IMPACTS OF OUR WASTE ON OCEANS AND MARINE LIFE

ENGAGING THE HUMANITIES: INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING AND PRACTICE PORTFOLIO

IMPACTS OF OUR WASTE ON OCEANS AND MARINE LIFE 

By Emiley Martin

The major concern of today’s modern society is the rapidly increasing rate of waste, pollution and climate change. These key issues come hand-in-hand with one another, where now we are responsible for the damage it does to the world. This blog will help educate, and shed light on the impacts of our waste on the world, while closely looking at this implication on oceans and marine life. 

Waste is a relational concept. Waste is only something which we regard as 'waste', what we determine it to be, what we don't and can't use. This can be food waste, plastic waste, clothing waste, or even time (time can be considered wasteful). All relational, perceived differently by everybody. what can not be considered to be perceived differently is the detrimental impact and the obvious effects of waste on the planet on which we live. As the human population increases so does the amount in which we consume, resulting in more WASTE. We make more than 2 billion tons of waste per year, we produce 1.5 pounds of waste per day and over 33% of this waste isn't managed properly. From finding these statistics, it becomes overwhelming, to be the origin - the foundation, of the cause of the problem. something has to be done, to educate more people on the problem is the start to the solution. So, to talk about oceans and marine life is something very complex and the implications of waste are impactful on humans and the state of human life but also that of marine life.

The initial impact of our waste on the atmosphere - As we know, the impact of the Industrial revolution causes a rapid rise of factories across Europe and the United States. This transition in many first-world countries allowed for manufacturing production growth. As an immediate growth of these industries "many waste products are emitted into the atmosphere from factory chimneys, car exhausts and waste incinerators. While much of the emitted material is gaseous and remains in the atmosphere (or undergoes chemical reactions in the gaseous phase), many of the substances emitted are either small particulates or they react with water in the atmosphere, dissolving in rain droplets. These particles/water droplets are carried in the atmosphere and, because the oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, when the particles drop to Earth or rain falls a large proportion is deposited in the oceans" (Clark R.B, Attrill M, Frid C 2001).  The industrial revolution jump-started the waste problem of today's society, the waste and disposal of atmospheric pollutants has remained the focus of waste and the cause of climate change and ultimately, the reason for polluted oceans."A factory, a sewage treatment works, a power station or a ship might all place its waste directly into the sea, often via a pipeline. Waste that enters streams, rivers or estuaries eventually ends up in the sea as the natural hydrological flow cycle carries it downstream", and "key pathways carrying pollutants into the sea include direct discharges from industry and municipal works, riverine inputs, atmospheric sources and ocean disposal of pollutants. For many substances, only one of these routes will be important, but other substances will enter via a number of routes and predicting their impacts in the environment and regulating the effects will be made more complex as a result" (Clark R.B, Attrill M, Frid C 2001).

The impact of rubbish pollution in the ocean - 

Habitat impact: The accumulation of waste/rubbish pollution on beaches, lakes etc, causes harm physically to habitats, the debris of waste can modify the structures of habitats. while also, due to waste debris light levels in oceans, other forms of water can be reduced underneath water levels as a result oxygen levels can deplete. The changes can be the main reason why benthic and open-water habitats may not be able to support aquatic life. 

Chemical impact: Ocean waste transports chemical pollutants, imminently threatening marine life, and as a result interferes with the human use of oceans and other coastal environments. Ocean waste/ rubbish has the potential to absorb chemicals from its surrounding environment and transport these contaminants globally through the food chain and humans who eat seafood. Contaminants lay on the surfaces of plastic particles and other contaminants be released from within the particles. Once released into the environment the plastic begins to break down into smaller particles due to UV radiation and weathering. From this, marine organisms ingest the plastic waste where the contaminants enter their digestive system, the transfer of contaminants between marine species and humans through consumption of seafood has been identified as a health hazard, but has not yet been adequately researched.

Biological impact: It is estimated that marine waste affects at least 267 species across the globe, that being 86% sea turtles, 44% seabirds and 43% marine mammals. The common threat these animals face is the physical hazards of ingestion and entanglement, and toxicological threats from contaminants in plastic particles. These animals are said to mistake plastic waste for their prey, most of which die as a result due to starvation while their stomachs are filled with plastic waste. These marine animals also die due to lacerations - as a result of entanglement - and infections, the loss of ability to swim and internal injuries. Plastic waste contributes to the death of marine wildlife through the spread of organisms and bacteria which live in the oceans, disrupting ecosystems.

Human impact: Plastic waste can interfere with navigation, impede commercial and fishing, and reduce tourism. A large sum of waste much like that of fishing nets and lines that float at or just below the surface, pose the greatest threat to vessel navigation. Lines and nets can become wrapped around propellers damaging them. 

