The oceans of today look nothing like they did a few decades ago, so what kind of oceans will we bequeath to future generations? The World Economic Forum website predicts that the ratio of plastic to fish in the global ocean was 1 to 5 in 2014, and that the ratio will likely reach greater than 1 to 1 in 2050.
Of the 320 million tons of plastic produced globally each year, 8 million tons go into the oceans, the equivalent of a truckload of plastic being thrown into the sea every minute. The most common of the large plastics in the oceans are cigarette butts, followed by all types of food packaging, including disposable lunch boxes, beverage bottles, and plastic packaging. Fishing supplies are likewise one of the ocean's worst pollutants.
Today, the five major oceanic gyres all contain large numbers of garbage belts (marine debris circulations caused by ocean currents that aggregate plastic pollution originating from humans). The most famous of the global marine garbage belts is the Pacific Garbage Patch, which has the highest density of marine debris and plastics, with an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of garbage, covering an area about three times the size of France. Among the major global emitters of marine plastic pollution are China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, whose garbage enters the ocean via major rivers (Yangtze, Indus, Yellow, and Hai Rivers, etc.) and carries nearly 90% of the world's marine plastic debris.
Every time you use fewer plastic items, such as cutting down on take-out and online shopping, buying less mineral water, avoiding over-packaged or small-packaged products, etc., you are making an effort to save the oceans. Are you taking action today?