Hello World — A Plastic Problem
Have you ever gone to the beach and noticed the vast array of plastics disposed in the ocean and washed up onto the sand? If you’re and avid beach goer like myself, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I come from an area surrounded by beaches in my hometown of Orange County. As a result of this, I tend to notice this issue of plastic pollution in certain areas that are in close proximity to where I live. For those of you who are unaware of this growing issue, I am writing this blog to inform you of the impact of plastic pollution on the world’s ocean and how it poses a threat to ocean biodiversity and harms us as humans in the end.
Plastics are used throughout the world because they are both durable and economical. However, plastics are a double-edged sword. The qualities that make plastics so attractive to use are also what make them so harmful. Plastics are extremely slow to decompose and cause harmful effects to the global environment. The United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that 8 million tons 8 million tons of plastic trash enters the world’s ocean every year. Unless action is taken, the volume of plastic debris entering the world’s ocean is projected to double by 2025. I believe that we need to take action now in order to stop this plastic nightmare from becoming a reality.
There are three main aspects that plastic pollution has an impact on. These three aspects are: ocean life and biodiversity, local and global economies, and human health. Plastics cause harm to these various aspects by floating on the surface a macro (large) particles and by undergoing biofouling and decomposing into microplastics. Because plastics are buoyant, they sit on top of the ocean surface and cause harm to the ocean ecosystem as a large particle. As a macro particle, plastics cause harm to ocean life and biodiversity by entangling, suffocating, or infecting marine life and sea birds as they come in contact with this pollutant. Additionally, as a macro particle, plastics can lead to the starvation of marine life when they clog their stomachs by ingesting this plastic debris. As a microplastic, the impacts are there but are not physically seen because of how small these particles are (typically less than five millimeters long). Plastics decompose slowly into micro-plastics, which are potentially toxic and move throughout the food chain and eventually to humans who are the end consumers of seafood.
Additionally, the increased use of plastics, ostensibly for economic development, is ironically threatening both regional and global economies. There are adverse effects for local economies. For example, the Asia-Pacific region has followed the path of western, developed economies and incorporated extensive plastic manufacturing during their modernization. While, this rapid industrialization provided tremendous short-term gains, it had a devistating impact on their tourism and fishing industries. Plastic debris and pollution led to a $1 billion economic loss in the fishing and tourism industries in the Asia-Pacific region. Spoiled beaches and fisheries are some of the negative unforeseen consequences of plastic pollution.
Plastics are touted for their affordability and durability. Unfortunately, those same traits have resulted in negative consequences for marine life, biodiversity, and even human health. I believe that action needs to be taken and plastic use should be reduced in order to prevent these negative consequences.
