Eighty percent of marine pollution comes from land. Every day, eight million tons of trash are dumped into the ocean.
These numbers have a significant impact and have terrible effects on marine biodiversity.
There’s more, though. Look at the top 10 ocean-related issues:
- Plastics
Numerous marine animals are dying every day in the ocean, which is turning into a plastic soup.
These billions of pieces of plastic will eventually make their way into our stomachs.
Between 700,000 square kilometers (270,000 square miles) and 15,000,000 square kilometers (5,800,000 square miles), the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has a size of
- Trashes
Trash dumped into interior waterways, such as rivers and streams, or onto beaches eventually finds its way to the ocean.
The situation is more dire when it comes to non-biodegradable garbage, such as plastics, which break down into smaller particles known as microplastics and are mistaken for food by many marine creatures.
The microplastics included in cleaning supplies for homes and businesses, together with sanitary products, will ultimately wind up in the same spot.
In some oceanic regions, garbage islands have already become a reality.
3． Drilling for oil and marine engineering
All of the changes that are made to the maritime environment as a result of construction, deep-hole drilling, and various other human-related activities lead to significant disruptions, radical habitat changes, and the generation of pollutants.
Each of these items puts marine life in jeopardy and exacerbates environmental deterioration.
4. Acidification of the Ocean and Coral Bleaching
Climate change has a major impact on the waters. For example, the sea’s pH is impacted by the increased atmospheric CO2 levels.
This situation is especially evident in tropical regions where the very sensitive and biologically rich coral reef habitats are undergoing irreversible changes (Editor at SurferToday.com, 2019).
Global warming and climate change
More than two degrees Fahrenheit, or just over one degree Celsius, have been added to the annual average world temperature since the Industrial Revolution. Up until 1980, the temperature grew by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) on average every ten years since precise recordkeeping started in 1880. Since 1981, there has been an annual increase in the global temperature of 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, every ten years, which is more than twice the growth rate.
What was the result? A planet is scorching hot beyond belief. Nine of the ten hottest years on record have occurred since 2005, leaving the planet unusually heated. Nine of the ten hottest years on record since 1880 have happened after 2005, and the last five warmest years have all happened since 2015. Deniers of climate change claim that the rate of increase in global temperatures has “paused” or “slowed.” However, a number of studies—including one that was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters in 2018—have refuted this assertion. People all throughout the world are already experiencing the effects of global warming.
Climate experts tell us that in order to prevent a future in which devastating droughts, wildfires, tropical storms, floods, and other disasters that we might collectively refer to as “climate changeoccur,” we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040. Everyone is affected by these consequences to some extent, but people of color, the impoverished, and those in economic disadvantage experience them more keenly because they are frequently the ones most affected by social unrest, hunger, eviction, and poverty.
Why does the world get warmer?
As solar radiation and sunlight gather in the atmosphere, they are absorbed by carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants that were previously reflected off the planet’s surface. Normally, radiation from space would cause the earth to warm, but these pollutants trap heat in the atmosphere, where they can linger for years or even decades. The greenhouse effect is caused by heat-trapping pollutants, which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic fluorinated compounds, also known as “greenhouse gases.”
While natural cycles and fluctuations have caused the earth’s climate to fluctuate over the past 800,000 years, human activity alone is responsible for the current era of global warming, specifically the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gasoline, oil, and natural gas, which creates the greenhouse effect. In the US, transportation contributes 29% of greenhouse gas emissions, with electricity generation and industrial activity coming in second and third, respectively, at 28% and 22%. Find out about the natural and man-made factors contributing to climate change.
To stop hazardous climate change, emissions must be drastically reduced, and fossil fuel alternatives must be used globally. The good news is that nations all around the world have publicly committed to reducing their emissions by setting new criteria and creating new policies to achieve or even surpass those targets as part of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The bad news is that we’re not progressing at a fast enough pace. According to experts, in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we must reduce global carbon emissions by as much as 40% by 2030. The international community must move quickly and aggressively to make that happen. We must decarbonize electricity generation by fairly switching from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, electrify our automobiles and trucks, and improve the energy efficiency of our enterprises, houses, and appliances.
Relationship between abnormal weather and global warming
Scientists agree that the earth’s warming climate is causing longer and hotter heat waves, more frequent and intense droughts, heavier rains, and stronger hurricanes.
For example, in 2015, scientists found that 15 to 20% more water is now scarce in California due to a prolonged drought than there has been in 1,200 years. This is due to global warming. They also mentioned that the chance of similar-sized droughts occurring in the future had nearly doubled over the last century. A 2016 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report states that there is now no doubt that climate change is a contributing factor in some extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and heavy rains.
Heavy rainfall, wildfires, and droughts are signs that change is occurring faster than experts had predicted. In fact, the climate changes that our planet has already experienced are unprecedented in recorded history, and some of these changes will not be reversible over the course of the next hundreds to thousands of years, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is tasked with assessing the science behind climate change.
