We live on a blue planet, with oceans and seas covering more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface. Oceans feed us, regulate our climate, and generate most of the oxygen we breathe. Oceans are facing threats because of human activity. Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in the world’s oceans.

The usage of plastics is over 50 years as of now. Every year millions of tons of plastics are produced. And the sad part is that the number keeps on drastically increasing each year. Due to these improper disposal of single-use plastics, our marine environment is facing a huge threat and also our environment.

Plates, bottles, bags, cutleries and many other products are produced from plastics. All these items finally ends up in landfills. Some or many of these also ends up in our seas and oceans. The marine species mistake these items as their food and intake them. It affects their health. When humans intake the marine species, we are ingesting plastics.

The first documentary that I am going to talk about is “Straws”. Researchers found out that plastic straws are amongst the top 10 beach litter items all over the world.

Every day we are using billions of non-recyclable plastic straws. They are one of the single-use items that majorly contribute and ends up in our landfills. Many of them also ends in our seas annually, and it takes years, decades and centuries for them to break down to micro beads and micro plastics.

This is having a major impact on seas, oceans, marine species and our health also. We now need to be looking out for alternatives to these single-use plastics and try to start using steel, metal, glass or paper.

The next documentary that I am going to share with you is “A Plastic Ocean”. The screening of this film was done in a meeting of Drop It Youth ambassadors. The director of this film is an Australian journalist Craig Leeson. They showcased how the plastics have caused serious damages to our environment and also to our marine environment.

The director had wanted to film the blue whale but it showed us the thick layer of plastics floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Then the director went along with the free diver Tanya Streeter around the globe to report and film the havoc of usage of plastics to our environment and marine ecosystem.

The film shows both the amazing life of the marine species and in contrast shows the polluted cities, rivers, seas that are full of plastic wastes. On watching this we can visualize how these plastics are impacting and causing severe threats to our environment.

Moreover they have taken interviews and showed that in the film so that the viewers will get an idea about the problems of using plastics. We get to see the numerous marine species that are affected by these plastics. Most of the marine species mistake the floating plastics for their food. They intake these plastics and it obstructs their digestive system and after which they starve and die.

Sometimes these plastics break down into smaller particles called microplastics. These when taken release toxins. This can cause serious health issues such as cancer, childhood developmental issues and many more.

This film was an eye-opener to many of them and a few have started to consider using alternatives instead of single use plastics. Now it is upto the global citizens to think over this issue and stop using them.

We need to ensure that we don’t harm any marine species further so that they can live and swim around the oceans.

Together we can create a wave of change. 

 Image courtesy: Google/Wikipedia