Manhattan is sinking; plus, the hidden flood dangers of plastic bags

By Trey Thoelcke Published May 31, 10:02PM EDT

Manhattan is sinking; plus, the hidden flood dangers of plastic bags — © GCShutter / E+ via Getty Images

(A native of England, veteran journalist Matthew Diebel has worked at NBC News, Time, USA Today and News Corp., among other organizations.)

In 2019, I was fortunate to have time off to take a 10-week trip to Southeast Asia. One of the places I visited was Cambodia, in particular the mind-altering group of temples called Angkor Wat.

Having bonded with several fellow backpackers, we decided to take a boat ride on Tonlé Sap, a large lake south of the complex. It is very picturesque and known for its floating villages and houses on stilts. “What a marvelous place,” I thought as we navigated the patch of water, which flows into the giant Mekong River.

That was until we got close to the edge, where we saw thousands of plastic bags and other detritus hanging on the vegetation. It was astounding. Pink bags. Brown ones. Red. Green. Blue. White. Clear. Such a sad sight in such a beautiful place.

The origins were obvious: In nearby Siem Reap we saw shoppers at markets filling the flimsy sacks with local fruits and vegetables. Then, either because of carelessness or lack of organized trash collection — or both — the bags ended up in Tonlé Sap.

A pity, you might say, but, apart from its unsightliness, what’s the harm? That is until you read a report from Resource Futures, an environmental consultancy, and Tearfund, an international Christian charity, which details how plastic waste causes and exacerbates flooding…

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.