Royal Caribbean: Exotic Promises and Toxic Waters

Throughout many decades there has been a huge environmental problem, not only putting marine life at risk but also human health. Ocean pollution is a big threat to the habitat and still today we haven’t stopped throwing trash, chemicals or toxins into the oceans. During the 1940’s, a technical service of the Army dumped a lot of chemical warfare into the sea, believing the type of gas will dissolve in the water becoming harmless in minutes. At that time, fishermen were able to catch a lot of fish, it wasn’t until they were out of luck and all they could see were dead fish floating on the surface. Many people think that oil spills and trash are the only types of ocean pollution, but they’re also forgetting about chemical, bacterial and thermal pollution. Polluted seas can be the cause of many diseases or infections, especially if people don’t take big measures like telling their kids not to “accidentally” drink water from rivers or lakes when swimming. Marine animals are a big part of our food chain if they carry diseases or toxins we’re also in big danger. Today, there have been many people who have been trying to stop others from polluting the oceans, but they still haven’t been able to convince the whole world to end ocean pollution. The government, instead of wasting money on unnecessary things like building walls or building more towers and creating more trash they should build trash contractors that will help with the trash floating around in the seas. There are

Our oceans are vast and they are some of the most mysterious and diverse places on earth. They provide food and shelter for countless organisms, they also provide a key factor to life; water. Unfortunately, pollution is dangering Marine life and slowly destroying the oceanic ecosystem. We have always had this notion that because of the sheer size of the ocean, that dumping our trash and other toxins into the sea would have no major consequences. As we have seen, that is entirely inaccurate. Oil spills, floating trash, toxic spills are just some of the various factors that contribute to the pollution of the oceans (Heimbuch, 2009).

Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This leads to a marked depletion of oxygen

Economic activity and our environment have been closely linked since man first discovered the concept of trade. In the language of economics, the environment has itself, become an increasingly “scarce resource1”. Since economics is about managing these scarce resources, it will be a useful tool when considering some of the environmental issues facing our planet. One of the major concerns confronting the environment today is the overfishing of the world’s oceans, depleting some species to near extinction. With continued advances in technological and industrial proficiency, fishing vessels are able to fish across the globe, further exacerbating the effects of overfishing. Because the oceans are considered a shared or common

“Why should the leaders of chemical businesses be held responsible for polluting the marine environment with a few grams of effluent, which is sublethal to marine species, while celebrity chefs are turning out endangered fish at several dozen tables a night without enduring a syllable of criticism” (Charles Clover, 2004).

The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.

In the essay “ The Harmful Effects of Ocean Pollution” by Clair Christofersen they state, “ Records show that 850 million meters cubed of liquid and solid wastes have been dumped into the ocean in the past 85 years. Not only does our population toss these solid wastes into

Marine pollution is not a new phenomenon, but our acknowledgement of its impacts and severity is relatively new, with the first laws and discussions to counter it only appearing in the 1950’s. For much of history, it was thought that the oceans were so large that any pollution created would be negligible and easily diluted (Marine Pollution). Since, countless research and laws have been implemented in order to preserve our marine ecosystems because of how crucial these ecosystems are to humanity.

Back in the 1800s most waste that ships carried were dumped in our oceans without much thought. The difference from then to now is that the dump 200 years ago was biodegradable dump now about 14.4 million tons of our waste is plastic which is not always biodegradable according to the EPA and that number is rapidly increasing every year. Our oceans are massively being affected and so are we in ways unimaginable like the fact that our fish are ingesting chemicals that is in the plastics in the sea and we are being fed these toxic chemicals. Maybe if citizens have a better understanding of what is going on in our oceans they’ll decide to do something about it.

