10 rivers 1 ocean

THE MISSION: NAVIGATE THE TEN MOST PLASTIC-POLLUTED RIVERS IN THE WORLD
AND CROSS THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

After having rowed alone across two oceans, covering more than 33,000 kilometers, trekked on polar routes for 2,000 km, and run over all kinds of terrain for a total of 10,000 km, the time has come for Alex Bellini to undertake a new journey: 10 Rivers 1 Ocean. On a raft built by waste materials assembled on site for each leg of his journey, Alex will navigate the ten most plastic-polluted rivers on our planet to tell the story of the little-known trip that plastic makes: over 80% of the plastic polluting the oceans originates from rivers. He is supported by invaluable partners who want to act to help us change and protect our planet.

8 MILIONI DI TONNELLATE - 10 Rivers 1 Ocean

MILLIONS TONS

The quantity of plastic that enters the oceans every year

1.6 MILIONI DI KM2 - 10 Rivers 1 Ocean

MILLIONS KM2

The size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

I 10 FIUMI PIÙ INQUINANTI - 10 Rivers 1 Ocean

THE MOST POLLUTED RIVERS

Responsible of the 90% of plastic polluting our oceans

Zone in cui si accumula la plastica a causa delle correnti oceaniche. - 10 Rivers 1 Ocean

Image depicting the world’s largest areas of plastic accumulation in the oceans

THE 10 MOST POLLUTED RIVERS

THE 10 MOST POLLUTED RIVERS - 10 Rivers 1 Ocean

Export of plastic Debris by Rivers into the Sea Christian Schmidt, Tobias Krauth and Stephan Wagner. Environmental Science & Technolgy 2017

It is not only plastic. Many rivers around the world are under enormous strain caused by human action. Eighty percent of the plastic in the oceans comes from only ten rivers, the most polluted rivers in the world. It is these rivers that Alex has decided to navigate, to see close up how life is lived around and in the rivers, the relationships people have with them, and their good and bad habits. He wants to see first hand, learn more, and understand what limits are impassable and what solutions are possible. He wants to help spark a new sense of responsibility in all of us and the desire to take action for a cause that affects us all.

  • Ganges in Varanasi

    Ganges

    The Mother Goddess who purifies the faithful is far from enjoying good health herself. The Ganges is on the verge of death. Paradoxically, while she gives new spiritual energy to those who immerse themselves in her water to cleanse their sins, she risks spreading death instead.

    Read more
  • Pacific Garbage Patch

    Great Pacific Garbage Patch

    A mass of plastic waste has accumulated in the sub-tropical ocean vortex of the Pacific Ocean holding around 80,000 tons of debris. An artificial island made up of trillions of pieces of plastic is growing year after year.

    Read more
  • Pearl River

    Pearl River

    Industrial and domestic wastewater, everything is dumped into the river. So much that some parts of its course have become dark and murky. It definitely no longer has the lustre its name suggests. Chinese authorities are devising immediate solutions.

    Read more
  • Nile

    Nile

    The longest river in the world has given rise to and supported ancient civilizations, the cradle of modern-day cultures. Today, heavy metals and petroleum agents are detected in its water. This is an enormous problem for the seven African countries which the Nile crosses.

    Read more
  • Po

    E il fiume più lungo d’Italia, ma non è vissuto come un fiume nazionale. Attraversa quattro regioni e per un lungo tratto ne demarca il confine. Ogni città, ogni singolo territorio, da Torino a Ferrara, sente come proprio il solo pezzetto prospiciente, come se a monte o valle non gli appartenesse, finendo per essere acqua di nessuno.

    Read more
  • 10 rivers 1 ocean – Hai He river

    Hai He

    This river is part of the waterways near Beijing. Several years ago, a chemical plant on its shores released toxins that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up on its banks. This must be a wake-up call for the Chinese authorities.

    Read more
  • 10 rivers 1 ocean – yellow river

    Yellow River

    The Yellow River once supported the agriculture of a large part of China with its waters' extraordinary fertilizing properties, rich with sediments called loess. But today it has become a dump for paint factories.

    Read more
  • 10 rivers 1 ocean – Yangtze

    Yangtze

    The Yangtze was named for the proverbial (one-time) clarity of its water. Some stretches of its course have been certified by UNESCO as a cultural heritage landscape. But, today, it is threatened by hydraulic projects and industrial waste.

