Ocean Plastic Pollution

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An area that I previously lived near was the Pacific Ocean, approximately two miles from Huntington Beach, California. I lived near this Southern California beach for twenty years and visited it frequently. I consider myself fortunate to have lived near a beach ecosystem with high biodiversity and perfect year-round weather. Plastic pollution is a huge problem on the beach and for our Earth, so its production needs to cease. Why would you want to drink from a bottle that was made from chemicals? According to our textbook, “Bisphenol A or BPA as it is more commonly known, is a synthetic chemical. Since the late 1940’s, it has been a staple ingredient in the linings of metal food cans and plastic products of every kind.” (Karr, et al, p. 44) To make matters worse, plastic accumulates in our oceans. “There are five garbage patches and the Pacific garbage patch is the biggest” (Great Pacific Garbage Patch 1:23-1:29) These patches are very large and affect the biodiversity of our ocean after marine life ingest tiny plastic pieces and become ill. Because plastics are fashioned using non-renewable resources, the more plastic a factory fabricates, the less non-renewable natural resource we will have left over for future generations. …show more content…

(Tough Truths About Plastic Pollution, 2:09-2:17) I agree, just imagine the entire ocean covered in plastic. I hope we never see that day. Sadly, the manufacturing of plastic also increases air pollution and assist in ozone depletion up in the stratosphere. According to Dr. Newman, “If there’s less ozone, more UV radiation gets to the Earth, if there’s more ozone, less UV radiation gets to the Earth. (NASA, Exploring Ozone, 00:12-00:17) Consequently, increased UV radiation equals more potential cases of skin cancer in

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