Ocean is a magical place which brings us mental peace and happiness. The bluish water, beautiful coral reefs and the colourful marine creatures add a unique beauty to the planet earth. Just think about if this beauty would fade away because of a single addiction of humans. Experts predict that, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Is it fair to destroy an entire ecosystem just because of a single human obsession?
Main reasons: –
Improper waste management and littering are the major sources of plastic pollution. The single use plastics such as straws, bottles, bags, crisp packets, coffee cups and yoghurt cups accumulate in water because of throwing away after one use. These single-use plastics are very hard to recycle and they do not degrade or decay. Improper waste management allows plastic waste to leak from landfills and enter the waterways. These waterways are directed to the ocean and then the marine Eco-systems become polluted.
Also, floating garbage patches have occurred because of dumping garbage lots directly from the urban areas. According to the estimated results, the great pacific garbage patch has more than 80,000 tons of garbage floating on the ocean. In most cities, the sewage systems are directly turned into the rivers and ocean. Some people flush disposable wet wipes and cotton buds with the plastic stick through the toilets.
Therefore, a massive amount of plastics accumulate in the ocean through the sewage systems.
The fishing industry has become one of the major sources of marine plastic pollution. The abandoned nets, fishing hooks and other fishing equipment are mainly made of plastics and nylon. So, they won’t decay and easily pollute the ocean causing massive harm to marine life. The cloth industry and cosmetic industry add microplastics like micro-beads and microfibers through the waste water. Also, the tiny nurdles which are used to produce plastic based products get accumulated in the ocean causing severe problems. These things have created an irreversible threat to marine life.
Effects on marine biodiversity: –
You may have seen heartbreaking pictures of marine animals entangled in fishing nets and polythene covers. The wonderful marine animals like sea turtles, sea birds, whales, dolphins and sharks often get physically injured because of plastic waste. Animals get entangled in fishing nets and hooks, and their gills and wings get severely damaged. Especially when they try to escape, the sharp plastic pieces pierce their body parts causing severe pain.
The other severe disaster is that animals eat plastics mistaken for food. When plastic waste gets covered with algae, fish eat them as they smell like food. When the sea animals try to choke plastic pieces, their intestines get severely damaged and end up with a painful death. Also, by consuming plastics they get chronic, unrelenting hunger and suffer a lot. The first documented cases of seabirds ingesting plastic were 74 Laysan albatross chicks found on a Pacific atoll in 1966, when the plastic production was very lower than today. So, can you imagine today’s situation?
Also, some animals consume microplastics mistaken for phytoplanktons. Planktons are the major producer of the food chains in marine ecosystems. Therefore, when a fish consumes it, microplastics will also get accumulated in other consumers of the food chain including humans. This has become a major threat to the habits of marine life.
The plastic waste floating on the sea surface blocks the sunlight. This has become a threat to the life of coral reefs as they need sunlight for their existence. Also, marine vegetation has become threatened for having not enough sunlight for photosynthesis. Therefore, a lot of marine creatures which live under the coral reefs and marine vegetation lose their habitats due to plastic pollution. This causes a lot of problems on the balance of marine ecosystems and their function.
The toxic chemicals which are used to produce plastics and the toxic chemicals contained in plastic containers accumulate in sea water. Those chemicals weaken the nervous system of marine animals and their body parts get paralysed. So, they lose their ability to locomote and prey catching. The life of a lot of valuable and conscientious marine species has become severely threatened because of plastic pollution.
Our contribution to prevent marine pollution: –
‘Leave No Trace’ You may have seen a banner with these words at many places. It gives us the message to enjoy the outdoors while minimizing the impacts on the environment. So we should have the responsibility to dispose of litter in the correct way. So, be responsible enough only to leave your footprint while you enjoy the beauty of the ocean.
It is important to handle plastic waste properly to minimize the effects. We can use the 3R method to handle plastic waste. The plastic waste can be collected separately and recycled to make other products. Many countries collect plastic waste to recycle them in a proper way. Some governments pay money for plastic waste to prevent throwing them away carelessly. Also, it is possible to decrease the amount of waste by reducing and reusing. Emphasizing the importance of using reusable water bottles and lunch boxes encourages an Eco-friendly lifestyle. Also, we can reduce plastic uses by replacing plastic products with environmentally friendly natural products.
Enhancing public awareness about marine pollution and the irreversible impacts, can also be helpful to reduce plastic pollution. Here are some public awareness programmes that can be organized to reduce the impact of plastic pollutants on marine life.
- Organizing beach cleaning campaigns to remove litter from the coastal areas.
- Introducing Eco-friendly methods to the fishing industry.
- Encouraging people to use and produce Eco-friendly products instead of using single
use plastics. - Encouraging to use less plastic packaging in supermarkets and grocery shops.
Creating new legislations and policy measures to reduce plastic waste is also helpful and is important to decrease the impacts on marine life. Many governments are paying their attention to banning single use plastics. Some governments have introduced ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ where manufacturers are accountable for the entire life cycle of the product. Also it is important to strict the legislations and policies about releasing waste water to the natural water sources from the factories and hotels.
By: Rtr. Muthuli Gamage
References:
- https://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2024/04/plastic-pollutions-impact-on-marine-life-a nd-our-role-in-conservation/
- https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/201 7/sep/25/david-attenborough-on-the-scour ge-of-the-oceans-i-remember-being-told-plastic-doesnt-decay-its-wonderful
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/plastic-planet-animals-wildlife-imp act-waste-pollution
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/201 9/apr/08/drinks-bottles-now-biggest-plasti c-menace-for-waterways-report
Image Credit:
- https://www.marinebiodiversity.ca/2024/10/the-devastating-impact-of-pollution-on-marine-life-how-you-can-help/
- https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/plastic-waste-quietly-gathers-ocean-unnoticed-by-marine-life_135009193.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=15&uuid=827eab19-df87-4db9-a477-86512ef44239
- https://www.vectorstock.com/royaltv-free-vectors/beach-clean-up-vectors
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