Plastic Pollution

Living in 2019, most people are aware of the harmful effects plastic can have on our environment, especially since many stores have been charging for the use of plastic bags for ten cents instead of it being free. According to National Geographic, “The amount of plastic in the Atlantic Ocean has tripled since the 1960s... Plastic bags resemble jellyfish, a common food for sea turtles, while some seabirds eat plastic because it releases a chemical that makes it smell like its natural food. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish and mammals” (Howard). Just like humans, the animals underwater are precious forms of life that don’t always know about the things that are right in front of them. The plastic that surrounds soda cans can act like a net that a turtle can poke its head through and become stuck. Also, plastic straws tend to seep into the sea turtles' noses as they swim, making it difficult to breathe, and sometimes it even causes death. Marine animals are blinded by the consequences of what plastic can do to them, leaving humans to be responsible, since they were consumers of the material. Therefore, it should become the humans’ job to not allow it to enter the waters.

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Citations

Howard, Jenny. “Marine Pollution, Explained.” Marine Pollution Facts and Information, National Geographic, 2 Aug. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-marine-pollution/.