The severity of the effects of climate change will depend on the course that human activity takes in the future. Significant negative consequences on our planet and an increase in climatic extremes are the results of increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, these long-term effects will depend on how much carbon dioxide we release. Thus, if we can reduce emissions, we might be able to prevent some of the worst effects (MacMillan and Turrentine, 2021).
The Issue of Ocean Plastic Pollution
Due to increased plastic manufacturing, low recycling rates, and poor waste management, between 4 and 12 million metric tons of plastic—enough to cover the whole planet’s shoreline—enter the ocean annually! And it’s anticipated that the amount will treble over the next 20 years. Give that some thought for a moment.
Plastic pollution in the water affects a wide range of other marine animals, such as fish, whales, dolphins, seabirds, coral reefs, and sea turtles. Indeed, researchers believe that almost all seabirds and nearly all marine turtles worldwide have eaten plastic at some point in their lives. Plastic pollution ruins otherwise beautiful beaches, coastlines, and snorkeling and diving spots around the world, even in remote places like Midway Atoll.
Plastic pollution is a concern since it will always be around because, as the saying goes, “plastics are forever.” Instead, plastic waste just degrades into ever-tinier particles known as microplastics, whose effects on the ecosystem are yet unknown.
Reduce the amount of disposable plastic you use.
The easiest and quickest way to start, no matter where you live, is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic you personally use. Plastic bags, straws, glasses, water bottles, cutlery, dry cleaning bags, take-out containers, and other products that are used just once before being thrown away are examples of single-use plastics.
Avoiding single-use plastics (straws, bags, utensils, and takeaway containers) and purchasing and carrying reusable alternatives—such as produce bags, supermarket bags, bottles, coffee cups, utensils, and dry-cleaning garment bags—are the best ways to accomplish this. Furthermore, by informing companies that you will no longer be using their single-use plastic products, you may persuade them to offer alternatives.
Recycle plastic correctly.
It should go without saying that whenever you utilize single-use (or other) plastics that can be recycled, do so. Globally, just 9% of plastic is presently recycled. Recycling keeps plastic out of the ocean and lowers the quantity of “new” plastic in circulation. If you would like assistance in finding a facility that recycles plastic garbage nearby, check out Earth911’s recycling directory. It’s a good idea to find out what sorts of plastic your local recycling facility accepts by contacting them.
Take part in a beach or river cleanup.
If you want to help remove plastics from the ocean and stop them from getting there in the first place, plan or take part in a beach or waterway cleanup. One of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean is to do this. Alternatively, you can just visit the beach or waterway by yourself, with friends, or with family, and participate in a local organization’s cleanup or an international event like our Global Ocean Cleanup or the International Coastal Cleanup.
Microbead-containing products should be avoided.
The number of small plastic particles known as “microbeads” contributing to ocean plastic pollution has increased in recent years. Numerous toothpaste varieties, body washes, and face scrubs include microbeads, which are easily carried into our streams and oceans by sewage systems and impact hundreds of marine species. Check the ingredient lists of your cosmetics for the terms “polyethylene” and “polypropylene” to steer clear of those that contain plastic microbeads.
Spread the news about plastic pollution.
Keep up-to-date on plastic pollution concerns and help raise awareness of the issue. Set up a screening party for one of the many films about plastic pollution, such as A Plastic Ocean, Garbage Island: An Ocean Full of Plastic, Bag It, Addicted to Plastic, Plasticized, or Garbage Island, and let your friends and family know how they can help.
Help organizations fight plastic pollution.
Numerous non-profit organizations are working to reduce and eventually eradicate plastic trash in the ocean. These organizations include the Oceanic Society, the Plastic Trash Coalition, 5 Gyres, Algalita, the Plastic Soup Foundation, and others. For these groups to continue doing vital work, donations from individuals like you are necessary. Small donations could make a huge difference!
The increasing issue of plastic pollution in the oceans has many potential remedies, of which these seven represent only a small sampling. Every one of us needs to do something, no matter how tiny. Join our Blue Habits community of people who are dedicated to doing happy things every day to help ocean health for additional details and resources (Hutchinson, 2022).
Reference list
Editor at SurferToday.com (2019). The top 10 ocean issues. [online] Surfertoday. Available at: https://www.surfertoday.com/environment/the-top-10-ocean-issues [Accessed 12 October 2023].
MacMillan, A. and Turrentine, J. (2021). Global Warming 101. [online] NRDC. Available at: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101#warming [Accessed 29 September 2023].
Hutchinson, B. (2021). 7 Ways to Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today. [online] Oceanic Society. Available at: https://www.oceanicsociety.org/resources/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today [Accessed 13 October 2023].
