What I learned
Pollution of the world’s oceans is a serious threat not only to marine life, but also to human health and the existence of our planet.
❖ The main causes of ocean pollution are the dumping of plastic waste, petroleum and chemical products, the inflow of untreated surface water runoff, overfishing, and rising water temperatures.
❖ The consequences are long-term and often irreversible. Loss of biodiversity and disruption of the food chain are just some of them. Water pollution leads to serious economic losses and human health problems. Climate change as a consequence of rising ocean temperatures is creating conditions for more frequent and intense adverse and sometimes devastating weather events.
❖ Saving the ocean is a cause that unites people all over the world. Actions and measures are being taken to preserve the riches of the world’s oceans and to limit the sources of pollution. The most widespread of these are: using new technologies to treat wastewater, using renewable energy sources to power wastewater treatment plants, cleaning the ocean of accumulated waste, introducing strict international rules to control oil spills and the dumping of all kinds of waste at sea, better managing domestic, industrial and agricultural waste before it enters the ocean.
Source: https://kids.kiddle.co/images/e/e4/Marine_Debris_Removal_…Hawaiian_Islands.jpg
Each of us can contribute to tackling these global environmental problems by changing some of our daily habits related to the use and recycling of single-use plastic products. Marine and ocean pollution can also be reduced by increasing public participation in awareness-raising initiatives, beach and shoreline litter cleanups, and effective citizen control over littering in unregulated areas.
And that means a better quality of life for all of us!
