[June Free Report] Marine Plastic Pollutionby Shreya Kaushik | 11-07-2023 01:21 |
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 The journey of plastic starts with its production using fossil fuels such as petroleum in the production industry. The molecules of the oil and gas bond together chemically to form monomers then they form a long chain of polymers in the form of pellets which are then heated at higher temperatures and molded in the shape of desired plastic material. After the production the plastic reaches a shipping unit, from there to us, from us to the dustbin, and from the dustbin to the landfill and to the ocean. But, wait, the plastic journey doesn't stop here, the plastic has miles to travel. From the ocean, the plastic ends up in marine organisms, from marine organisms to humans, to tap water and plants. Nearly 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year out of which about 14 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year. According to the research, plastic makes up to 80% of marine debris both on the surface of the sea and below the surface of the sea contributing to marine plastic pollution. Marine plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean and water bodies of the planet causing significant damage to the marine ecosystems. But the question is how does the plastic waste reaches the ocean from land? The main causes of marine plastic pollution are urban runoff, inadequate disposal of plastic waste by humans, and improper manufacturing of some plastics which make up to 20% of the total waste. And, as we say that the small actions compound to a larger impact, the small rivers which humans pollute are one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution, contributing to about 80% of the total waste. Furthermore, due to the UV radiation of the sun, the plastics which are present on the surface of the ocean convert into microplastic due to continuous exposure making it even more dangerous for the marine ecosystem and human environment. Until now, Marine plastic pollution has led to the death of about 1.5 million marine organisms, 100,000 marine mammals, and 1 million sea birds per year. Research also shows that about 17% of species are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species which are affected by plastic pollution. The plastic debris floating in the ocean either in the form of mega plastic or microplastic looks very similar to plankton which are the food of various marine organisms. This fake plankton is ingested by the innocent marine organisms accidentally which makes their stomach filled and ultimately leads to death due to starvation. Later, when humans eat seafood, the microplastic in the marine organisms causes detrimental effects on the human body. Plastic contains several carcinogenic materials that can affect the human body adversely leading to an imbalance of metabolic and hormonal activities. Plastic has various adverse effects on the environment as well. The degradation of plastic waste emits several greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere whereas the accumulation of this plastic waste by the uncertainty of ocean currents leads to the formation of large garbage patches in the ocean such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between Hawaii and California. Data shows that about 1.8 trillion plastic pieces were found floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch approximately. Moreover, if we analyze from the economic perspective, the dirty beaches filled with plastics impact the tourism industry leading to the financial loss of the country and the destruction of the beauty of nature. Hence, taking a step towards ending marine plastic pollution is a need for today. In my opinion, Innovation for creating effective solutions to solve the problem, Awareness for making people aware of the problem, and Implementation for implementing the solutions effectively by utilizing them to their full potential are the three keys to solving marine plastic pollution. And, taking into account the keys known as Innovation, I innovated Revive where my goal is to make the ocean cleanup 10x faster and make a plastic-free underwater world. Leveraging various technologies, I can come up with the idea of making a fish robot whose structure is inspired by the Whale Shark (Biomimicry), a filtration system that uses membrane technology, and a degradation system that uses microorganisms to degrade the plastic. And, to make these innovations reach the large mass, I urge you to embody these three keys and take your small step to save the ocean. Resources used: [1]https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/ [2]https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/1000-rivers-emit-nearly-80-of-riverine-plastic-pollution-into-worlds-oceans-newly-published-research-shows/ [3]https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution [4]https://plasticoceans.org/thefacts/#:~:text=Quite%20simply%2C%20humans%20are%20addicted,at%20least%20several%20hundred%20years. [5]https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1093/reep/rez012 [6]https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/paradise-lost-travel-and-tourism-industry-takes-aim-plastic-pollution-more [7]https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/how-does-plastic-end-ocean#:~:text=Rainwater%20and%20wind%20carries%20plastic,plastic%20surge%20in%20our%20seas. |
