The Ocean’s Death by Plastic
About: The tragic story behind how we are destroying the ocean with our plastic consumption, and why we should care.
We all love the ocean, right? I mean what would do without our vacation pictures of us relaxing on the beach and watching the waves? And let’s not forget all of the amazing movies the ocean inspires: Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Moana, and many more! But the ocean does a lot more than produce aesthetically pleasing pictures and bring us great childhood memories. It is arguably the most valuable resource that we have. Yet, we abuse the ocean and treat it as if it’s our own personal trash can (literally)!
WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE OCEAN:
- It covers 72% of the earth’s surface.
- Ocean phytoplankton produces 70% of the oxygen we breath.
- It provides 97% of the world’s water supply.
Isn’t it amazing how important the ocean is? With how big it is we minus well rename our earth planet Oceans since we make up such an inconsequential portion of the earth’s surface.
In addition to this, our oceans are a main source of food and water supply. Sixteen percent of animal protein, which is vital for proper human development, comes from fish. This is because fish provides a cheap source of protein for many of the world’s poorer nations. In addition to this, it provides coastal cites with revue from the fishing industry.
However, this vital source of protein is under attack. Recent studies suggest that plastic smells similar to food, which causes fish and other aquatic animals to swallow plastic. Many plastics contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and many other toxins.
Why do we care what’s in plastics; it’s not us swallowing it, it’s just the fish. WRONG! We end up consuming the plastic when we eat the fish that is caught from the polluted ocean. This can lead to an increased risk of cancer, birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental issues. It was also found that plastic pollution has lead to ninety-three percent of Americans testing positive for BPA, which is a toxin that affects our hormone levels.
With how much the ocean does for us you would think we would treat it better, but instead we do irreparable harm to the ocean.
HOW OUR USE OF PLASTIC HARMS THE OCEAN:
- Eight million tons of plastic is thrown into the ocean every year.
- Due to plastic 100,000 aquatic animals die every year.
- Thanks to plastic, 700 aquatic species are endangered of becoming extinct.
More facts can be found at: here
Everyone can agree that there is a troublingly large about of plastic being thrown into the ocean. To put it into perspective, if you were to take all of the plastic out of the ocean and lay it on the ground it would cover the United States plus India! So, how did that much plastic get into the ocean? Well, eighty percent of plastic pollution comes from land. Yikes!
The hard truth that we have to face is that it is our obsession with plastic that is killing and endangering marine life. And guess what one of the aquatic species that we are endangering are? The ocean phytoplankton which were discussed above as being the main producer of our oxygen supply. Studies have shown that ocean phytoplankton levels have declined by forty percent since the 1950s.
If these startling facts aren’t indicators that changes need to be made in regards to our use of plastic, then I don’t know what is!
This is my first blog post in my series about plastic pollution in the ocean. This series will feature stories that will inform you on the current state our oceans are in, how this affects marine life and our heath, and what is being done to remedy this problem.
Check out the other two blogs in this series: Blog #2 and Blog #3
Citations:
700 Marine Species Might Go Extinct Because of Plastic Pollution. Here Are 5 Ways You Can Help! (2018, June 13). Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/marine-species-extinction-and-plastic-pollution/
Amaral, K. (n.d.). Plastics in Our Oceans. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle.html
Andrews, G. (2018, August 03). Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html
D’Alessandro, N. (2018, September 28). 22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It). Retrieved November 4, 2018, from https://www.ecowatch.com/22-facts-about-plastic-pollution-and-10-things-we-can-do-about-it-1881885971.html
Food from the Sea. (2002). Retrieved November 3, 2018, from http://www.mbgnet.net/salt/oceans/food.htm
Information About Sea Turtles: Threats from Marine Debris — Sea Turtle Conservancy. (2017). Retrieved November 3, 2018, from https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-marine-debris/
