The Importance Of Plastics?

2030 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of oceans

Plastic bags are a life changing invention. Not because of all the monumental tasks they perform for humans, like carrying cereal boxes for 10 minutes, but how they are literally killing everything. Designed in the 1960s, plastic bags had the single purpose of carrying goods back home. Like any other initial idea, they seemed foolproof; how could it not? They are cheap, convenient, and multifunctional; a perfect solution for one’s trivial problems. What many do not consider is the damages these plastic bags have and will cause. The ocean’s safety has always been a priority of many environmentalist, as it should be, and the banning of plastic bags is just one simple way that will help substantially.
To put simply, plastic is composed of alike …show more content…

When marine populations drop, it will cause a chain reaction to the economy and every living things’ health. With 71% of the world’s surface being covered with water, it plays a big role in the future. The oceans regulate global climate and weather, absorbing almost ⅓ of anthropogenic CO2 emissions (WWF 42). Without water, the sun's rays would scorch the equators and all plant life would eventually die out. Oceans also produce half the oxygen mammals breathe; all organisms need the oceans in their prime condition. Plastic bags have devastated much of the planet, specifically to oceans, which will soon lead to other catastrophes. Explicitly the effect on the economy, seeing as “80% of all tourism is based near the sea” (WWF 25) and “the ocean generates economic benefits worth at least US$2.5 trillion per year” (WWF 72). But when beaches are filled with trash and runaway plastic bags, tourism drops, decreasing the city’s revenue, money for potential clean up, thus creating an endless cycle. Furthermore, “nearly 3 billion people rely on marine and freshwater fish as a major source of animal protein” (WWF 42). The relationship between plastic bag litter in the ocean and the amount of expendable marine life parallels each other. Likewise, between 10-12% of the human populations depends on fishing and aquaculture as a livelihood (WWF 42). When the existence of something brings both food and also employment to so many, the proposition to help should be a straightforward answer; something as insignificant as a plastic bag should not be more important than the survival of all living

Show More
Related

  • Persuasive Essay On Plastics

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &

    Read More

  • The Origins of a Newly Formed Toxic Algae in the Ocean

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    This problem may seem prevalent and it is very important to know about. It affects marine life in many ways, but humans are also greatly affected.by this problem. People don’t realize what this problem does to them. However the human race can always work and solve this issue. People shouldn’t dump trash in the ocean or any water source. Trash can destroy coral reefs and other important ecosystems and ruin marine life. Most important sewage plants shouldn’t dump raw sewage into the ocean because it provides nutrients to harmful algae. Governments around the world should put more restrictions on sewage and the disposal of it. But if the solution wants to be solved people must work together.

    Read More

  • Plastic Bags Dbq

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to a study conducted by the University of British Columbia, approximately “93 percent of beach fulmars (migratory seabirds related to the albatross) had bellies full of plastic, with one even having upwards of “454 pieces of plastic in its stomach” alone. (Source B) Similarly, in a 2011 International Coastal Clean-up, there were 964244 plastic bags found in the ocean, each having the potential to kill wildlife (Source C). A major reason as to why plastic bags are so hazardous to animal health is the fact that they have no biodegradable capabilities, meaning that instead breaking down into organic materials, plastic takes 500 to 1000 years to simply photodegrade, fragmenting into smaller pieces but not presenting any less danger (Source F). As these pieces become smaller, making it easier for any animal life, marine or not, to ingest it and suffocate as a result of the blockage. This is when the implementation of a tax on plastic bags could become extremely useful as a method of regulation and

    Read More

  • Ocean Persuasive Speech

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    Fifty-million plastic bags enter the Australian waters every year, causing the death of thousands of sea creatures. Imagine you went on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. As you arrive, it is clear to see garbage floating on the ocean and you can only imagine what rubbish lies beneath the surface. This disturbs me! What are we doing to our beautiful, yet innocent marine life?

    Read More

  • Plastic Pollution: A Threat to Oceans and Humanity

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human

    Read More

  • Water Pollution: Plastic in the Ocean

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Environment

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Human Impacts On The World's Ocean

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    1.1 INTRODUCTION Since humans have populated the planet throughout the centuries, it is evident to see that they are the most significant consumers of the natural resources in the world. In many cases, human impacts are unsustainable leading to consequences like threatening to the point of extinction of many species, habitats, ecosystems and environments. This includes the loss of all the environmental services and goods they could have potentially provided. An attempt at analysing the distribution of the combined human impacts on the world’s oceans concluded that overall the highest levels of impacts were at the coastal regions due to the relatively high human populations there.

    Read More

  • Plastic Pollution and its Consequences

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.

    Read More

  • Fishy situation

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Only thirty percent of the world is covered in land. The other seventy percent is composed of the ocean(Cain). Now ask yourself what would happen to life itself if that seventy percent had completely withered? When and if this happens what will happen to the cost of purchasing fish and other goods from the sea? They will rise steadily. Not only that the cost of transporting goods will also go up because of the impact on the ocean. Due to Intense commercial fishing there have been several negative effects on the ocean such as; bottom trawling , killing non-target species of fish, and destruction of habitats.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Plastic Bags

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and

    Read More

  • Plastic Bags

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in 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. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).

    Read More

  • Pollution Essay: The Plastic Epidemic

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are killing our planet. Humans have only been on this planet for about two hundred thousand years, and from the beginning we have been selfish beings, going through with actions that jeopardize our environment, destroying our only home, Earth. Since the dawn of mass production in the 1940's and 1950's, plastic products have become ubiquitous and an integral part of everyday life. Plastics of every kind have made our lives easier, and on the surface, better; plastic causes the price of goods to decrease, satisfying the consumer. However, plastic is not a sustainable material to build our goods from. The production of plastic should be decreased because the process of producing plastic and plastic pollution create several

    Read More

  • Final Essay

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Plastics?

Open Document