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How is plastic effecting the environment
Water Pollution: Plastic in the Ocean
Water Pollution: Plastic in the Ocean
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In recent years, it has become blatantly obvious that the Earth’s environmental deterioration is showing signs towards a cause of global concern. Drastic increases in water pollution, global warming, and deforestation, among other environmental issues have caused a sudden desire to raise awareness of and to resolve human-initiated problems. One of the more controversial topics involving human impact on environment is the excessive use of plastic, specifically in the form of plastic bags. Used for their convenience, durability, and inexpensive nature, plastic bag production and consumption has exploded, allowing them to become a seemingly necessary part of everyday life. Unfortunately, however, this abuse of plastic bags has brought a slew of environmental health …show more content…
According to a study conducted by the University of British Columbia, approximately “93 percent of beach fulmars (migratory seabirds related to the albatross) had bellies full of plastic, with one even having upwards of “454 pieces of plastic in its stomach” alone. (Source B) Similarly, in a 2011 International Coastal Clean-up, there were 964244 plastic bags found in the ocean, each having the potential to kill wildlife (Source C). A major reason as to why plastic bags are so hazardous to animal health is the fact that they have no biodegradable capabilities, meaning that instead breaking down into organic materials, plastic takes 500 to 1000 years to simply photodegrade, fragmenting into smaller pieces but not presenting any less danger (Source F). As these pieces become smaller, making it easier for any animal life, marine or not, to ingest it and suffocate as a result of the blockage. This is when the implementation of a tax on plastic bags could become extremely useful as a method of regulation and
Plastic bags are harmful to our environment specifically towards animals. Thousands and thousands or plastic bags are found in the ocean, Using source C we see that plastic bags ranks at number four for kinds of debris found by the Coastal Cleanup. We also see that there is a variety of plastic items also mixed into the list, such as, caps, plastic bottles, straws, and containers. This much plastic polluting our oceans causes birds causes birds to mistake it for food lying about, as we can see one of the repercussions of plastic bags in source F . In source B a University of British Columbia found that 93 percent of dead seabirds had bellies full of plastic and even one bird had 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach. Plastic isn't only just dangerous to seabird it's
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest garbage dump in the world. According to estimates made by experts, the patch holds approximately three and a half million tons of garbage. Majority of this garbage is made of plastic. This waste is a threatening problem to the patch’s surrounding wildlife. Many animals are caught in the floating pieces of trash and it is the cause of the deaths of about one million birds and about one hundred thousand other sea animals. Due to the oceans nature and constant moving currents, the trash is also constantly moving. Therefore the size of the patch never stays the exact same. However, scientists believe it be approximately two times the size of Texas. The plastic is mostly broken down from larger materials into small pieces. The patch has been referred to as one scientist as a, “plastic soup”. This garbage poses such a threat mainly because it does not biodegrade. These plastics will be in the ocean essentially forever. Many plastics also contain chemicals, and absorb other chemicals and pollutants they become exposed to. These newly absorbed toxins are then leaked and distributed back into the ocean over time. The chemicals can directly enter the bodies of the animals which consume them. A study was being conducted by scientists of the fish that inhabit the area around the patch. What the researchers found inside the belly of one fish (that was no larger in size than that of a finger), was eighty four small fragments of plastic. It does not take scientists to recognize the impact of this problem, Zach Gold, who is sixteen, is from Santa Monica California. Zach enjoys s...
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
Throughout the country one might find themselves seeing a plastic bag floating around or even stuck in a tree. This is a problem that most want to eliminate. A topic that Mangu-Ward writes about is the problem of plastic bags in marine life and other wildlife. For people the thought of animals dying angers them. These decisions that people are making currently are emotional decision as Mangu-Ward describes them. Many marine life animals have died from the cause of littering of the plastic bag. Mangu-Ward writes, “plastic bags make up 3.8 percent of beach litter”. Finding fish, turtles, and many more marine and wildlife animals with plastic bags either suck around their necks or in their throats is something that many do not like to see or hear. This evidence can also be supported when Mangu-Ward writes, “1 million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from eating or getting entangled in plastic”. Mangu-Ward is currently giving evidence that plastic bags are bad for the
Recently, an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean was found to be polluted with 38 million pieces of plastic that had been carried over by currents (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific island”). The island, dubbed ‘trash island’, is home to diverse animal populations that have all been devastated by the pollution. On the beach, hundreds of birds were seen dead by reporters and scientists. When analyzed, the primary cause of death turned out to be consumption of plastic. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs their stomach and poisons their body with toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals cause an array of issues, such as reproductive and endocrine problems. Eventually, this leads to death (Knoblauch, “The environmental toll of plastics”). But due to the nature of plastics, it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to completely degrade, meaning that as plastic pollution continues to build up, more places like ‘trash island’ will be discovered. According to conservation scientist Alex Bond, “…[The island] is just an indicator of what’s floating around out there” (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific
Pollution in the form of plastics put many marine species in danger of extinction. During the 1970s, environmental scientists discovered that many seals were losing their lives due to plastic waste entangling with their bodies; in fact, after 30 years, a report showed that the population of Northern Fur Seals was reduced by fifty percent (Amaral 2). Marine organisms are not in danger of plastics just because of entanglement, as stated that “thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it” (Biological Diversity 2). Therefore, it is clearly understood that the ingestion of plastics in oceans does not only affect marine organisms, but also birds appear to be in danger.
