Sandra Postel's Last Oasis: Facing Water Pollution

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Water Pollution “For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.” stated by Sandra Postel in Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity published in 2003. Water pollution is more than just plastic floating in the ocean; it's any body of water or river that is contaminated by a foreign substance. There are many different forms of water pollution, many of which are unthought of. Marine dumping, industrial waste, and improper sewage draining are all major contributors to water pollution. The largest contributor to water pollution worldwide is marine dumping. Many different materials are lost, dumped or make their …show more content…

Millions and billions of tons of plastics are dumped, lost or making their way into the ocean. In 2016 it was estimated that 23 million metric tons of plastic waste entered the water system. Though this is a lot, this does not take into consideration non-plastic waste, marine debris, lost fishing gear and vessels. In recent years, we have been trying to create a resolution to the ocean dubbing problem that has risen from 5 billion to 10 billion. Industrial waste is one of the most unthought of contributors to water pollution. Industrial pollution is when pollutants and damaging materials enter the ecosystem. Many of these pollutants enter the ecosystem through oil plants, the wood and paper industry, pulp, food and textile factories. Most factories do not have up-to-date waste management systems and are just dumping waste into the environment. These factories dump wastes that include acids, alkalies, dyes and other chemicals into nearby bodies of water. Even though it's not directly dumped into the ocean, industrial waste can make its way into the ocean through the rivers and

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