Everyone
knows that pollution is an issue, however very few people know and address how
extreme it actually is. A beach is commonplace for people to go to for a
vacation and just relax, but what if one day you looked out into the water and
all you could see is garbage. Right now between Hawaii and California is the
largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world known as the great Pacific
garbage patch. There are millions of tons of plastics entering the ocean and
into the gyre. They do not leave the area until they break down into
microplastics which are very hard to remove and can be a severe threat to marine
life.
Plastic
pollution in the ocean not only affects marine life but humans too. Animals
often confuse the plastic for food which threatens their behavior, health, etc.
A study showed that sea turtles who lived around the patch can have up to 74%
of their diets containing plastic. Plastics also contain chemicals that enter
the body of the animals consuming it, so when humans eat these same animals for
food the chemicals can transfer into their system as well.
The great pacific garbage patch is more than
three times the size of Spain and twice the size of Texas. Whenever garbage
gets thrown on the ground it most likely will get caught up in a river and end
up in the ocean. The amount of plastic in the ocean is increasing and as of
right now there are about 80,000 tons of it in the garbage patch. There has
also been a measure saying that the amount of microplastics entering the patch
is greater than the output.
Even though this issue is becoming very severe,
there are many good causes trying to clean up the ocean. One is the Ocean
Cleanup project which uses an ocean cleanup device invented by Dutch
scientists. It is a 2,000 feet long free-floating broom that is capturing
debris from the garbage patch. The plastic they are collecting so far is being
brought to shore and recycled. Even though it seems like there is not much you
can do about such a large issue doesn't mean we shouldn't try. There are small
things we can do such as picking up trash outside or donating money to the
cause. I personally have been to the beach many times and become sad whenever I
see such a beautiful part of the world covered in garbage, especially when I
know it is preventable. That's why it is important for people to be informed
about how bad plastic pollution has become and try to prevent it before it is
irreversible.
Questions:
1. What are your thoughts on plastic pollution
and how severe this issue has become?
2. What are some small ways people can help
prevent this problem from becoming worse?
Sources:
28 comments:
Plastic pollution is a (relatively) preventable form of pollution, unlike the carbon emissions from driving cars, using AC, etc. It all depends on where someone puts the plastic the plastic, either in a recycle bin or on the road. The issue has escalated because there is not enough room for the amount of plastic humans are consuming in the world and the disposal of plastic items should be in trash cans, not anywhere. Some ways humans can prevent this problem is reusing plastic or simply using the recycle bin more often.
I always knew that plastic pollution was a big deal but I never would have thought that there was patches of plastic garbage in the ocean with sizes larger then whole countries and states. That is just so crazy to think about, like how are people still adding to this problem when people can easily see this sad death trap for animals which also disrupts the whole ocean ecosystem. I think that if humanity just cuts down their use of plastics and start using reusable and recyclable animals we can just end all further damage of the ecosystem with harmful chemicals that seep out of the plastics in the ocean.
Plastic pollution has always been an on-going problem since the human population has increased. This issue has become so severe to the point that turtles are getting caught in plastic and marine animals are living in habitats of plastic due to humans. When a man-made item contaminated the natural word, it becomes chaotic. Small ways people can prevent plastic waste is decreasing plastic consumption through the use of straws and plastic water bottles.
In all honesty, I think that some issues such as this one are too far gone. Humans have passed the point of no return to completely reverse the negative effects. That said, I still think it is our responsibility to try and slow down the process. A lot of the trash in the garbage patch actually comes from Asian countries like Indian and China. While there are steps we can take here at home, I think we need to start by holding these countries accountable. In terms of at-home solutions, we can do things like using metal bottles instead of plastic ones. Though the individual effect is quite small, it can add up to have a great positive effect.
Plastic pollution is a severe problem and this problem has caused many issues for human and animals. When you burn plastic in the air, poisonous chemicals are released which can affect the health of humans and animals when they breath in this air. Moreover, plastic is hurting many animals in the ocean leading them to even die because they might consume the harmful plastic. This leads to a loss in biodiversity with some species dying. This issue is just as serious as air pollution and action needs to be taken. We can easily prevent or reduce this problem by lowering our usage of plastic. For example, using reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones. Also, when you go grocery shopping bring your own reusable bag to carry your groceries instead of asking for the plastic ones.
I think plastic pollution can be reversed, however it would take massive amounts of money and effort. I think that right now small efforts will not help, and much more extreme measures are needed to fix things such as the Garbage Patch. However, with that being said, I think we can definitely reduce plastic pollution in our daily lives, by using reusable items instead of single use plastics, such as water bottles, straws, shopping bags, etc.
