Marine litter – a growing threat worldwide

Every single day people litter into the ocean. Each day the amount of litter thrown into the world’s oceans is increasing. According to some estimates, the amount of litter in the Pacific Ocean is about the size of Europe. The health of the ocean’s ecosystem is being harmed. Many animals in the ocean come by the litter and swallow or get trapped in it. These animals either end up chocking or starving to death.  Researchers have found that globally at least 43 % of cetacean species, all species of marine turtles, approximately 36 % of the world’s seabird species and many species of fish have been reported to ingest marine litter. Some of these unfortunate animals are able to escape but others aren't so fortunate. You would think that throwing litter into the ocean would not harm the human race, but it does. The plastic decomposes in the ocean but little pieces still remain. These little remains of plastic would then be swallowed and ingested by the animals in the ocean. Sooner or later these plastics will end up in our food that we eat. This can cause much harm to the human health. I believe that people should be educated on the effects of littering in the ocean. I also think that countries should set up laws against littering into the ocean. One downside to these solutions would be if the government wouldn't enforce the laws and the education. These two ideas would help the decrease in littering into our oceans. The decrease in litter would increase the chance of ecosystem’s survival and that is very important to the human race.

http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/marine-litter-2013-a-growing