Help Save our earth
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I chose this Social issue because Plastic pollution is dangerous to our environment and a significant amount of Ocean Plastic Pollution is a high contributor to wildlife death. And recent studies have shown that the degradation along the coastline of our oceans has increased dramatically in the past three centuries alone. To me personally that is scary as time is running out to save the only planet we call home. Particularly bothersome as well as
worrisome is the effects of plastic pollution on our ocean.
The oceans are a living and magnificent entity of its own. It has its own diverse ecosystem and the oceans provide for our consumption and survival needs.Yet our oceans are being destroyed every day by plastic, toxic chemicals and waste sources which almost always originates from a land source.
These sources include recreational uses such as beach visitors, the trash disregarded on streets and washed down storm drains, illegal dumping, areas with inadequate trash and or plastic recyclable facilities or trash receptacles. The majority of ocean pollution originates from a land base source as plastic and other harmful debris are easily blown and or carried into the ocean from industrial discharge, recreational uses, and runoff from farms. Rain and flooding carries chemicals such as fertilizers, petrochemicals and animal waste into the ocean.
It is said that every year we dump eight million tons of plastic into the ocean. Plastic is often mistaken as a edible food item by wildlife and also manages to find its way back to the beaches and coastlines where it will just remain there indefinitely. This causes destruction to every place it travels. (Information gathered from http://maritime-executive.com/blog/oceans-of-plastic)
" Plastic takes, on average, 400 years to degrade, and even then it only breaks down into smaller pieces, which may not be visible to the human eye. " (Dilevics).
" Plastic takes, on average, 400 years to degrade, and even then it only breaks down into smaller pieces, which may not be visible to the human eye. " (Dilevics).
As
a whole we must strive to conserve this beautiful home we call earth
and work together as a collective whole to reduce the amount of trash
and debris, particularly plastic pollution that has detrimental effects
on our planet and its wildlife.
Image provided by http://www.uvm.edu/safety/lab/pollution-prevention
Why it Does matter
For many don’t care simply because we can’t see the harmful
effects our actions have on our planet. This is because our waste, our trash is whisked far away from us, out of view
and out of mind, forgotten as it is dumped and disposed of improperly. It is important for
future generations to know and become educated about this matter.
It is imperative to understand that the harmful effects pollution has on our environment also get transmitted back to us in a natural cycle of consumption. Improper waste disposal has a large impact on everyone's health and well being, not only those that call the ocean home but us as well. It is important to know and realize that whatever we put into the ocean, whether intentionally or unintentionally, whether it be waste or chemicals or plastics, will eventually be absorbed by or wind up in the stomachs of marine life. Such as tiny plankton that will be devoured by larger fish that then caught and served to us, And the marine life that we consume which eat the polluted waste will also end up back in our stomachs that includes all the harmful chemicals contained in most plastics. This can cause hormonal problems, reproductive problems, respiratory and nervous system damage as well as kidney damage. The chemicals in the plastics that are absorbed by the wildlife and marine life can also cause a variation of diseases such as Parkinson, Alzheimer's and heart disease. This doesn't include the many illnesses that are caused by mere physical contact with the water. You don't even have to ingest the water but just by coming into contact you have a risk of stomach aches, diarrhea and rashes.(Dilevics).
"We have so much to thank our oceans for. Not only do they provide routes from one continent to another, researchers and scientists have found that certain marine plants have the ability to help reduce pain and inflammation in humans as well as help in the fight against certain cancers" (Dilevics)
There is an abundance of benefits the oceans provide. Without the ocean we would simply not exist as over 70 percent of the oxygen that we breathe and over 97 percent of the world’s water supply comes directly from this vast source.
There is still time if we act now to make a difference, to make a change. We can learn about the ocean and learn to make a healthy impact on this earth. Understanding how vital this system is to our mere survival will help start the changes we need, changes we need to begin protecting our oceans and water supplies now.
The use of plastics can be significantly reduced, and it begins with changing our lifestyle now. this could
include using reusable water bottles and reusable shopping bags. which in turn will save energy and money and will have long lasting beneficial effects of protecting and maintaining our oceans.
Do you believe in this goal? I do and you should too. Take a look at some of these charts of more reasons why we should be more aware and willing to prevent pollution on our earth, particularly the oceans. Click here to see how pollution directly affects you through our oceans. Also And here to view the affects pollution has on humans.
We can and should strive to work together as a collective whole to reduce the amount of trash and other toxic materials that are dumped carelessly into our environment. We should strive toward a common goal where we can enjoy our planet as it was meant to be, safe and free of pollution. We should start now to prepare our planet for our children and future generations. The ocean sustains us and provides for us, we should respect the ocean by keeping it clean for our future generations to live fully and safely.
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| Image provided by http://www.uvm.edu/safety/lab/pollution-prevention |
>1trillion plastic bags are used every year.
This equates to 100 million barrels of oil.
> 17 single-use bags contain enough embedded
petroleum energy to drive a car 1 mile.
>Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes.
>Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes.
>It takes 1,000 years for them to decompose.
>Over 100,000 marine animals
and 1 million seabirds die every year from ingesting plastic.
>Over 100,000 marine animals
and 1 million seabirds die every year from ingesting plastic.
(Facts provided by https://greenfuture.io/lifestyle/plastic-bags)
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