Ocean Plastic Pollution
Hello everyone, Good Morning! Now, all of you probably know about the
widespread problem of pollution, but usually when we think of pollution we think of air
pollution. The foremost thing that comes to mind are big industries and factories with
smoke blowing out of them. A great deal of people forget to contract into consideration
ocean plastic pollution. It’s truly one of the greatest problems we are experiencing
today, and it touches on all facets of our lives.
There are many debatable causes of the issue, but the main two are identified as
mental and physical issues. The physical issue of the plastic pollution in the ocean is
that the United States, as an “advanced” and industrial nation, produces roughly 200
billion pounds of plastic every year. 10% of that goes into our oceans. The physical
problem is the sheer fact that companies and industries are producing mass amounts of
plastic.
The mental issue ties right in with the physical issue, as the North Carolina
Coastal Federation says that the “average American will throw away approximately 185
pounds of plastic per year,” meaning urban communities have a direct contribution.
Even the 2011 UCLA Journal of Environmental Law & Policy states that “80% of marine
debris is estimated to be from land-based sources. This includes storm water
discharges, combined sewer overflows, littering, solid waste disposal sites and landfills,
and industrial activities.”
The mental problem is that people in communities, like ourselves, have what is
called the disposability mindset. This mentality goes a long way. Nowadays, if
someone’s iPhone breaks, instead of trying to fix it, they just go to buy a new one. The
mindset can apply to values, ethics, and family members too--if someone doesn’t feel
emotionally connected to their spouse, they can just file for divorce and replace them
with someone new.
It’s this exact same mindset that is killing our oceans. When throwing away
disposable plastic products, we don’t think about where it’s going or what’s going to
happen to it; as long as it’s no longer our responsibility, we don’t care. But according to
Julia Layton, plastic never biodegrades, and photodegradation shatters it to “miniscule
bits of plastic, most of which are floating below the surface.”
The consequences are not just the cosmetics of the ocean; it’s the health of the
ocean, too. With all the chemicals and toxins released from the plastic and the unnatural
masses of it, the oceans have become unstable. Suzuki informs us that “ocean
