Stopping Plastic Pollution in Oceans Essay Example

Worldwide the ocean and other water bodies' health is compromised by the rapid growing plastic pollution. Yearly there is a production of plastic products of between eight to twelve metric tons entering the oceans owing to the growing one-time useable plastic production, none-recyclability of most plastic products, and poor plastic waste management. The flow of different forms of plastics in the environment is finally swept by the rains to the oceans increasing the impact of endangered sea life because of the growing coverage of plastic pollution in the waters, coral reefs, beaches, and other marine habitats. The growing plastic soup in the large water bodies is continuously affecting the bleeding off and entangles turtles, seabirds, fish, and whales among other sea life whose habitats are interrupted and ruined especially when they eat the plastic matters (Mosbergen, 2017). The impact of plastic pollution in the sea, in turn, affects us directly and indirectly because of the changes in the interdependence of man-ocean coexistence when the plastic masses escalate and covers a large portion of the ocean surface and bottom. This paper will explore the impact of plastic pollution in the oceans as well as evaluating workable strategies to stop pollution.

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The culture of single-use plastics is thrown away littering the land, choking the river flows, and contaminating the oceans increasingly destroying the environmental biodiversity of the natural habitat of marine and human coexistence. The man was not designated to live on oceans but with the rapidly changing economic needs has caused overstretching and exploitation of marine life. It is important for all relevant stakeholders to unite in the war against the dilapidated ruin of the oceans through plastic pollution. It is necessary to come up with workable policies to reduce or even stop human interference with marine ecosystem. These policy frameworks need to feature issues like reckless disposal of plastic waste which will include reducing or total stopping the use of single-use plastic products to embrace the use of environmentally friendly disposable packaging as well as applying proper plastic management. According to research by Haward (2018), the ocean is not man's habitat, therefore, his continued interference and interruption on the peace of the ocean through the continued disposal of plastic matter has growingly abused the natural resources he depends on from the ocean. It is, therefore, essential to draw boundaries to ensure that human activities along the coastal line and in the waters do not end up escalating plastic pollution in the oceans.

In recent efforts to increase recycle campaigns for the plastics rappers among other single-use plastic matter has superseded the millions of metric tons of plastic products produced causing their waste to rapidly accumulate and pollute the environment. The failed efforts to reduce plastic pollution on land and in the oceans www.plasticoceans.org suggests that the toxic impact in the lifecycle of plastic pollutants leading to interfered marine life and human health. In the efforts to combat plastic pollutions many bodies and treaties have been formed and tried to be implemented to increase surveillance to the disposal of plastic waste on the beaches like setting up designated litter bins among other strict measures to control plastic waste used by human beings within the marine reach. However, the litter bins are not emptied promptly and overflowing causes the waste to be blown into the oceans. Other malicious personnel pours their collected liter into rivers causing them to be washed into the oceans or even worse pour them into the oceans directly. The growing problem has brought together international attention on mitigation strategies to eradicate the production of oil-based plastic products due to their long decomposition span. Although the globe is feeling the impact of plastic pollution, actions to prevent their production are far from recording success because of the huge investment that has taken place over the years. Some countries are now eradicating the use of single-use plastic products to reduce the population of plastic waste littering on their lands, rivers, and oceans. Mixed reactions have been registered in the war against plastic production because the primary investors and direct beneficiaries acknowledge the global crisis attributed to mismanagement in plastic waste handling. They disassociate themselves from the direct responsibility for the growing pollution of ocean life.

The never-ending campaign on recycling of plastic to reduce pollution and poor disposal strategies has not helped at all because over 90 percent of the single-use plastics are never recycled. The throwaway lifestyle has become a dominant culture that giant corporates continuously package their consumables in plastic rapping contributing negatively to the growing plastic pollution in oceans. Although each packaging has a recycling label little efforts have been taken by the giant corporations to recycle their products because of the cost implications. UNEP report states that accessing the plastic waste for recycling it was too expensive and tedious for corporate organization thus it's easier for them to have bulk production of plastics for their productions. The resolution report further states that continued the dialogue of the scale of ocean pollution and suggestions on mitigation strategies have not worked to change the situations because of the throw-away lifestyle that is deep-rooted among the population. Other efforts including setting up environmental friendly lifestyles like having litter bins at strategic places in public space to reduce the throw-away culture have literary not worked due to the mismanagement to handle the assembled plastic waste. Consequently, Solheim adds that although UNEP has over the years struggled in the fight against plastic pollution in oceans the level of plastics in the water bodies is slowly outnumbering the marine life posing threatening statistics on the future and survival of the environmental friendly strategies hoped to change the situations. Solheim adds that short time intervention talks do not solve environmental degradation anticipated by continued throw-away lifestyles with the high corporate production of plastic use in everyday lifestyle. There needs a long-term solution to put a stop the rapid growing plastics population in the environment and water bodies. Gibbens (2018), state that a single straw can contribute greatly to environmental pollution because of the level of use of plastic matter in relation to their disposability rate. Continued campaign on recycle has become an old song that is no longer in tune the therefore new campaigns like reduction of plastic use by creating awareness for travelers to use their own utensils and avoid disposable plastic utensils like carrying reusable water bottles, carrier bags, mesh baggies, coffee mugs, glass containers, and wooden spatula or spoons.

