From the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean to the Bay of Bengal. It seems every corner of the globe is contaminated with plastic. Plastic pollution has already reached five oceans. The ocean is “digesting” unbearable plastic pollution. The United Nations estimates there are about 51 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans, 500 times the number of stars in the Milky Way. The worst part is that even if we stop producing plastic now, the problem of plastic will continue for a long time. On account of human behavior, rivers and oceans are already flooded with plastic waste.
The topic of plastic pollution has been taken seriously in the past few years. Many people and scientists have been trying to solve the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean. But over time, people’s attention to the sea has gradually decreased. Because most of us live so far from the sea, it’s hard to imagine how much damage plastic could eventually do to the sea, even if we use plastic bags or disposable products. The plastic waste that exists in our oceans has become a big problem. There has lots of research on how to solve the existing marine plastic debris. But what we need most is to stop dumping waste into the ocean and, more importantly, to reduce the use of plastics.
There have been many cases of marine animals being suffocated by plastic bags. Plastic products have led to stunted animal growth that could last a lifetime. Also, plastics are difficult to degrade naturally, even after decades of immersion in the ocean. A lot of the plastic in the sea has become micro-plastic. Micro-plastics are too small to be detected, and many animals die from ingesting large amounts of them. Plastic pollution may also prevent fish from absorbing enough nutrients, causing damage to their digestive systems. Eating micro-plastics and garbage also puts these Marine creatures at risk of chronic poisoning.
It’s not just marine animals and plants that are contaminated by plastic. Although human beings are at the top of the biological chain, if the natural chain at the bottom is affected, then the final result is self-evident. Let more people know the importance of protecting the marine environment, reminding them to reduce the use of plastic products can truly protect our environment.
Hi Tangyu! I love the theme of your blog because it’s the same as my ESSAY 2 theme. I’ve been paying attention to plastic since ESSAY 2, especially after watching the documentary A Plastic Ocean, and I once vowed never to use plastic. However, I find it hard to avoid using them. For example, I am currently in centralized segregation in a hotel in China, and I have no way to leave my hotel room, and the staff serves me meals every day, which are served in disposable plastic products. There was no way for me to request to separate recyclable cutlery set for my meals, and doing so certainly increased their workload. So the method of no longer using plastic sounds simple, but it’s difficult to implement. I think the focus can be shifted to solving these plastic problems with technology.
The blog addresses the issue of plastic waste in the oceans. But what does this issue have to do with you? Be specific when you mention “there has been lots of research on how to solve the existing marine debris”? What kind of research (lab tests, number of deaths)? Bring in sources to better establish ethos. Further explain why humans should care that “marine animals and plants are contaminated by plastic.”
This blog help me remember the issue of plastic waste in the ocean again. Several years before, I’m trying to use less plastic bags. However, over years later, I actually forget what I should do. I could always see there are cloth bags in the supermarket but there are few people to use it. I will try to use less plastic bags in the future and try my best to use less.
Hey Tangyu!
Your topic on plastic pollution in the ocean environment sort of connects to my topic about SeaWorld releasing their sea creatures into the wild. I definitely agree that the ocean pollution is a very serious issue along with rising sea levels. It is not just affecting many animals and plants but it can also affect many people who rely on fishing as it’s source of food. First after we plant trees, we should clean up the ocean, luckily there are many specific methods that scientists had developed for situation and are currently in a work in progress.
I really enjoyed reading this post! You jump right into what you’re saying and I thought it was very useful when you compared how many plastic particles are in the ocean to the stars in the Milky Way. I think this really puts the numbers in perspective. It was also very helpful that you defined microplastics because that word is very common when talking about plastic pollution, but a lot of people don’t know what it really is.