Marine ecosystem is the largest among the earth’s aquatic ecosystem. As 71% of earth’s surface is covered by water and oceans occupy 97% of water on earth.  Marine ecosystem has a wide habitat and rich diversity of species. Ocean is called as the “life blood of the earth”. 70% of the oxygen human consumes comes from the marine plants in the ocean. Oceans are responsible for removing the CO2 from atmosphere and producing 02 supporting earth life. Marine ecosystem is highly diverse ecosystem. According to NOAA only about 5% of the ocean is explored. 95% of the ocean is completely unexplored. About 2/3rd of the ocean species are yet to be discovered. Ocean is a home for millions of species and is also responsible for providing life to millions of organisms on the earth.

Facts about marine plastics

·         More than 1 million tons of applications are produced each year for various types of plastic applications.

·         At least millions of tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, and 80% of all marine debris, from surface water to deep marine residues, is covered.

·         Marine species melt or fall into plastic waste, causing serious injury and death.

·         Plastic pollution threatens the safety and quality of food, human health, maritime tourism and contributes to climate change.

·         There is a need to explore the use of existing legally binding international agreements to address marine plastic pollution.

·         Reuse and reuse of plastic products, and support for research and innovation in developing new products to replace single-use plastics, also need to prevent and reduce plastic pollution.

Impact of marine plastic on the environment

1.         Uptake, egestion, assimilation, accumulation and transfer of ingested plastics by marine

2.         organisms

3.         Occurrence of plastics across taxa and trophic levels

4.         Effect on particular taxa, communities and ecosystems (e.g., toxicity, productivity,  foodchain)

6.         Effect on marine environment (e.g., physical, chemical, level of absorption)

7.         Marine plastics as a vector/pathway for pathogens and toxic components (e.g.,microbes,         additives and Persistent Organic Pollutants [POPs])

  9.          Monitoring of impact on marine ecosystems (e.g., numerical models)

Plastic pollution negatively affects almost every living organism in the world's oceans. Because we are the source of plastic pollution, humans must take steps to improve the quality of life of marine animals. We should minimize the use of plastics in our daily lives and recycle waste as much as possible. When visiting the coast, we need to make sure that plastics are disposed of properly. Even those who live in landlocked areas, we need to be aware that polluting river ultimately leads to marine pollution.

Photo: Waste Hierarchy, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance. Credit: Zero Waste International alliance