(thematic report) Water pollutionby Fernanda pioli macedo | 13-08-2020 14:57 |
|---|
|
We should pay attention to one huge problem that we are already facing and its consequences on the environment and on us: Water pollution. It is estimated that around 14 billion tonnes of waste are accumulated in the oceans every year. The phenomenal occurs because seas and oceans receive a multitude of pollutants every day, all over the world, such as domestic and industrial sewage, solid waste, which are carried by rivers that flow into the sea. Those substances produce the appearance of organisms that hinder the development of marine life and also compromise the percentage of food. It is estimated that approximately 10% of marine pollution is caused by leaks from cargo ships that extract oil. When oil gets into the ocean, it has consequences of a great ecological imbalance: oil does not allow sunlight to enter the water, damaging the photosynthesis of ocean vegetation, causing an imbalance in the food chain; increase fish mortality; damage to fishing activity, etc. One significant example is the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico. This explosion was responsible for the greatest environmental disaster caused by oil in the United States. It is estimated that 7 million liters of oil were released into the sea, producing a vast petroleum slick in this environment. The high level of concentration of substances compromises the production of oxygen and plankton, which are responsible for producing about 40% of our oxygen. Nowadays, because of the coronavirus pandemic, we should pay attention to the pollution made by gloves, masks, and bottles of hand sanitizer in the oceans around the world. Laurent Lombard of Opération Mer Propre said to 'the Guardian' newspaper that "soon we¡¯ll run the risk of having more masks than jellyfish in the Mediterranean¡±. References: |