    Read more
  • 10 rivers 1 ocean – Amur river

    Amur

    Seven hundred kilometers of this river marks the border between Russia and China. About ten years ago, it had the dishonour of making the news for an environmental catastrophe: a benzene spill from a petrochemical factory. And the river has kept on being polluted since.

    Read more
  • Mekong delta

    Mekong

    Indochina's main river is the major site of electricity production, as more and more dams are built and hundreds of industrial complexes pour toxins into its water. The 1,200 fish species populating the Mekong are at risk.

    Read more
  • Indus river

    Indus

    Indus river flows between India and Pakistan, in the Kashmir region which is also an area of strong political conflicts between the two countries. It has always played a role of primary importance for the irrigation of the land, severely tested by climate change and pollution.

    Read more
  • Niger

    Niger

    The Niger gave its name to two of the countries it crosses — Nigeria and, of course, Niger. Now it is at risk of disappearing. The water of the river is fiercely contested for fishing because it irrigates cattle pastures, and it is also in danger from industrial sewage.

    Read more
Ganges
Read more
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Read more
Pearl River
Read more
Nile
Read more
Po
Read more
Hai He
Read more
Yellow River
Read more
Yangtze
Read more
Amur
Read more
Mekong
Read more
Indus
Read more
Niger
Read more

Ganges

Stage ended

The Mother Goddess who purifies the faithful is far from enjoying good health herself. The Ganges is on the verge of death. Paradoxically, while she gives new spiritual energy to those who immerse themselves in her water to cleanse their sins, she risks spreading death instead.

Read more

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Stage ended

A mass of plastic waste has accumulated in the sub-tropical ocean vortex of the Pacific Ocean holding around 80,000 tons of debris. An artificial island made up of trillions of pieces of plastic is growing year after year.

Read more

Pearl River

Stage ended

Industrial and domestic wastewater, everything is dumped into the river. So much that some parts of its course have become dark and murky. It definitely no longer has the lustre its name suggests. Chinese authorities are devising immediate solutions.

Read more

Nile

Stage ended

The longest river in the world has given rise to and supported ancient civilizations, the cradle of modern-day cultures. Today, heavy metals and petroleum agents are detected in its water. This is an enormous problem for the seven African countries which the Nile crosses.

Read more

Po

Stage ended

E il fiume più lungo d’Italia, ma non è vissuto come un fiume nazionale. Attraversa quattro regioni e per un lungo tratto ne demarca il confine. Ogni città, ogni singolo territorio, da Torino a Ferrara, sente come proprio il solo pezzetto prospiciente, come se a monte o valle non gli appartenesse, finendo per essere acqua di nessuno.

Read more

Hai He

This river is part of the waterways near Beijing. Several years ago, a chemical plant on its shores released toxins that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up on its banks. This must be a wake-up call for the Chinese authorities.

Read more

Yellow River

The Yellow River once supported the agriculture of a large part of China with its waters' extraordinary fertilizing properties, rich with sediments called loess. But today it has become a dump for paint factories.

Read more

Yangtze

The Yangtze was named for the proverbial (one-time) clarity of its water. Some stretches of its course have been certified by UNESCO as a cultural heritage landscape. But, today, it is threatened by hydraulic projects and industrial waste.

Read more

Amur

Seven hundred kilometers of this river marks the border between Russia and China. About ten years ago, it had the dishonour of making the news for an environmental catastrophe: a benzene spill from a petrochemical factory. And the river has kept on being polluted since.

Read more

Mekong

Indochina's main river is the major site of electricity production, as more and more dams are built and hundreds of industrial complexes pour toxins into its water. The 1,200 fish species populating the Mekong are at risk.

Read more

Indus

Indus river flows between India and Pakistan, in the Kashmir region which is also an area of strong political conflicts between the two countries. It has always played a role of primary importance for the irrigation of the land, severely tested by climate change and pollution.

Read more

Niger

The Niger gave its name to two of the countries it crosses — Nigeria and, of course, Niger. Now it is at risk of disappearing. The water of the river is fiercely contested for fishing because it irrigates cattle pastures, and it is also in danger from industrial sewage.

Read more
Fall in love with nature, with the wonder all around us. This is the only way you can understand the urgency of us acting together!
Alex Bellini