Arguments from Eriksen and Raff (2015), is that plastic pollution is so rampant because "plastics are forever" because of the unresolved environmental impact of the micro-plastics content on land and washed ashore. Howard et al (2018), concur with this statement stating that the extent of plastic pollution in oceans has been underestimated because of the growing population of plastics on the surface of the ocean, on beaches, as well as on the coral reefs reducing the effective adaptability of marine human interaction turning the ocean into a garbage soup. Efforts to increase consumer companies' investment in the waste collection seem like a positive step towards the expansive need to reduce the amount of plastic pollution on the ocean spaces. Continued collection of plastic waste by consumer companies will reduce the amount of plastic pollution entering waterways. UNEP has globally recommended that the urge to collect and recycle plastic waste has become unworkable because not many people are available to collect the thrown away single-use plastic matters needing significant strategies to wipe out the use and manufacturing of plastic matter altogether. Consumer corporates prefer plastic wrapping for them produces because of its attractiveness, intact packaging, non-contamination of products as well as consumer ease view of content but their continued production does not match the impact these plastics are causing to the environmental pollution especially when they enter the waterways. Coming up with other suitable and environmentally friendly product packaging and carrier space will revert the situation as well as considerable reduction of plastic pollution in oceans. The ocean is the final destination of washed away micro-plastic wastes on the land because of their long-existence and indispensability for lengthy periods. Therefore, circulation of environment conservatives efforts to clean the oceans should increase governmental and non-governmental efforts in tapping the already masses of plastic pollution in the waters to exhaust paper strategies into practices. The different stakeholders coming together to put up measures to reduce or eradicate plastic pollution should beef up efforts in increasing their effectiveness from theoretical perspectives to practical efforts. Leading giant corporates donate funds to ensure environmental friendly strategies attributing to change the impact their productions are causing on the environment should be put into proper use especially laying down measures to fish out the already drowned plastic matter in oceans. Although it would sound ridicules to fish out plastic pollution from the waters it's the only hope in removing the indecomposable waste from the water bodies. In the United States efforts for the presidential signing of the bill to clean up the world's ocean plastics is an encouraging effort to reduce the visible plastic matter in the water bodies globally. This will, in turn, reduce the plastic marine competition that has continuously compromised the environmental friendly coexistence of marine life and human intrusion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, continued efforts on paper for environmental strategies to reduce plastic pollution in oceans have over the years not materialized despite a continued effort by corporate and conservatives. The flow of different forms of plastics in the environment is finally swept by the rains to the oceans increasing the impact of endangered sea life because of the growing coverage of plastic pollution in the waters, coral reefs, beaches, and other marine habitats.

The culture of single-use plastics is thrown away littering the land, choking the river flows, and contaminating the oceans increasingly destroying the environmental biodiversity of the natural habitat of marine and human coexistence. Although policy frameworks need to feature issues like reckless disposal of plastic waste which will include reducing or total stopping the use of single-use plastic products to embrace the use of environmentally friendly disposable packaging as well as applying proper plastic management. Governments and private entities need to draw boundaries to ensure that human activities along the coastal line and in the waters do not end up escalating plastic pollution in the oceans. However, some countries are now eradicating the use of single-use plastic products to reduce the population of plastic waste littering on their lands, rivers, and oceans. Mixed reactions have been registered in the war against plastic production because the primary investors and direct beneficiaries acknowledge the global crisis attributed to mismanagement in plastic waste handling. Yet, much still needs to be done to change the situations of the already plastic pollution levels in the oceans globally.

Works cited

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