Is Plastic Doomed?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 28 March 2018
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The tide of public opinion is turning on plastic.
The image of a whale with plastic stuck in its mouth on the BBC nature documentary Blue Planet 2 woke people up across the world to the reality of plastic pollution in our oceans. Experts think that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea. Communities across the globe are saying that something must be done.
But does this change in public mood spell disaster for plastic? And if so, what would replace it? We go from Europe, to the US and Indonesia to examine the supply and demand of plastic.
Presenter: Michael Blastland Producers: Josephine Casserly and John Murphy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the inquiry on the BBC World Service with me Michael Blasland. |
| 0:05.0 | Each week we bring you four expert witnesses answering one pressing question from the news. December 2017, the BBC's creative might in big budget natural history, a worldwide audience, a famous narrator, |
| 0:25.0 | and in that final program, |
| 0:27.0 | scenes of whales, birds, and other wildlife struggling |
| 0:31.0 | and dying from a human legacy. |
| 0:34.0 | Plastic. |
| 0:35.0 | Unfortunately, there was a plastic toothpick |
| 0:38.0 | that had actually gone through the stomach. |
| 0:40.0 | Something just as small as that has actually has managed to kill the bird. |
| 0:44.4 | It's really sad to see. |
| 0:46.0 | This was not normal natural history glorying in wildlife. |
| 0:51.0 | This was a cry of shame. |
| 0:54.0 | A healthy albatross chick in its diet should really have things like squid. |
| 0:59.0 | But these chicks are being fed something very different. |
| 1:02.0 | We have some plastic that this per chick has had to bring up |
| 1:07.1 | plastic bag. |
| 1:09.5 | Reaction in many countries has been passionate and swift. |
| 1:17.0 | Blue Planet alone didn't inspire a movement, but it showed the issue has arrived. |
| 1:26.0 | Suddenly it's as if the 20th century's signature material isn't welcome anymore. |
| 1:33.0 | How was this mood, this attitude triggered? |
| 1:37.0 | More to the point, how far can it go? |
| 1:40.0 | Our question this week is plastic doomed. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.