Effects on Environment

Ocean plastic pollution has a significant influence on the marine ecosystem, tourism, climate, food, and human health. These effects are described as follows:

Effect on Marine Life

When plastic enters the marine ecosystem, it causes harm to both its biotic and abiotic components. For example, when plastics break down into microplastics they remain in the water, enter the food chain, undergo bioaccumulation and prove hazardous to every trophic level. Similarly, when large masses of plastic like waste bottles, razors, nets etc. keep floating in water they can prove physically hazardous to fish and other aquatic animals as they may get injured or entangled in them.

• Formation of Ocean Garbage Patches: All plastic that moves into the ocean come together to form a Garbage patch. One of the best examples is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
  • As per UNESCO data, 593,043,485 pound of plastic waste float on the surface of ocean.
  • Ocean litter contain 14% Plastic bottle waste excluding caps.
  • 8.3 billion plastic straws waste are found in beaches.
  • 100-300 billion plastic bags (approx) litter ocean every year.

The effects of ocean plastic pollution on marine ecosystems are mentioned below:

• Chemical Pollution: Plastics entering the ocean release harmful chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls and bisphenol A into water. These are the toxic chemicals which concentrate the food chain and harm human health.
• Physical Harm: Plastics can be accidentally consumed by marine animals and can cause internal injuries, blockages and starvation. Larger animals are entangled in the plastic debris which leads to severe injuries and death.
• Destruction of Habitat: The marine animals accumulate plastic debris which also damages the coral reefs and other habitats. This disrupts the entire ecosystem and also reduces biodiversity.
• Microplastics: The breakdown of plastic into smaller particles are micro plastics which are frequently ingested by marine animals and also transfers harmful chemicals and toxins to the food chain.

Effect on Food and Human Health

The impacts of ocean plastic pollution on food and human health are:

• Seafood Contamination: The microplastics are easily consumed by the marine animals which further accumulates in the tissues of other seafood and fish. This contaminated seafood is consumed by humans which causes health risks. 25% of California fishmarket contain plastic into micro form which is later consumed by human.
• Chemical Toxicity: Plastics absorb the harmful chemicals from the seawater and these chemicals include pesticides and persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals are also ingested by marine organisms which contaminates the seafood and toxic chemicals enter the human beings. 93% of people in US are found to be positive for presence of BPA.
• Economic Impact: Plastic presence in seafoods causes economic losses for seafood industries and fisheries. These contaminated foods are unsafe for human consumption and leads to financial losses and less market demand for the people depending on the seafood sector. 40 pound of plastic is consumed by human every year.

Effect on Tourism

Ocean plastic pollution highly influences tourism activities, some key influences are described below:

• Health Concerns: Ocean plastic pollution provides various health risks to the visitors when they come into contact with the microplastics, ingested food or contaminated water.
• Damaged Reputation: Organizations which sell contaminated food or water knowingly or unknowingly damage their reputation. The destinations such as lakes and beaches also become unpleasant because of ocean plastic pollution.
• Environmental Impact: Ocean plastic pollution reduces the beauty of tourist destinations by making the beaches look unattractive and dirty which also reduces the visiting of tourists as well. This directly influences the economies of coastal tourism that are highly dependent on visitors.

Effect on Climate

The impact of ocean plastic pollution on climate are:

• Emissions of Greenhouse Gases: The production, utilization and disposal of plastics into oceans reduces the capacity of oceans to absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. This improper management of ocean plastic waste damages the climate. Maximum carbondioxide emitted in the world is absorbed by the ocean which has reduced to 30% from 70%.
• Degradation of Oxygen Production Levels: It is suggested that half of the oxygen on Earth is produced by the planktons that live in the ocean. They also absorb the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere thus reducing the effect of this Green house gas. Plastic pollution adversely affect the growth of these organisms and thereby impact the control on global warming. Aprrox 70% of oxygen is produced in marine ecosystem which has reduced 3%-4% in 21st century.

The ocean plastic is harmful to different ecosystems and marine life. According to UNESCO, around 10 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. The major problem with plastic is that they are non-biodegradable and remains in the environment for thousands of years.

In this article, we will look into the Effects of Ocean Plastic Pollution on the Environment in detail.