Plastic pollution is a big problem and it has caused massive amount of harm to humans and animals. People are just throughout out plastic into the ocean and it hurts the environment and the animals. Small ways to fix this is by reducing plastic and reusing it. Or we can also recycle items like water bottles. We need to be more careful about what we are doing to affect the world. If we just look around see the world right now it is slowing dying.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem, which is sad, because in most areas there is a way to properly dispose of plastic. We need to be able to prevent more plastic from entering a patch that's already twice the size of Texas. Just a few small steps, such as recycling plastic and picking up litter, can go a long way towards keeping our planet clean. Additionally, humans could come up with an alternative to plastic that doesn't have any adverse affects.
I think that plastic pollution is a very huge and prominent problem in our world today. Many species are harmed from plastic pollution. One of the most notable species is turtles. Throughout the past few years there have been several different campaigns so "save the turtles". This is because plastic pollution is getting out of hand and must be stopped before further species are harmed. It has become so severe because of the growing population and the lack of teaching how to properly recycle. Many people just throw their plastic and trash wherever they want because they either don't care or they don't realize how truly harming it is for the environment. Some small ways people can prevent plastic pollution from happening is by reducing the amount of plastic used. for example, I am guilty using many plastic items from my food. I use plastic straws for my drinks and I use plastic ziplock bags to store food that I don't eat. However, this is polluting the environment and a change must be made. A reasonable and easy change is using containers and Tupperware to store any leftovers and using cups and water bottles instead of using plastic straws. Another way to help decrease the exponential amount of plastic pollution is making sure to recycle any plastic materials. Most of us are careless and just throw our drinks and other plastic items in the trash when we are done, however, this plastic can reach the ocean and cause build up like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is important to recycle materials so they are properly broken down and taken care of when we are done using them. While these examples may not seem like a lot, if everyone joins in, it will greatly help the environment and improve the conditions of plastic pollution.
Plastic is a major problem with our society today. Everyday whether I be at school or at my neighborhood park I can see signs of plastic pollution. When people don’t have knowledge about recycling or are just too lazy we begin to have problems. I have seen people when I’m driving on the road toss chip bags or wrappers out there window without a care in the world.
Becoming educated on the issue as well as figuring out how to reduce plastic pollution is one of the best ways we as a society can fix this problem. We need to provide more areas for disposing of plastic waste as well as using plastic wraps or bottles and investing in a metal water bottle or Tupper ware.
I believe that the problem of plastic pollution is one of the most prevalent problems today. Almost everyone in some way is connected to this problem. I think that people need to become aware of the horrible effects of plastic pollution and educate themselves on how to dispose of waste properly. Some small ways people can prevent this problem is taking a few moments to think about what your throwing away and where. Most people are to lazy to recycle what needs to be recycled. Everyone needs to put in some effort to greatly benefit the environment.
I feel that ocean pollution is a very big issue for the world. People do not realize how much of an impact just a simple trash item can have on sea animals. I think that a small change everyone can do is start using more biodegradable products versus using plastic more. This will vastly decrease the buildup of garbage in the ocean and is a step towards a cleaner environment.
I feel like plastic pollution will progressively get worse if we keep our daily plastic use at the steady rate of increase it is at. If we don’t seek an outlet to plastic intake, our planet could be permanently impacted and destroyed. Now, if we take action quickly we can try to turn back the clock and gain more time to treat the damage we have caused to the environment. Some small ways we can fix our damages is by purchasing long-term metal water bottle and bringing our own reusable bags to the grocery store. With these small actions, we can progressively fix our past wrongs.
Plastic pollution is a preventable problem that is causing species of animals to die. Plastic pollution is an ongoing problem that has caused plenty of animals to die. Not only they die, lots of them get tangled in the plastic debris causing them to drown, or ingest the plastics, causing suffocation. The problem will only continue to grow unless the community does something about it. People can help prevent plastic pollution by reusing plastics or by simply recycle them.
My thoughts on plastic pollution is that it is a major problem we have been tackling throughout the decade but we still continue to see the pollution of not only plastic but also other garbage wastes either on land or in the sea. This is only one of the few problems that we have created towards the environment and if continued would endanger multiple species. When I went to go travel to South Korea I had to stop by Osaka, Japan and as I scan the streets on a transportation bus, I literally don’t see one piece of trash on the ground. I feel as though we can solve this huge problem of not only plastic pollution but pollution itself altogether.
Like most people, I’ve always known that plastic pollution is a serious and ongoing problem, but I think that seeing pictures of the garbage patch really put it into perspective. With an actual example of what pollution does, people are more likely to see the effect they are having on the planet and be more willing to try to improve it. If everyone was more conscious of their plastic use, it would be a small step in the right direction. While future plastic pollution can be prevented and limited, it will be very difficult and expensive to fix what the plastic that already litters the planet.
Some ways that people can stop this issue from becoming worse is by reducing their daily plastic use. For example, instead of using/wasting plastic water bottles people could switch reusable water bottles, which would save the world from an immense amount of pollution. Another way that we could help reduce the amount of plastic waste being disposed into the ocean is to use reusable straws instead of plastic ones.
