“Water and air, the two essential fluids, on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans” Jacques Cousteau, a French naval officer, scientist, and researcher. I believe we can save the oceans and it’s inhabitants before we lose it. But why should we save the ocean? What’s in it for us? Because they are the world’s largest life support system. Oceans generate half of the oxygen we breath, the ‘living’ oceans absorb carbon dioxide. Finally, they reduce the impact of climate change. Since most of our oceans is polluted, we are lacking in most of these three astonishing things the ocean provides us. How should we save it? By reducing plastic use, being careful of what goes down the drain, and contributing to organizations that help conserve the ocean. “At this rate, by 2,100 more than half of the world’s marine species may stand on the brink of extinction” The Global Goals.
Likewise, we can reduce plastic use. 50-80% of marine debris is plastic. Plastic debris can kill sea life. There are many ways to stop using plastic so much; by recycling, using reusable plastic bags, stainless steel for ice cube trays, Tampico fiber or horsehair brushes instead of plastic hair brushes, and many more! These little baby steps can help save humanity.
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Anything going down the drain is directly sent to the open ocean. Which means we could have been swimming in anything. Cigarettes, coffee, coke. If there is less trash on the street, then the fewer garbage washed into the drain and in the sea. To avoid this deed, when you take a shower, avoid solid products that can easily go i. Research shows products containing microbeads should be avoided. These beads go down the drain and land in our oceans, lakes, or rivers. And when they do, the animals near/in the sea (birds, fish, and other marine animals) can mistake it for food and it may affect their digestive
The main source of ocean dumping is sewage sludge. The sewage pipes and storm drains often share space. Heavy rainfall can flood these pipes, causing the contents to mix and overflow. After that, waste can be carried along with storm water, into nearby water sources.
We, as humans, need to take action, be accountable for our oceans and prevent the waste we produce from entering our waters. On a daily basis, thoughtless men, women, and children are polluting our waters and killing our marine life.
The ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousand of different creatures, provides a great source of food, and provides the earth with about one half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution especially plastic, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically plastic, which is a material designed to last forever is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides either way it finds its way to the ocean.(Biomass Packaging Co., et al)
One of the most negative impacts that we have created in the ecosystem is the water pollution of plastic. Humans always go to the grocery store and come back with plastic bags of food. What do we do with those plastic bags? Reuse them for doggy bags, we use them as lunch bags, and also trash liners. Everyone just uses them for all sorts of reasons but when they dispose them, they never seem to think about where it might go. Well first of all them...
Protecting our oceans The year is 2078. We have barley made it. The air is foggy, people all over the world are struggling more than ever now. The ocean if filled with oils, plastic bags, and bottles are washing up to the shore.
Our oceans take a large beating every day by the extremely large amount of pollution humans produce. Our society easily dumps their waste into the oceans to dispose of the excessive amount of garbage, sewage, and chemicals, but this small and simple solution is creating an even bigger problem. The way humans dispose of their wastes is causing the death of our beloved marine life. Not only are we killing off our animals, our food source, and our resources, we are also minimizing our usable water. By having a better understanding of the problem on the severe dumping, it will be easier to find ways to help minimize the pollution that is going into the ocean.
Our oceans are the most productive and more than likely the most helpful environment on the planet today. Oceans not only supply our ozone with life supporting oxygen, control the earth’s weather patterns, it also is home to over a million different species ranging from mammals, invertebrates, to microscopic plankton. The ocean is a very diverse environment and it is very important to keep the ocean and all off its creatures alive and healthy. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is that what we do in our waters will directly effect the way we live.
Not only does a decline in the health of our oceans influence the marine and ecosystem and biodiversity, but the world’s climate, economies and human life. The ocean covers nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and encompasses 99 percent of the living space on our planet. It is home to millions of varied species and trillions of individual creatures—including the phytoplankton plants that produce about half the oxygen humans and other animals breathe. The vast waters of the ocean also absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide, which helps slow the pace of climate change. “The path we are on today is pushing ocean ecosystems to the edge of their viability” (Callum, 2014, p.28.)
While a beautiful sunset on the beach can be astounding, a spectacular scene is not the only benefit oceans provide. Without the oceans, we would not have adequate amounts of oxygen to breathe or enough protein to eat. The Earth's climate would not be inhabitable for human beings and many animals. The oceans supply medicines, food and drinking water which arise from ocean processes. Out of the five oceans, the Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest and deepest ocean. It spreads over an area of 165.2 million square kilometers. More than 25,000 islands float within the Pacific. Within the Pacific Ocean lies an unusual island, an island that is more than twice the size of Texas and is earth’s largest landfill, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (McLendon). Society is unaware that the excess use of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials has ended up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is the main source of ocean pollution. The solutions, ranging from manual clean-up to eliminating any further obliteration to the Garbage Patch, will reduce the amount of effluence the world has to endure.
The earth contains various natural resources. Oil, fossil fuels, iron, air, etc., all of these resources allow us to survive and prosper throughout our daily lives. In some cases when these resources are so readily available, problems arise. Humans become blinded by their own self-interests to the point where they completely ignore what is best for the environment. Currently, this is the issue surrounding the oceans.
Oceans are important to us because we benefit from them for three main reasons, which are: to gain resources such as seafood and fisheries; to provide energy, transport and services; and, for recreational and cultural uses. Also, more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere are produced by the ocean, and; nevertheless, most carbon was absorbed from it. Without proper protection, issues such as ocean acidification, overfishing, climate change and other issues can harm our ocean health. According to Sandifer and Sutton-Grier (2014), fisheries production are likely to be shown to decline with climate-change induced temperature stress.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals, and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution at every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution.
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.
Because water can float and be carried by the wind, it can cause harm to unsuspecting creatures hundreds of feet from where it was originally dumped. Such waste includes bags, bottles, cups, straws, cup lids, utensils, six pack holders, cling wrap, fishing line, bait bags, and floats. The second highest cause of water pollution is ship waste. Ships used to take much garbage with them on their ships and dump them. This was very common until the government took action.