Environmental Issues • Oct. 27, 2022, 4:25 p.m.

Turning the tide on high-seas and ocean plastic pollution

Turning the tide on high-seas and ocean plastic pollution

Oceans and seas are great sources of water for a huge number of living organisms. They fulfill our basic necessity of water. They act as natural storage for rainfall.

Keywords: plastic, marine ecosystem, marine health, human health, plastic pollution

But what we do is make them stingy with various waste things. 

The main cause of pollution in the marine ecosystem is plastic. Plastic is a substance that is used for a variety of applications such as packaging, etc. Every year there are 300 million tons of plastic produced in oceans. From this 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean itself. Plastic debris makes up 80% of the ocean's total debris. The sources of  this plastic debris are:

  • Urban and stormwater runoff
  • Sewer overflows
  • Littering
  • Inadequate waste disposal and management
  • Industrial activities
  • Construction
  • Illegal dumping

The main sources of ocean-based plastic pollution include:

  • Fishing industry
  • Nautical activities
  • Aquaculture

Influencing by solar radiation, wind, currents, and various factors, plastic breaks downs into particles called microplastics(particles smaller than 5 nm) or nano plastics(particles smaller than 100nm). This reduction in size makes a way for marine life to digest it. This also results in a high mortality rate of marine life due to starvation.

Due to the lack of infrastructural facilities in many countries such as sanitary landfills, recycling capacity, and proper management and disposal of waste, they fail to prevent plastic pollution. The lack of these facilities leads to plastic leakage in water bodies.

                                

Plastic pollution adversely affects the marine environment ranging from health problems to climate change.

1. Impacts marine life:

Marine life such as whales, fishes, and seabirds mistakenly intake plastic. They suffer from lacerations, infections, reduced ability in swimming, and internal injuries.

2. Impacts on human health:

As marine life species consume plastic, it affects the food web. The transfer of this takes place through the consumption of seafood by humans.

3. Impacts on climate:

It acts as a contributor to climate change. Due to plastic, a lot of carbon dioxide and methane gas is emitted into the environment.

4. Impacts on the economy:

It reduces the aesthetic value of the water bodies thereby reducing the economy generated through tourism. It also increases the cost of cleaning and management.

                                         

For minimizing and saving our ecosystem, major steps should be taken. The foremost step is awareness. Every individual must be aware of the impacts of plastic pollution. Every individual must take care not to throw plastic waste near oceans and seas. Government and other organizations must increase funds for controlling this issue. Infrastructural facilities must be developed. 




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