A Chinese technology company in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang is leading the charge for sustainable ocean governance, championing innovative solutions to tackle this global challenge.
Chen Guanghui, co-founder of Blue Circle Technology, recognized the challenge of higher costs in producing goods from marine plastic debris compared to fresh plastic. This inspired him to develop a new business model that transforms ocean waste into high-value resources.
"If (marine) debris has value, it's no longer waste, it becomes a resource," he said.
According to Chen, the same plastic bottle is worth half a cent when collected on land, but three cents when retrieved from the ocean. This price gap reshaped his entire approach.
The company’s system incentivizes coastal fishermen to collect ocean litter, with high-value end products funding the front-end collection.
"If we can turn marine debris into raw materials for auto parts, or fabric for clothing, then the value of this marine debris will far exceed traditional recycling methods. As long as we can get premium prices, this value can flow back to the waste collectors, giving them incentive to collect this marine debris," he said.
"Making marine debris valuable, using the power of commerce to achieve clean oceans," Chen said.
Chinese tech company turns ocean waste into resources, leading sustainable marine governance
Colombia's Transport Minister Maria Fernanda Rojas on Friday said that flights between her country and Venezuela's capital city Caracas are being targeted by cyber attacks, forcing some Colombian carriers to temporarily suspend services to Venezuela.
"Deceptive signals are being emitted, cyber attacks are taking place, signals are being sent that are intended to deceive GPS positioning equipment," Rojas said in a post to social media platform X on the U.S. attempt to close the Venezuelan airspace, warning that "this has crossed all boundaries."
She called for statements from the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international bodies, declaring that technological sabotage of any civil aviation operation anywhere in the world constitutes a crime.
"We cannot allow this [to happen]. The international community cannot allow this today. Today it is Venezuela, tomorrow it could be Colombia or any other country in the world," the minister added.
Rojas said that flight operations between Colombia and Venezuela will continue.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia said it had held meetings with the Colombian foreign ministry and the affected domestic airline companies to solve the issue as soon as possible.
On Wednesday and Thursday, multiple airline companies such as Panama's Copa Airlines, the Bolivian Aviation, and Colombia's low-budget Wingo all announced suspension of Caracas-bounded flights due to pilot reports on GPS signal disruptions.
The flight irregularities followed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement a week ago, in which he threatened to close the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela "in its entirety," as his administration continued to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government. Trump's threat has been met with strong condemnation from Venezuela and other countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Colombia says Caracas-bound flights threatened by cyber attacks
