Plastic Bottles Outnumber Fish In The Ocean

In the National Geographic article “Eight Million Tons of Plastic Dumped in Ocean Every Year”, author Laura Parker expresses how violent the simple act of dumping trash into the ocean really turns out to be. This article goes into depth telling exactly what plastics pollution is causing, where it’s mostly coming from, and what you can do to decrease this problem and help save both our planet and ocean wildlife.

Over the few years, humans have discarded millions of tons of garbage into the oceans. Ever wonder where the cup you threw out this morning will end up? Or the plastic spoon you used for lunch? How about the cap of a water bottle? The calamitous plastic ends up in the water, taking thousands of years to decompose. The consumption of plastic by the marine life is perilous and the leading cause of death for life on shore.

From the polar regions to the equator, these microplastics are everywhere (Avio, 2017). While we know there are tons of plastic in the ocean, it is difficult for researchers to give an exact amount. However, after twenty-four expeditions, a team of researchers in 2014 estimated that there are at least 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing 268,940 tons floating in the ocean (Eriksen, 2014). They estimate that the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans contain 55.6% of the particles found in the oceans (Eriksen, 2014). These researchers have helped give emphasis and proof as to why the worlds plastic consumption needs to be dealt with, either by banning non-biodegradable plastic all together, or by providing people all around the world with an easier way to recycle plastic.

One of the issues that is currently harming the ocean is the presence of pollution. Studies have shown that over the past thirty years, people have increased their use of plastics and synthetic materials and recently it has become even more abundant (Laist). The amount of plastic debris that has entered the ocean is partially due to people 's inability to properly dispose of plastic and waste. This has immeasurable effects on the physical ecosystem, as well as the creatures who inhabit it. While plastic is very buoyant, it takes a very long time to degrade, and it is usually eaten by

Due to humans’ excessive use of plastic and our inability to properly dispose of our waste, our ocean is unfortunately facing the consequences. This increasing problem is due to the fact that as plastic breaks down, it truly doesn’t completely decompose, instead it turns into microscopic pieces of plastic known as “microplastics”. These tiny pieces of plastic cover every inch of our ocean and there is nowhere on earth they cant be found. In addition research has shown that these microplastics act as sponge for chemicals existing in our ocean and when marine life inevitable consumes these toxic pieces of plastic it bioaccumulates through the food chain until eventually reaching humans. Overall, because our plastic pollution is increasing

Many of us think that there is a simple solution to ocean pollution, that solution being recycling. We don’t think that recycling is difficult, or would take much effort, so we often overlook it. Unfortunately, it takes more work than we think, and out of the 33.6 million tons of plastic we discard each year, less than 8% is actually recycled (“What Happens To All That Plastic?” Cho, Renee, http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu). That means that we throw about 30 million tons of plastic into the ocean and landfills every single year, and that number is bound to increase, as it is such a huge part of our daily lives. In our world, we are practically surrounded by plastic, when you think about it. Every day, many of us use grocery bags, bottles, straws, containers, toys, and that list has continued to grow. When we use plastic products, we aren’t thinking about the long term problem of what happens to it, or where it ends up; and that just goes to show how much plastic has really taken over our lives. A large quantity of the plastic that we use we only use once and then throw away, leading to a surplus of trash in the oceans. All of that trash causes huge problems for

Recycling and going green has been at the forefront of everyone's mind for the last 10 years. It has become a major concern to able to preserve the planet and reverse some of the damage that society has been inflicting over the last two hundred years. Everyone's concerned with emissions and electric cars but the world is in fact over two-thirds water. So naturally what society should be concerned about should be the oceans in the pollution and negative human impact that people have placed on them. Part of the problem as an initial estimate of the amount of plastic is not accurate. Not to mention incredible environmental and ecological effects the plastic has on marine life. Ocean plastic has reached a critical level where human intervention needs to take place.

