Typo in 2002 Australian Report Responsible for Plastic Bag Mythology

Here.

Excerpt:

The plastic bag is the latest useful item to fall victim to a factually challenged campaign aimed at achieving a world-wide ban in the false name of being 'green' or 'saving the planet.' Australia has to take much of the blame for this, due to a 2002 report misinterpreting the original 1987 Canadian Study in Newfoundland claiming that 100,000 marine mammals and birds were killed by 'plastic debris.' In a 2002 report commissioned by the Australian Government into the environmental effects of plastic bags, 'plastic debris' became 'plastic bags.' The report became known as the Nolan-ITU report. In 2006 the report was updated. The same sentence was repeated but 'bags' was changed back to 'debris' with an explanatory note stating that the original article actually referred to 'fishing nets.' The damage to the reputation of the plastic bag was already done.