Saving our oceans, the topic you've heard a thousand times.
3% of the world's global garbage ends up in the ocean, you may not think that 3% is a big number and is not much of a threat to the world, but think about how much garbage you dispose of every week then another 236 million times that for 3% of the global population, this would be the amount of waste put into the oceans each week.
The waste disposed into the ocean impacts the marines living there by harming, killing, or threatening the habitats they live in, this can reduce ecosystems of species and can have a direct impact on our economic state by affecting businesses that rely on the sale of marine animals or food retailers using these animal products. This is due to the fact the mass of fish will be reduced as many will be disposed of by the waste in our sea and will make the Fisherman's catch smaller than it was.
As well as this there is an increase in acidification due to all the waste being put into the sea this can be more than just your everyday garbage but toxic and hazardous substances being disposed of in the ocean. This can alter marine food chains, this can result in certain specie dying as they can no longer hunt specific prey and that specie will then affect the member higher in the food chain.
Why are we letting our oceans be destroyed?
You have to think about yourself and your family, wouldn't you want younger generations of your family to be able to experience going to the beach and walking barefoot without the worry of stepping on plastic, or going for in the ocean not surrounded by other people's litter? Then you have to act to save the ocean.
In an article by 'CIWEM,' they stated that India produces '126.5 million kg' of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean each year!
This is closely followed by countries such as China and Indonesia, which both produce over '50 million kg' of plastic waste separately.
This further shows why the use of plastic in packaging and storage needs to be minimalized as much as possible, we have already made a great movement forward with this with such alternatives as paper straws, reusable shopping bags, and paper bags. The use of paper is good as it is biodegradable, which means that it can be decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms. Another item that became very popular in recent times is a 'Chilly Bottle', a reusable bottle that keeps your drinks cold and is a great idea to help stop the purchasing of plastic water bottles every time you want water and it also saves the customer money in the long run!
How you can help our oceans!
There are many different ways you can contribute to the fight to save our oceans as well as using the examples above such as reusable items, reducing the waste you put out into the world and using your wallet, and don't buy products with excess plastic packaging.
You can also help by joining different organizations and groups or just spreading the idea behind the deterioration of our beaches and oceans.
There are also such little things you can do as a 3-minute beach clean next time you're near or go to the beach, something as little as this can be so effective in helping and spreading the message, can't you spare 3 minutes of your day for the ocean?