The Ocean Pollution Problem

"We might not have long to explore this remote and mysterious wilderness before industry leaves its mark" - The Deep by Alex Rogers

The Problem

The book "The Deep" by Alex Rogers left a memorable mark in my life. His lifelong research and exploration in the deep sea had impacted me to become dedicated to fighting human ocean destruction. At the rate we are polluting our oceans, we don't have long left until it becomes a soup of floating and sunken garbage.

I have visited a handful of beaches around the world of which I drew a common conclusion: they are all covered in litter. No matter how remote the beach I was visiting, plastic could be found like - straws, plastic bags and bottles etc. It was very disturbing and concerning to see cigarette butts carpeting our beaches. Why is it that seemingly every corner of the earth is "adorned" with the ornaments of our refuse?

Cigarette butts found along a 20 meter stretch of beach

I have researched and found out that roughly 80% of the plastic in the ocean come from landfills, improper disposal of wastes and simply wind blowing plastic closer to the sea. The above photograph shows the severity of the pollution problem. A cigarette butt can take up to "18 months to 10 years to dissolve" and it is one of the most common litters found on beaches as well as food wrappers.

A seemingly untouched stretch of sand where crab burrows were revealed post-cleanup

Who is at risk? Well, this garbage is ingested by marine animals who eventually end up on our plates. The ocean is the primary source of protein for almost 3.1 billion people on this planet. We DEPEND on the health of the oceans as it produces 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Without the perfect balance in the ecosystem, with a lack of diversity and the increasing depletion of marine life, we will severely suffer.

After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 (the largest oil spill in history), we killed innumerable amounts of animals and polluted a vast area of the ocean. This brings me to the point that the chemicals found in our waste (oil, plastic, biohazards waste) may eventually breakdown into toxic chemicals harming not only us but countless animals.

There are many industries exacerbating such pre standing problems. They employ illegal fishing methods, harvest rare metals found on hydrothermal vents, they build dangerous oil rigs etc. But I will focus on the fishing methods: bottom trawling, dynamite fishing, cyanide fishing are all harmful methods. These end up creating by-catch, deadly ghost fishing nets and toxic waste. All a byproduct of the powerful industrial companies exploiting the knowledge that scientists can't afford to research the impacts of their harmful activities .

The garbage dump that are the coasts of our planet

How do we possibly resolve this problem?

It's simple yet complex. By that I mean, it starts individually.

- refuse plastic bags, straws, cups etc.

- recycle plastic properly, dispose of your waste properly, do not litter

- educate others about the problem

- you can simply go clean up a beach yourself or join an organised cleanup

- donate to reliable organisations

- urge politicians, restaurants, businesses to implement sustainable packaging, cutlery etc.

Many more simple solutions can be done to combat our ocean pollution.

Why is it complex? There is simply too much irreversible damage done, microplastics (< 5mm) and other materials have blanketed our ocean floors. Some of which are simply too dangerous to retrieve or too inaccessible. Not all of our refuse will float.

This is rather heartbreaking knowing that the life threatening fragments of our negligence will never fully disappear.

Simply: educate, educate, educate. We can only do so much, prevention is always the best solution.

References/ Links:

Our ocean fisheries feed the world. (2017, June 28). ShareAmerica. https://share.america.gov/our-ocean-feeds-world/

VERIFY: How long do cigarette butts take to dissolve? (2018, February 5). wfmynews2.com. https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/good-morning-show/verify-how-long-do-cigarette-butts-take-to-dissolve/83-514838526