QUIZ: Ocean Plastic Pollution

National Wildlife Federation teams up with LG for a campaign highlighting vulnerable and endangered species. This week, during Climate Week, LG Electronics unveiled the Galápagos Sea Lion, a marine mammal at increased risk due to plastic pollutants.

The Galápagos Sea Lion is the third animal featured in its 3D anamorphic experience on its Times Square billboard in New York City. The Galápagos Sea Lion has been designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species, and their population is known to have decreased by more than 60% over the past 40 years. Of the six sea lion species found globally, two are native to the U.S.: the Stellar Sea Lion and the California Sea Lion.

The LG Endangered Species Series, which will run throughout 2024, features partnerships with National Wildlife Federation (NWF) focused on educating students K-12 on conservation initiatives.

What is the Plastic Pollution Problem?

Roland Geyer, an associate professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, led the first-ever global analysis of plastic production, finding that "between 2002 and 2015 we made the exact same amount of plastic that we made between 1950 and 2002."

And much of this plastic ends up in the environment, including our rivers and oceans, by people littering, illegal dumping, and accidental loss of trash during strong winds or during transport. Plastics in the ocean absorb and release heavy metals including lead and cadmium, and these toxins enter marine food webs when animals consume plastics and could get passed up to humans.