Humans can be directly harmed by plastic waste, becoming entangled in nets and lines while swimming, or being injured by sharp debris. Medical waste, such as hypodermic needles, is of particular concern as punctures from this can result in the transfer of infections and disease. Due to the human health risk of medical debris, beaches in New York and New Jersey were closed to protect the public from medical waste that washed ashore in 1988, the loss of revenue from beach closures cost an estimation of $706 million to nearly $3 billion. 

The impact of our waste on climate change - When our waste decomposes or incinerates, carbon dioxide and methane gases are released into the atmosphere. These gases (greenhouse gases) contribute significantly to climate change specifically global warming. Due to climate change, many island countries are facing sea level rises, as they are low lying countries that have only a small land size. Rising sea levels due to global warming lead to an increase in flooding - ultimately causes an increase in pollution across coastal water as a result. Also, due to climate change, there has been a change in rainfall patterns, which increases the risks of extreme events such as cyclones. Cyclones can cause an extreme amount of damage which in turn, can cause more waste damage and waste pollution, increasing risks for marine life also. 

The difference we can make - We only cause more damage to oceans and marine life by ignoring the problem. We can make a huge difference in the amount of waste dumped into the ocean and can change the effects this has on aquatic life. This can be done through: exploring the existing legally binding international agreements on marine plastic pollution and questioning its effectiveness and what more can be done to help.

The government and research institutions need to work together in redesigning products and their disposal in order to reduce waste pollution. Recycling and reusing plastic can make a difference - even slightly, and supporting research to help develop products to replace single-use plastic products are necessary for reducing waste and waste pollution. The impact of waste and pollution should be taught in education so that each individual has knowledge of the full extent and effects waste has on the environment. this would encourage manufacturers, policy-makers and us as consumers to be more environmentally aware and could possibly change policy solutions to this problem. Through this, it could accelerate the idea of conceptualising and making new technology or products in order to replace detrimental material such as plastic with something else. "

At its simplest, this principle requires that the organisation responsible for placing pollution in the environment pays for the cost of cleaning it up and mitigating the damage. Thus, if an oil spill occurs and affects the coasts of several countries, separate national governments will initiate a response to protect and clean up their own part of the coastline. Then, once the emergency is over, it will recover the costs from the business/organisation (or their insurers) that caused the spill"(Clark R.B, Attrill M, Frid C 2001). Some example of policies which help the cause of reducing waste pollution is "the multinational treaty on pollution is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, commonly known as MARPOL, which regulates discharges into the ocean. MARPOL is a comprehensive treaty that regulates pollution from ships. Six annexes to the treaty set out regulations for different aspects of pollution. Annex I covers prevention of pollution by oil from operational measures and from accidental discharges; Annex II regulates pollution by noxious liquid substances carried in bulk (some 250 substances were evaluated and included in the list); Annex III specifies requirements for the issuing of detailed standards on packing, marking, labeling, documentation, stowage, and quantity limitations for “harmful substances”; Annex IV contains requirements to control pollution by sewage (the discharge of sewage is prohibited, except when the ship has an approved sewage treatment plant or is discharging disinfected sewage using an approved system); Annex V governs garbage and bans discharge of plastic from ships; and Annex VI limits sulfur oxide and nitrogen Introduction to the Marine Environment and Pollution 17 oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits emissions of ozone depleting substances into the air" (S Weis, J 2014).

To conclude, the future of oceans and marine life and their ability to thrive in modern society is all dependant on the way we treat the planet and how we manage our waste and dispose of it. "

The future ocean will continue to be used by humanity for waste disposal and treatment, for transport, food supply and recreation while still offering a cultural and spiritual heritage. [...] we wish to consider some of these issues while recognising that commenting on the future ocean is a highly risky activity for anyone without a crystal ball" (S Weis, J 2014). Change needs to be made about waste pollution and its disposal, more people needed to be educated on this problem and more awareness needs to be made on the matter, this change can start from this blog - now. 

 

References - 

R.B CLARK, CHRIS FRID, MARTIN ATTRILL 2001 : MARINE POLLUTION, NEW YORK: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PAGE 3

R.B CLARK, CHRIS FRID, MARTIN ATTRILL 2001 : MARINE POLLUTION, NEW YORK: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PAGE 4

R.B CLARK, CHRIS FRID, MARTIN ATTRILL 2001 : MARINE POLLUTION, NEW YORK: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PAGE 8 

JUDITH S. WEIS 2014: MARINE POLLUTION: WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PAGE 16

JUDITH S. WEIS 2014: MARINE POLLUTION: WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PAGE 236