Plastic Bags Problem

“Each year 250,000,000 pounds of trash are littered in the U.S.”(“Eye-Opening Statistics”). That is a lot of trash that is in the oceans, streets, and in the wild. This is one of the many reasons why everyone needs to stop littering. “100,000 sea mammals, sea turtles , and

Abigail tells us that noise pollution is hurting animals that use sonar to get around are becoming closer to extinction. The animals hear sonar devices, sound waves from boats, and oil rigs that are really loud. This can cause the animals to have mass strandings, reckless diving, being unable to find food, and have chronic stress. Abigail goes on to inform us that cruise ships have also done a great deal of damage to the ocean life. Since there are poor laws in place regarding the way they dispose of the waste from the ships, it all goes into the ocean untreated with many harmful bacteria, pathogens, and other stuff we dispose of.

Over one thousand otter carcasses were found and an estimated two thousand eight hundred died from the spill. As a direct result of the spill, roughly three hundred harbour seals died. The oil spill later on caused a collapse of the Pacific Herrings’ population because nearly half of their eggs laid in 1989 were exposed to the oil (Liszka 1-30). These deadly outcomes changed their environment

As the rate of plastic production exceeds the rate we get rid of it; it will soon overtake our oceans. In 2010 alone, it was estimated that over 300 million tons of new plastics were produced around the world, (QTD. By UC Davis USA on YouTube). Many oceans from North America and Japan are being polluted by our carelessness and are causing our marine life to suffer. Marine mammals such as seals are being found entangled in plastic fishnets and several drown.

Oceans are being polluted by substances such as farm fertilizers, chemicals produced in factories, and harmful sewage from towns and cities (Claybourne 38). Trash and debris, especially plastics, are deposited into the oceans by humans. These objects can be mistaken as food by many species, which eventually leads to death. When species consume what looks like to be food, but in reality is hazardous waste, the animal contains that chemical inside of them. When a larger animal consumes the hazardous animal, it affects the entire food chain (“What Is Ocean”).

Another thing that effects the blue crab 's ecosystem is its environmental threats. To begin, one of the environmental threats that blue crabs face is pollution. In the text, it states, “Approximately 6.4 million tons of plastic and other debris enter the oceans each year. And every year., more than 1 million marine animals die from eating or getting caught in this debris,” (Dignan 13). This shows that an environmental threat that blue crabs face is pollution because if about 1 million animals are dying each year because of pollution, we have a serious problem.

From the endless fracking today’s economy is depleting. Our natural resources are at risk every time fracking occurs. Fracking needs to be banned since it is hurting our health and that it drains our natural and limited resources required for us to sustain life. Water is an essential to living and it is a need. Without it we would be dead from the dehydration.

Agriculture immensely adds to the nutrient and chemical pollution due to the fertilizers used on crops. When rains or winds come through the fertilizer is carried from the fields into the rivers and streams that then lead into the ocean(Effect of Runoff). Red tide had been a huge issue that is unpreventable and caused by dinoflagellates (Red Tide). Red Tide is a type of algal bloom that takes up oxygen in the water. When the oxygen levels in the ocean are lowered it can kill many plants which is very unfortunate for the manatees considering they are herbivores and with their food supply being depleted they may suffer from starvation.

A problem with the cups not being recyclable or degradable is that they will affect our wild life by killing the marine animals, and many other animals that die due to ingestion. Plastic accounts for ten percent of waste in the United States (Thompson, 1976) An excess of two-hundred and ninety million tons of plastic is deposited into our landfills that cannot be recycle or decomposed. Green Mountain the company that produces the K-cups for keurig has no immediate intention to lessen their effect in the landfills. A major reason why Keurig’s K-cup is the worst invention ever created, is because of the companies unwillingness to use the technology and knowledge they have to improve their products: The

It is also ruining the amazing marine biodiversity that South Africa has. Pollution not only comes from industrial sector such as oil companies, but also from littering and sewage. Plastic pollution is one of the types of pollution that effect the marine environment. It is impossible to give an accurate estimation of the amount of plastic that is being polluted into the ocean. However, in 1975 the global fishing fleet alone dumped approximately 135 400 tons of plastic fishing gear and 23 600 tons of synthetic packaging materials