Environmental issues have become so concerning that it caught the attention of societies all over the world. As we all know and aware, a lot of those issues comes from humans lifestyles that are actually hurting the mother earth. This drives people to start to commit to a lifestyle change that can make a difference.
One of the most concerning issues is ocean pollution as the innocent marine life is dying. In fact, the whole oceanic ecosystem is threatened, paying the price of various human wastes. Oil spills, toxic wastes, floating plastic and various other factors have all contributed to the pollution of the ocean. Simply put, the ocean cannot continue to thrive as a dump site for people.
Before, it was assumed that because the ocean was so big, vast and deep, that the effects of dumping trash and litter into the sea would only have minimal consequences. But as we have seen, this has proven to not be the case.
As 70% of the earth is covered with water, people actually assumed that all pollutants would be diluted and get disappeared. But in reality, they have not disappeared and their effects can be easily seen as they have entered the food chain.
Here are some of the example…
Over one million seabirds are killed by ocean pollution each year. Three hundred thousand dolphins and porpoises die each year as a result of becoming entangled in discarded fishing nets, among other items. One hundred thousand sea mammals are killed in the ocean by pollution each year.
Even though much the trash and waste dumped into the ocean is released hundreds of miles away from land, it still washes up on beaches and coastal areas and affects everything in between. Every marine animal is affected by man-made chemicals released in the water.
The Danger of Ocean Pollution
Plastic and other junk that ends up in the ocean can wash up on beaches. This can be harmful to birds and other animals that live on the shore. Seagulls are one example. If plastic gets mixed in with the food that these birds eat, it can hurt their stomachs.
Humans can be affected by beach trash as well. Some plastic objects can have sharp or jagged edges. People who walk barefoot on the beach could cut themselves on trash hidden in the sand. Also, trash can carry germs that make people sick.
Plastic can be deadly for animals that live in the ocean. For example, turtles and seals think plastic bags floating in the ocean are jellyfish. The turtles and seals swallow the bags. That can cause the animals to choke, drown, or starve.
So, How Can We Help?
As discussed in the beginning, we can help the environment as simple as doing a lifestyle change. For example, we can stop purchasing single-use plastic water bottles and drink from reusable ones. We can use cloth grocery bags instead of paper bags or even worse plastic ones.
Surely, people can also do volunteer work to help to keep the ocean clean. This can be done by spending time picking up trash around beaches and rivers. Whether it’s done individually or by joining an organization. Another way of volunteering to the ocean is by donation to the organizations that focus their work on ocean causes.
However, whether we decided to do active volunteer work along with organizations or not… By committing to a simple act of lifestyle change, we are doing our part to better the environment and our oceans. Thus, in that sense, we are actually volunteering to oceans.
In the words of Tom McCann, Ocean Conservancy spokesman…
The problem of ocean trash is entirely preventable, and it’s something we can solve ourselves.