Ocean Pollution as a Major Problem

The Ocean is one of the major reasons why humans survive in this world. The Ocean provides us with water to drink and the fresh air we breathe. That’s why the issue of ocean pollution is important and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. We depend on the ocean for so much in our life. Ocean pollution is becoming a major problem. Trash is piling up in our oceans but the question is, where is the trash coming from.

According to the article “Ocean Pollution” by Maclnnes David F., Jr., Kahler Karen N, “Land-based sources account for approximately 80 percent of the pollutants that enter the marine environment.” All the trash comes from land. People seem to think that since the ocean is so large and vast, we can dump as much waste as we’d like into it, and it will never have an effect on us. According to “Ocean Pollution”, “Ocean pollution includes trash, chemicals, and sewage introduced into the ocean by human activity.” We as humans need to stop littering and throw our trash away in order to reduce the amount of wastes going into the ocean. According to John H. Tibbetts, the author of the article, “Managing Marine Plastic Pollution says”, “by one estimate, the volume of plastic debris going into the world’s ocean could more than double by 2025.”

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One of the major problems of ocean pollution is chemical pollution. Chemical pollution can also result from air pollution. For example, automobiles and coal-burning power plants release harmful particles into the atmosphere. These particles can eventually settle in the water carrying with them chemicals such as mercury. Mercury can accumulate in tiny plankton, which are eaten by fish, which may come down to be eaten by humans. According to another Ocean Pollution article, “Chemical pollution can come from a single large event, such as an oil spill, but it also comes from many small sources, such as oil leaked by automobiles and carried by rain and waterways to the ocean. Only a small portion of oil in the ocean comes from major spills.” Chemical pollution can affect human health, but the greatest potential for large-scale effects on human health from chemical pollution is connected to consumption of contaminated seafood.

Another pollution in the ocean is sewage. Human sewage largely consists of waste from toilet-flushing; wastewater from bathing, laundry, and dishwashing; and animal and vegetable matter from food preparation that is disposed through an in-sink garbage disposal. According to an article, “Ocean Pollution since 1945”, “Sewage is another important kind of ocean pollution because it carries disease-causing microbes. When it rains, sewage is often discharged into harbors and beaches. Towns may monitor bacteria levels in the water to alert beachgoers when the water is polluted with sewage.” Most sewage finds its way into the ocean as either poorly treated or untreated discharge, or as stormwater runoff. Sewage is teaming with viruses and bacteria, and fecal contamination is a major cause of illness around the world.

With all the information provided, the question the effect it has on living species. Waste disposal, like sewage, has been recognized as a potential threat to the

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environmental quality of waters. Because of these dirty waters, the living resources in the water are deeply affected. The oils in the waters are less dense than the ocean, so for the most part, they harm birds that fly across hunting for fish. Everyday, marine animals are getting caught in some at least some kind of plastic or net. Most think that only fish are affected from getting caught in these but not alot know that they also kill birds, turtles, dolphins and others mammals swimming in the sea. The marine creatures are being harmfully affected by this pollution. This pollution also affects humans. It is perhaps a cycle because humans are the reason for this pollution. The humans make the decision to harm the marine waters, thus harming the animal life, and therefore harming themselves.

At the end of the day, ocean pollution is harming both us human beings and killing marine animals in the sea. Ocean pollution is a huge problem that we need to solve, In the near future, I plan to build an organization where groups of clean up crews clean up the beach every weekend. I also plan on making a project where trash will be collected right before it even touches the water. According to “Yes, No, Maybe So by Birdman,” says “The path toward major ethical lapses begins with minor transgressions and continues as a series of reasonable choices.” I plan on starting by building my team as soon as possible in order to solve this problem but for right now, I suggest everybody to pick up after their own trash or maybe pick up any trash you see in the streets.

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