of those emissions in the country. Analysis by UCS shows that the draft plan can be strengthened to raise emissions reductions from 30 to 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 simply by increasing the contribution from renewable energy. Other elements of the president’s Climate Action Plan, including increasing fuel economy standards and implementing methane regulations, can cut emissions further.

“What’s also striking is that the top two countries competing neck and neck in renewable energy deployment are China and the United States, also the world’s two biggest carbon emitters currently. Germany, Spain, Italy, and India round out the list of the top six countries in terms of non-hydro renewable energy capacity.

“While all major emitting countries clearly can and should do more, these are promising times for catalyzing ambitious global climate action. …

“A number of global research efforts are under way to show the feasibility and affordability of deep cuts in emissions. IRENA has recently launched the ReMap 2030 project to analyze global pathways for doubling the share of renewable energy in the world’s energy mix by 2030. The UNEP has launched the Deep Decarbonization Pathways project, to show how individual countries can contribute to a global goal of limiting temperature increases to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. The IEA’s World Energy Outlook also provides analysis to back a 450ppm CO2-equivalent global pathway.

“The common theme of all these reports, written by experts from all over the world, is that it is feasible to jump-start a clean energy transition and that we cannot achieve our climate goals without a very ambitious ramp-up in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“What’s more, many studies are also pointing out that this transition is affordable and beneficial for the global economy and for public health.

“Will the climate negotiations help deliver a renewable energy future for all?

“In the last two days at Lima, we’ve seen tremendous interest in an ambitious mid-century goal of phasing out carbon emissions and moving to a 100-percent renewable energy world. Getting all the way there may seem unreachable right now, but there’s no denying that we can get a very long way toward that goal with existing, affordable clean energy technologies while investing in research and development for new ones.

“Including strong science-based emissions reduction and renewable energy goals in the negotiating text in Lima and the final agreement in Paris next year would signal that an end to the carbon-intensive economy is on its way.

“Freeing the world of its addiction to fossil fuels is what we must do to avoid the 4 degree Celsius (temperature increase) world — the kind of world the prime minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga, called yesterday ‘hell on earth.’”

I have quoted both articles at length to underline that the situation is indeed dire, but all is not lost. Solutions are being developed, and there is hope to just the degree that we continue to keep up the pressure and refuse to accept or surrender to the forces of “profit above all.”

(Or, of course, alternatively from that other perspective that has been in control, a note of deep concern: Is there any limit to the obsessions of scientists in their drive to destroy our precious and lucrative corporate culture?!)

Jerome Page is a Benicia resident.