One million… a number that is consistently mentioned in the media. Whether it is the increasingly high pool of lottery winnings, a catchy song lyric, or the price of an undersized condo in Toronto. In this article, one million represents the number of aquatic creatures that die each year by the ingestion, or injury of plastic. Why do we care so much about the finer things in life, when before our eyes, 71% of the earth’s surface is deteriorating each day, by our own hands. It’s not about “Finding Nemo” anymore. Ultimately, it’s about educating ourselves, and the next generation to ditch the plastic in favour of a new phenomenon, defeating global warming.
Sixty Billion… that is the amount of garbage that will litter the ocean this year alone. This number is equivalent to half the weight of The Great Pyramid of Khufu, one of the heaviest objects humankind has ever created. This staggering number is unfathomable to think about, especially when considering that the ocean's garbage is close behind. To put this in perspective, this year's garbage mass will be equivalent to the land mass of the United States, and India.
Now, where is all of this garbage coming from? Eighty percent of all garbage pollution comes from the surrounding land areas. The debris is not only limited to polluted beaches, but also storm drains from overcrowded cities. Ultimately, the garbage travels from landfills due to weather conditions, and is placed directly into the vulnerable populations of marine creatures who fight to survive. Specifically, many turtles are killed by consuming debris, as their bodies allow them to be vulnerable to the dangerous effects of consuming plastic. Turtles don’t have the ability to regurgitate (throw up), which ultimately can lead to their starvation, as plastic can get caught in their stomach. Furthermore, this allows for marine creatures to be vulnerable to other predators, and increasing the risk of future generations to ask the question “what was a turtle?”
You know the numbers. You know the side effects, and you learned some fun facts about the ocean. Now, you might be wondering 'how can I help?' Education is the most important part of conserving the ocean for generations to come, as we can still undo the effects of pollution, and global warming. There are several things that you can do which consists, but not limited to recycling, supporting local clean up events, and using plastic alternatives. Juggernaut companies such as Starbucks have taken on this initiative by spearheading a campaign to “Save The Turtles”, by selling metal, and plastic straw alternatives. They have also incorporated “sippy cup” lids, to relieve the hassle of using a straw entirely.
Ultimately, in the words of Dory, “when life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming”.
Written by Olivia Mickus
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