From the oceans into our bodies: Plastic pollution ‘associated with obesity and dementia’

François Picard is pleased to welcome Merijn Tinga, Biologist, Artist, Activist, affectionately known as the Plastic Soup Surfer. He joins us, not only as a scientist or activist, but as someone who spends hours a day on the water, experiencing directly the forces we so often abstract away. From the surfboard, everything becomes clear: “You become one with the wind, with the waves… you have one focus.” And yet, back on land, “you’re immersed by this throwaway culture”. His journey, from Oslo to London, Paris, Nice, and now toward Rome, is a way to carry a simple, yet powerful and universal message across borders: effective solutions already exist. The deposit return scheme is one of them. It is practical, proven, and capable of reducing pollution significantly. Beyond systems, this is mainly about awareness. Plastic pollution is no longer an external issue, it is literally within us, in our bodies, our brains, even in unborn children. This demands not only technological responses, but a shift in how we see our relationship with nature. We are not separate from it. We are part of it. This is about balance and being in harmony with nature, the environment and all of our surroundings.