Each and every individual can work to reduce their single-use plastic usage. I have often found that social media can be used as a powerful tool to prevent plastic pollution. In example, not too long ago, there began a trend to bring about the use of metal straws instead of the single-use plastic ones. This trend grew to its popularity due to pictures of innocent marine animals (turtles) getting straws stuck in their bodies.
Honestly, I didn’t realize the extent to which this problem affected marine life as well as us humans before reading this post. However, some of these facts scare me such as the sea turtles having a diet consuming of 74 percent plastic, which seems surreal. Also, the vast size of this garbage pack is also alarming (twice the size of Texas). Personally, I believe that we can not do something to completely obliterate the problem. However, I feel that we, as inhabitants of this planet, have an obligation to help reduce our personal trash footprints by first, reusing and then recycling products such as refillable water bottles rather than those of plastic.
Prior to reading your blog comment, I knew about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, however, not the extent to which it is. After learning that the patch has grown to over 80,000 tons which encompasses twice the size of Texas, I do not understand why this issue is of utmost importance. This makes me wonder what other large scale consequences this abundance of plastic causes to the water cycle. Some small ways to reduce our plastic output are using reusable utilities such as bags, water bottles, and containers, additionally, recycling plastic can drastically reduce plastic waste.
I know that plastic bag pollution has been an issue for a while, but had never really occurred to me how severe it was because it does not affect my everyday life. Occasionally, I will see a plastic bag or bottle on the ground somewhere, but that has been my only encounter with plastic pollution. This issue takes place on a much grander scale, however, and is affecting so much of our planet. I have tried to reduce the amount of pollution from plastic bags by packing reusable containers in my lunch and using reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. My grandparents use a laundry basket to carry all of their groceries because it is reusable and they do no use any plastic bags to prevent polluting the environment.
I believe that plastic pollution is a big issue in the world today. People must become aware of the bad that plastic pollution causes. Ways people can prevent plastic pollution is by disposing waste properly and using biodegradable products. People have to take a small amount of time to dispose of waste properly, and people should be aware of what they buy at the store and make sure it is biodegradable.
In 2008, our worldwide plastic utilization worldwide has been assessed at 260 million tons, and, as indicated by a 2012 report by Global Industry Analysts, plastic utilization is to arrive at 297.5 million tons before the finish of 2015.
Plastic is adaptable, lightweight, adaptable, dampness safe, solid, and generally cheap. Those are the alluring characteristics that lead us, around the globe, to such a ravenous craving and over-utilization of plastic merchandise. In any case, strong and extremely delayed to debase, plastic materials that are utilized in the creation of such a large number of items all, at last, become squander with resilience. Our gigantic fascination in plastic, combined with a verifiable conduct penchant of progressively over-expending, disposing of, littering and consequently contaminating, has become a blend of deadly nature.
I’ve always been aware that plastic pollution is one of the world’s biggest problem that we’re facing today, but I never thought it was that bad. The fact that 74% of turtles have been consuming plastic truly shocked me, and I felt guilty of not being able to help this situation. However, there are some things people can do to prevent plastic pollution. For instance, recycling plastic instead of throwing it into the ocean can not only prevent plastic pollution but also save sea creatures from consuming plastic or other types of waste.
Plastic pollution is just awful. Just hearing about the amount of plastics marine life consume is sad to hear. People nowadays do not seem to feel the moral obligation to keep these animals safe. People can do the 3 r’s like we were taught in elementary school: reduce the amount of plastic we use, reuse what we already have, and recycle what we don’t need.
I definitely think that right now the Earth is at a critical point when it comes to plastic pollution. To elaborate, I believe this means that we have reached the point where we need to make changes to our own lives immediately or else the Earth will be impossible to save. We can all start by first just limiting the use of plastic, and quit using plastic products we don’t need at all. In addition, we can switch to strictly reusable materials for the plastic products that we actually need. These actions may seem small, but if you think about it, the majority of the trash in the ocean already comes from the small actions of everyday people being careless about what they consume or what happens to their waste. If normal people like us are capable of putting all this garbage in the ocean, who’s to say we can’t be the ones to get it out? Also, before you say, “How am I, a high schooler from Flower Mound, Texas, supposed to reach in to the Pacific Ocean and scoop all that junk out all on my own? I can’t do that. The Earth is doomed, we should all give up, and death is inevitable.”, The fact that everyone needs to know is that the process of cleaning the oceans consists of about 5% actually cleaning up that existing garbage and 95% stopping the constant flow of trash into the ocean. And there is nobody more capable than the common person to accomplish that.
Last year I went on a school trip to South Padre island. One of our stops was the Sea Turtle Inc. where they showed us images of turtles that had been rescued. I was completely disturbed by one turtle that had a gaping hole in its shell due to getting caught in plastic. Another turtle was swimming around uncomfortably with one of its legs completely severed from the same cause. Although trash in the ocean doesn’t seem to put a complete damper on our personal lives, it’s important to support and protect other organisms that share our planet and maintain a balanced Earth.
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