The most visible and disturbing impacts of marine plastics are the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species . Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fishes and turtles, mistake plastic waste for prey, and most die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris.
What is the problem with plastic?
Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year , from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics. Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation.
What is plastic and why is it a problem in the ocean?
In the ocean, plastic debris injures and kills fish, seabirds and marine mammals . Marine plastic pollution has impacted at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species.
What happens if plastic is in the ocean?
Unlike some other kinds of waste, plastic doesn’t decompose . That means plastic can stick around indefinitely, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Some plastics float once they enter the ocean, though not all do. As the plastic is tossed around, much of it breaks into tiny pieces, called microplastics.
Why we shouldn’t put plastic in the ocean?
Even if you live hundreds of miles from the coast, the plastic you throw away could make its way into the sea. Once in the ocean, plastic decomposes very slowly , breaking down in to tiny pieces known as micro plastics that can be incredibly damaging to sea life.
How much plastic will be in the ocean in 2050?
Starting with an estimate that 150 million tonnes of plastic are already polluting the world’s oceans, and that “leakage” adds at least 9.1 million tonnes more each year — a figure that is said to be growing by five per cent annually — the MacArthur report calculates there will be 850-950 million tonnes of ocean ...
What is the main cause of plastic pollution?
Plastic pollution is caused by the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment . It can be categorized in primary plastics, such as cigarette butts and bottle caps, or secondary plastics, resulting from the degradation of the primary ones.
What is the biggest problem with plastic?
But the problem with plastic is that most of it isn’t biodegradable . It doesn’t rot, like paper or food, so instead it can hang around in the environment for hundreds of years. Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single-use – plastic we’ll only use once before it’s binned.
What is the biggest problem plastic causes?
Because plastics and their ingredients are pervading our oceans and waterways , invading the bodies of humans and wildlife, and filling landfills (with new and once recycled plastic) the Ecology Center recommends eliminating plastics from your life, as much as possible.
How bad is the plastic problem?
Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. ... Marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris, which causes severe injuries and deaths. Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism , and contributes to climate change.
How much plastic do we eat?
In a year, that amounts to the plastic in a firefighter’s helmet. At this rate of consumption, in a decade, we could be eating 2.5kg (5.5 lb) in plastic, the equivalent of over two sizeable pieces of plastic pipe. And over a lifetime, we consume about 20kg (44 lb) of microplastic .
What percentage of the ocean is plastic?
Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces. At current rates plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.
How can we stop plastic in the ocean?
- Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics. ...
- Recycle Properly. ...
- Participate In (or Organize) a Beach or River Cleanup. ...
- Support Bans. ...
- Avoid Products Containing Microbeads. ...
- Spread the Word. ...
- Support Organizations Addressing Plastic Pollution.
What would happen if the oceans died?
What the great majority of people do not understand is this: unless we stop the degradation of our oceans, marine ecological systems will begin collapsing and when enough of them fail , the oceans will die. And if the oceans die, then civilization collapses and we all die.
Who invented plastic?
A key breakthrough came in 1907, when Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland created Bakelite, the first real synthetic, mass-produced plastic.
How does plastic in the ocean affect humans?
Of the most devastating elements of this pollution is that plastics takes thousands of years to decay . ... As a result, fish and wildlife are becoming intoxicated. Consequently the toxins from the plastics have entered the food chain, threatening human health.