Under the Sea Dumping Act, the Commonwealth aims to minimise pollution threats by prohibiting ocean disposal of waste considered too harmful to be released in the marine environment and regulating permitted waste disposal to ensure environmental impacts are minimised. Permits are required for all sea dumping operations and are most commonly issued for dredging operations and the creation of artificial reefs applying to all vessels, aircraft and platforms in Australian waters. Under the Australian Government Department of Environment (2015), the Sea Dumping Act has a relationship with Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), as the act attends to all forms such as coal seam gas, mining and sea dumping. When an operation that requires the handling of goods that can potentially impact the environment, such as exporting fuel or plants and animals, the permit must be approved by the EPBC Act as well as the Sea Dumping Act. Many stakeholders believe that the changes need to be made to ensure minimal impact to the environment occurs. A recent example of pollution to Australian waters, is the investigation by the Gladstone Ports Corporation (GQC) of an alleged oil spill in Gladstone harbour which revealed the substance with the water to be coal fines. Coal fines are the small particles of coal material that are washed-off the coal during the preparation plant process. The GPC could not pin-point what caused coal fines to be in the water, but a spokeswoman for GPC said it was suspected the material had spilled out from one of the wharf's sample plants; Where the penalty for deliberately discharging oil or chemicals into Queensland waters is $550,000 for an individual and $11 million for a corporation (The Observer, 2013). The result of the spill has caused locally sourced fish to “have been found with sores, rashes, and infected eyes, some possibly blind” which has not only

Undoubtedly, the most egregious offender to the overall environmental health and stability of Benicia's waterways is the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, otherwise known as the “mothballed” fleet. This collection of decrepit, rusting vessels has been plaguing the beautiful waters of our Bay Area delta for more than sixty years. Ever since these ships were decommissioned at the end of World War II, they been left stagnant in our backyard, resulting in numerous environmental concerns. For example, various heavy metals such as lead and anti-fouling agents pollute our waters when paint peels off the ships' hulls, thus exposing the natural wildlife to dangerous compounds. Additionally, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and other hazardous substances have been released, which can cause rashes if eaten by humans and liver damage or even death if consumed by animals. Thankfully, recent efforts have been made to better maintain the fleet and protect our native species, and the entire reserve is scheduled to be sold or scrapped by February 2017.

Dating back hundreds and hundreds of years ago, the act of dumping into waters has been practiced without any thought into the possible damages this could inflict on the ecology of the marine life present. The dumping of garbage and sewage in these waters is detrimental to the species that inhabit it, it can destroy their habitat, and it can destroy themselves as organisms (Chenery AM. et al. 2005). Since these organisms are usually fully submerged in these waters, there is nothing protecting them from being surrounded by polluted waters that could potentially harm them. For the past couple of decades though, and in many areas of the world, people have begun to notice and understand these problems and have begun setting out laws and required permits to do anything remotely close to dumping in waters (Chenery AM. et al. 2005). However, this is only but a single step in a process working towards cleaning and keeping both oceans, and in-land bodies of water, including their organisms, safe from human waste.

For the last few decades hundreds of human activities have been severely impacting one of our most important ecosystems and the life it sustains. Ocean Pollution also known as Marine Pollution is defined as the spreading of deleterious substances such as human, industrial, and agricultural waste, oil, plastic, chemicals and much more. An article from the NOAA states “Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from the land.” Humans are responsible for the destructruction of the oceans, therefore it is our obligation within every citizen in playing there part to keep our oceans clean. Ocean Pollution doesn't only affect marine life, but us as well. An article from PlanetAid.org states “It provides over 70 percent of the oxygen

The oceans face many types of pollution every day, every second. The ocean is our greatest ecosystem and out most valuable resource. A common misconception is that the rainforests are the lungs of the planet however, the majority of our oxygen is made via the algae in the sea. The oceans feeds, hydrates, and provides us with oxygen; ironically enough, despite its monetary value to mankind, it is what is treated the worst. For ages we have been dumping our trash, chemicals, and waste into the oceans with no fear or regret, almost an “out of sight- out of mind” mentality. People once and still assume that the oceans are so vast that all of the pollution is diluted and would be dispersed through out, going unnoticed. However, dilution is a myth and an idea that renders ocean dumping to be less impactful. Even so much of the man made pollution is becoming even more concentrated and have entered our natural food chain. However vast the waters of the ocean are, they are not meant to house all of these external factors. There are many alternatives to marine pollution including recycling, finding alternative trash dump sites, cutting down on harmful chemicals for agriculture, and most importantly having the ability to recognize when a problem is developing and counter act, immediately.

Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This