Plastic has become a staple, and the use of plastic products is abundant in everyday life even if it is not apparent. The production and use of plastics has increased dramatically over the last sixty years, and a vast majority of plastic being produced is not recovered after it is used. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that it is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that just takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. The overflow of plastic eventually makes its way into the ocean and is affecting marine life at an alarming rate. Plastic debris pollutes oceans all over the world as it breaks down into smaller pieces and are ingested by a large range of species. Animals exposed eat the plastic products and it causes health problems throughout the marine ecosystem. Some humans rely on these animals for food without knowing that they have been exposed to toxic products. The smallest organisms or exposure to chemicals can wreak havoc on the human body causing serious illness. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that plastic is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. Plastics contain chemicals that can interfere with the bodies natural functions and can cause adverse health issues if left untreated. Plastic pollution is rampant all over the globe exposing everyone

Plastic debris and litter is a serious pollution that is currently affecting oceans, waterways and coastal lines. Plastic is a man made tangible substance made from a range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, and nylon. This material is high on demand with the human kind but takes an average of 450 years to disintegrate. This product is impacting the marine environment, wildlife, and then eventually circling back to humans. Currently, the world’s biggest plastic patch is located north in the Pacific Ocean, trapped in what’s called a gyre (known as an ocean rip). There are also another two plastic islands located in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. These three plastic patches contain a higher amount of plastic but to today's count, in total there are 5 forward. Sea Education Society scientists studied plastics in the Atlantic and calculated there are 580,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometer. Causes of plastic are endless, but trash is the main contributor. Plastic is located in almost every item around, and once it's in the trash, all the garbage gets dumped in land fills and seeps into the ground and soil affecting wildlife. Plastic is cheap and substantially available, so over production of plastic is high. The cause of plastic filling up land and oceans is a couple of reasons. People normally have a one-time use for plastic then throw it away but after that, the plastic is hard to eradicate. Burning plastic leads

Pollution is tearing the world apart weather it is the carbon dioxide that is pumped into the atmosphere by cars and other machinery, or deforestation and depletion of natural resources but a secret killer is on the loose. Scientists say that there is more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the oceans and that number is rising rapidly. Charles Moore’s idea of a cleaner ocean is to stop plastic dumping, The Ocean Cleanup and Richard Grant deepen his idea worth spreading by providing facts about plastic and its harmful effects on marine life.

“Plastic garbage, which decomposes very slowly, is often mistaken for food by marine animals. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, and turtles” (World Wide Fund For Nature, 2017). Sea animals think that the floating plastic is food and they go to eat it, choke on it or get strangled by it. Since plastic is non-biodegradable it gets stuck in the animal’s throat and they choke on it or they swallow it and it messes with their stomachs. “Plastic kills fish, birds, marine mammals and sea turtles, destroys habitats and even affects animals’ mating rituals, which can have devastating consequences and can wipe out entire species” (Lonne, 2016). When fish, birds, marine mammals and sea turtles start to become extinct the life cycle of half of the marine life start to get out of control. Marine life does suffer but our beaches and oceans also become hazardous making them unable to use. “When you consider that this plastic does not biodegrade and remains in our ecosystem permanently, we are looking at an incredibly high volume of accumulated plastic trash that has been built up since mid-20th century” (Watson, 2006). Once, a plastic bottle is thrown into the ocean it stays in there forever until someone pulls it out or bigger animals swallow it.

Plastic bottle waste effects on animals Have you ever even thought twice before throwing your plastic bottle, which to you, looks like nothing more than 6 inches of a water container. Just a piece of plastic that is taking up a little room in your house, or vehicle. A piece of plastic that could do YOU no harm, right? Well that may, or may not be the case, and it may not hurt you. Although think about the effects that it may have on the already depleting sea life. Well if you haven’t had the audacity to look up the affects yourself , I’ll do it for you. So first off let me hit you with a shocking, but true, nonetheless. Nearly 100,000 sea mammals are killed per year just due to plastic. Now let that sink in, that's, JUST mammals. Just imagine

We 're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutants absorbed, transported, and consumed by fish and other marine life, including the potential effects on human health.

Plastic in the world’s oceans has reached an unfathomable, and frankly disturbing level. It is speculated that there are at least 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing a combined 268,940 tons currently floating in the world’s oceans (“Plastic Pollution in the World 's Oceans” par. 17). What’s more, of the quarter million tons of plastic in the ocean, anywhere from 7,000 to 35,000 tons is

Plastics harm animals and consequence the death of them. Thousands of wild animals and sea animals are dying because of the plastic pollutant. In addition, once the animals swallow the plastic, it will not pass by the animals’ gut so it stucks, and that leads to a slow and excruciating death. Moreover, as plastics need more than lifetime to decompose, after the animal dies and decays, the plastic will be freed back again to the environment to keep killing other animals (Ark, n.d.). In the marine environment, plastic bags are the most frequently mistaken