Prince Charles has thrown his support behind a campaign that aims to stop plastic being dumped in the oceans.
Prince Charles
The 68-year-old royal has called for a deposit scheme for bottles to be introduced and it's hoped that his influence will encourage manufacturers, supermarkets and politicians to address the environmental issue as a matter of urgency.
Speaking about the Ocean Rescue campaign, he told Sky News: "One of the most troubling environmental trends, as I see it at least, is the progressive build-up of plastic waste in the oceans.
"Eighty per cent of it is coming from the land as everyday products such as plastic bags, straws and bottles as they travel along the rivers to the sea and finish up being spread right around the world, even on the most remote stretches of oceans, the farthest-flung beaches on earth and the deepest reaches of the ocean.
"Some of that plastic is being swallowed by sea birds, by whales, by dolphins, seals and other creatures to the point today where plastic waste is estimated to be in the guts of all marine mammals."
This comes shortly after the Prince described climate change as the "wolf at the door".
Prince Charles recently joined forces with Tony Juniper, a former Friends of the Earth director, and Cambridge University climate scientist Emily Shuckburgh to write a book about the challenges and possible solutions to the issue of climate change.
In his foreword for the book, the Prince of Wales wrote: "I hope this modest attempt to alert a global public to the 'wolf at the door' will make some small contribution towards encouraging requisite action; action that must be urgently scaled up, and scaled up now."
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