The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.
Plastic Pollutions Effect on Ocean life “Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic gets into the ocean, and scientists estimate that there may be as much as 110 million tons of plastic trash in the ocean” (Schlossberg, A9). When people go to the store, they’d buy things that include plastics, such as water bottles, straws, items with plastic bags, and even toys; and along with that, when they’d check-out they’d get their items put into plastic bags. All of these plastics have a chance of getting into the ocean, even if you were to throw it away.
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
Plastic bags waste valuable natural resources. Consider that plastic bags are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable and problematic resource. Petroleum is oil, which damages the environment when it is extracted from the ground and gives off dangerous greenhouse gases when burned. According to the National Resources Defense Council, it takes 12 million barrels of oil to make the 70 - 100 billion plastic bags that Americans use each year.
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Economic growth and changing consumption patterns are resulting into rapid increase generation of plastic waste in the world. According to the United Nations Environmental programme (UNEP) (2009), the world’s plastic consumption today has increased to 100 million tons as compared to 5 million tons in 1950s. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (2008), every year Americans use and dispose of 100 billion plastic shopping bags that generates tons of waste. Similarly, Australia use 3.92 billion plastic bags and about 3.76 billion bags (20,700 tons) are disposed of in landfill every year (Clean up, n.d.). The South Asian countries like India consumes about 8 million tons of plastic products and about 5.6 million tons (70%) of plastic bag waste are generated every year (Central pollution Control Board, 2013). In Bhutan, about 13% of municipal waste content is plastic waste generated in urban areas (Phuntsho, Heart, Shon, Vigneswaran, Dulal, Yangden, & Tenzin, 2007). Therefore, in order to reduce plastic waste, the use of plastic bags are regulated and banned countries such as the United States of America, Australia in 2009, Bangladesh in 2002, China in 2008, Delhi in India in 2009, Tanzania in 2012, and the Philippines in July 2013 (Surfrider Foundation, 2014).
Another reason why plastics are harmful to marine life is because they prompt hitch hiking. Floating plastics debris are the most common transport in the ocean and are responsible for the widespread propagation of many animals and plants across the globe. Barnacles, polychaete worms and molluscs use them as a means of transport and a mobile home (Barnes, 2002). For species found in many of the globe’s oceans, this isn’t an issue. However, hitch hikers can sometimes be invasive species
About 90 percent of coral reefs will disappear by 2050, the same year scientists have estimated there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. We take $2.5 trillion out of the oceans through fishing and aquaculture, shipping and tourism annually. Against this backdrop, the UN has decided to launch a global campaign declaring war on ocean plastic. It is urging governments to pass plastic-reduction policy with a view to ending marine litter.
Although there have been several initiatives from government towards eradicating these completely, but it is of no use as it has its roots deeper into the society. Irrespective of ban on plastic bags they are being sold and used continuously by the population because it has become an integral and irreplaceable part of our life. Everyday animals are dying due to consumption of polythenes which remain scattered and non-decomposed on grounds. Science has come up with a solution to completely eliminate it by giving birth to “Bioplastic”. Bioplastic has properties which are comparable to the commercial plastic in every aspect but with certain advantages over it. Bioplastic is decomposable and are produced form microorganisms rather than by using chemicals, thus making it completely environmental friendly. Bioplastic will not only make mother earth a better and greener place to live in but will also reduce the death of innocent animals. These bioplastics can be easily used in food industries for packaging to keep food items fresh for a longer duration and in medical industry for packaging tablets and other medically important stuff. Bioplastic has a promising future ahead but we have to work towards developing and including it in the mainstream of our lives. Science has also come up with innovative ideas for treating several deadly diseases like cancer, HIV etc which causes death of billions of people worldwide. Today with several