english

Throwing Waste into the Sea

Environmental pollution has become one of the most troublesome issues globally with a lot of efforts and resources being directed towards the fight against it. The throwing of waste into the seas and oceans is one of the processes through which the environment is being polluted. It has been on the rise in the past few decades. The result of the dumping is the massive unsightliness of the waters as well as the destruction of marine life. Generally, environmental pollution has unleashed a lot of havoc to all living things and every channel that leads to this should be eliminated at once (Sesini 6). With the consequences that we have experienced so far and the evidence presented from research, I believe that the disposal of waste in the seas should not be allowed. Disposal of waste of any kind is not an exemption and is fueling the current struggle with issues regarding environmental pollution.

The dumping of garbage and other waste materials in the seas has been placed at the top of the list as the primary process through which marine environment is polluted. Industries, factories, sewage, ships, and tankers are the major sources of the waste that ends up being dumped into the oceans. Most of the materials which are deposited into the oceans contain very toxic substances such as mercury, lead, cryolite and DDT (Eriksen et al. 36). The negative consequences of these elements are so pervasive even in meager quantities, but the above listed sources release them in large amounts into the water bodies. With the rising level of industrialization, especially in the developing countries, throwing off trash in the oceans has been quadruped due to the poor waste management systems in such nations. Nevertheless, although the developed countries have been able to cut down the quantity of waste reaching the seas and oceans, the remaining amounts that are entering the waters remain a concern. Appropriate measures should be employed to ensure that no debris is reaching the environment at any particular time.

However, some people have a feeling that waste deposal into the seas is not a big deal. Therefore, they have been resilient with the clarion calls against ocean dumping. First, they believe that the oceans are so massive and can accommodate large amounts of waste in them without causing a lot of harm. According to research, such characters ignore the evidence being provided by researchers as they see them as mere exaggerations. The cost of waste management, which is produced primarily some factories and industries, are so expensive to treat. To protect themselves from such costs, most of these institutions continue to fight for continued dumping in the oceans (Jambeck et al. 770). Most of them use corruption to reach the bodies which are supposed to keep the waters clean. These regulated agencies allow them to continue with these dangerous practices for bribes in return. As a result, tons of waste ends up in the oceans with the eventual alteration of the once beautiful waters and destruction of marine life.

As mentioned before, ignorance is one of the reasons some people continue to dump wastes in the marine environment. The acts of even individuals, such as tourists, throwing plastics in the oceans or even household trash into the sea have an enormous impact on water pollution. The feeling that our waste does not have much impact on the waters is very detrimental in the fight against marine pollution, especially when those in higher positions believe this or even decide to ignore the warnings being provided. However, their position is not right. The disposal of waste into the bodies of water has very severe consequences. The first result is the destruction of the marine biota. The toxic wastes which are deposited into the water have direct harm to the organisms which live in the water such as DDT, mercury, and lead (Eriksen et al. 67). Additionally, some of the materials dissolve all the oxygen in the water which impairs the ability of the organisms to respire with eventual death.

Others, such as plastics, not only destroy the beauty of the waters, but also break down into particles which cover the surface and impair the circulation of oxygen into the water. The particles can be ingested by organisms living in the oceans. When the levels contributed by the plastic components become too much, the animal bodies are not able to deal with them and they intoxicate them leading to their death. The garbage collections, such as the one found in the Pacific Ocean, has become a breeding site for micro-organisms which mutate and cause new diseases (Sesini 15). According to research, the diseases not only claim the lives of the marine life, but the people who come into contact with the water in places where treatment of drinking water is poor. The death of fishes, which many people have been known to depend on as their source of living, impairs their ability to cater to their needs. All that is left of them is to struggle which could have been avoided by protecting the waters from waste disposal.

The garbage has been known to release poisonous gases into the environment after the compounds in waste and sewer react in the water. These gases contribute to global warming and health implications on humanity such as skin and respiratory conditions. With such consequences, everyone needs to view the issue as a danger to the existence of human and other living things. It is a reason as to why nobody should be allowed to throw any waste into the waters. There are several methods which can be used to ensure that all cases of marine pollution have been eliminated once and for all. Of particular importance is the cooperation between all stakeholders globally since failure to do that only creates loopholes. These deem all the efforts to failure in one way or another (Jambeck et al. 771). The first method is through the enactment of laws and regulations to protect the marine environment. It is the main way of doing so. These laws should involve not only disposal, but also the management of various wastes on land which in most cases find their way into the oceans.

There have been several regulations from the US such as The Clean Water Act and Ocean Dumping Ban Act. Others by the EU and UN include The Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC and the London Protocol which have been very useful in the fight against dumping into the seas and oceans. Additionally, projects which aim at cleaning the already polluted water should be introduced and financed adequately to ensure that their objectives are achieved. Enough research has been conducted on how to clean the waters and projections given on what will happen if the necessary strategies are employed. According to Jambeck et al. (775), the magnitude of plastics in the marine environment will be the size of a continent by 2032 if no steps are taken to prevent disposal of waste into the oceans. The consequences will be so pervasive such that very large amounts will have to be directed to the management of the effects of marine pollution. As a result, it is imperative for every individual to understand that throwing of waste in the oceans and seas is deadly and remain vigilant to ensure that this practice is eliminated entirely.

Works Cited

Eriksen, Marcus, Laurent CM Lebreton, Henry S. Carson, Martin Thiel, Charles J. Moore, Jose C. Borerro, Francois Galgani, Peter G. Ryan, and Julia Reisser. "Plastic pollution in the world's oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea." PloS one 9.12 (2014): e111913.

Jambeck, Jenna R., Roland Geyer, Chris Wilcox, Theodore R. Siegler, Miriam Perryman, Anthony Andrady, Ramani Narayan, and Kara Lavender Law ."Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean." Science 347.6223 (2015): 768-771.

Sesini, Marzia. "The garbage patch in the oceans: the problem and possible solutions." Columbia University, New York (2011). 4-18.