OCEAN POLLUTION
Where does most of the ocean pollution come from? Most of us are in denial when it comes to ocean pollution and global warming. In fact over 85% of the ocean pollution is caused by the land- based activates. From plastic bags to pesticides, most of the waste we produce on land eventually reaches the oceans. This happens through deliberate dumping or from run-off through drains and rivers by oil, fertilizer, solid garbage, sewage, and toxic chemicals.
Land oil causes more damage than oil spills. According to statistics only 12% of the oil spills cause a major damage to the marine life/environment; while 36% of the damage is caused by the down the drains and rivers and waste and runoff from our cities and the industries.
Fertilizers runoff from farms and lawns are one of the major problems for the coastal areas. Seas of garbage make their ways to the oceans; sea garbage is anything from shoes, plastic bags, balloons, glass battles to packaging material. Most of this garbage does not decay and if some of this garbage does decompose it does so but very slowly. Plastic garbage is one example of it. Plastic bags is causing a lot of the marine species death; because it blocking the breathing passages and stomachs. Such marine animals are whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles. Also, the plastic six-pack rings that are used for drink bottles cause the choking of marine animals. This garbage does not only damage the ocean, it also comes back to the shore and it pollutes the beaches and other coastal habitats. Sewage disposal, in many part of our world is an untreated meaning that 80% of the sewage that is discharged into the Mediterranean Sea is untreated. This sewage disposal does not just cause problems for the ocean life, but also it can cause many human diseases that could lead to death and closures of beaches.
Moreover; toxic chemicals also known the man-made chemical is a big problem. It contaminates the smallest marine organism from the tiniest plankton to the largest such as the whales and polar bears. Sad to say most of these man-made chemicals are dumped in our oceans deliberately. Such toxic chemicals are toxic materials, pesticides, chemical weapons, and radioactive waste. Thankfully in 1972 the London Dumping Convention banned most of the toxic materials and in 1996 they even made it more restricted when it came to the dumping at the seas. Chemicals also enter the sea from land-based activities. Also chemicals can enter the sea from the land based activities. It can escape into water, soil, and air during their manufacture, use, or disposal, as well as from accidental leaks or fires in products containing these chemicals. Once in the environment, they can travel for long distances in air and water, including ocean currents. People once assumed that the ocean was so large that all pollutants would be diluted and dispersed to safe levels. But in reality, they have not disappeared - and some toxic man-made chemicals have even become more concentrated as they have entered the food chain.
Furthermore, tiny animals at the bottom of the food chain, such as plankton in the oceans, absorb the chemicals as they feed. Because they do not break down easily, the chemicals accumulate in these organisms, becoming much more concentrated in their bodies than in the surrounding water or soil. These organisms are eaten by small animals, and the concentration rises again. These animals are in turn eaten by larger animals, which can travel large distances with their even further increased chemical load. Animals higher up the food chain, such as seals, can have contamination levels millions of times higher than the water in which they live. And polar bears, which feed on seals, can have contamination levels up to 3 billion times higher than their environment. People become contaminated either directly from household products or by eating contaminated seafood and animal fats.
In conclusion, more evidence shows that a number of man-made chemicals can cause serious health problems - including cancer, damage to the immune system, behavioral problems, and reduced fertility. Luckily for humane we can sue each other to either end the problems or get some kind of satisfaction, while the ocean can’t speak for itself.
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