A wave of disruption

- How we’re contributing to the destruction of marine life

It’s the weekend. You’re at the beach with your family - walking along the shores before wading into the water or heading over to buy a kite to fly. As you continue walking, you see a huge lumping form appear in the distance. As you get closer, you realise it’s a beautiful whale. Dead.

Dead because it consumed all the plastic we carelessly threw into the sea. Dead because we didn’t care about the consequences of our actions.

Many species call the ocean, home. Unfortunately, marine life is severely threatened due to human insensitivity and cruel disregard. Beached whales are not a new phenomenon, but it is one that is certainly on the rise. Changes in the tides, melting icebergs and shifting food sources such as fish may force whales to relocate and wander off course causing them to swim into shallow waters or possibly even beach themselves. In some cases however, a whale may end up beached because it has already died and is washed ashore. This has become the primary reason for beached whales. Not only whales, but sea turtles, marine life, and even birds fall victim to plastics every year.

Plastics are dangerous to marine life because they are often commonly mistaken as food by marine mammals and even sea birds, and ingested by them, leading to dangerous and life threatening consequences. Plastics also often cause injury, because marineanimals sometimes get entangled in them.

In 2015, Sri Lanka was ranked fifth among countries releasing plastic waste into the sea, which is certainly not an achievement to be proud of. It is important for us to consider the impact of polluting the ocean and its effect on marine life.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

You will be surprised to know that there is a lot you can do, be it by yourself, with parental guidance, or on a larger scale with support from your school or community. You have the power to make a change.

■ Don’t throw garbage wherever you please. Bins exist for a reason. If not, take garbage home with you and dispose of it.

■ Reduce plastic usage. Encourage your parents to consider reusable bags when shopping, for instance.

■ Organise beach clean ups at a school or community level.

HERE ARE SOME STATISTICS THAT YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT :

■ A marine policy study has revealed that ingestion and entanglement from litter poses the biggest threat to marine life more than chemical contamination.

■ Dr. Joseph Mercola, an activist in the battle against climate change, stated that staggering amounts of plastic waste from water bottles and plastic bags to tiny microbeads and microfibres, are entering oceans, rivers and other waterways.

■ In 2015, researchers calculated that 275 million metric tons of plastic waste were generated in 192 coastal countries, with anywhere from five million to nearly thirteen million metric tons of it entering the ocean. Worse still, they estimated that unless waste management practices are improved, the amount of plastic entering oceans by 2025 may double.

■ According to the environmental advocacy group, Ocean Conservancy, some plastic products persist for so long, even in salty ocean water, that they’ll still be recognizable after 400 years.

■ More than 80 percent of ocean plastic starts off on land. Once in the ocean, it’s known that nearly 700 species - and probably many more are negatively impacted by such debris. Sadly, at least 17 percent of impacted species are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as near threatened or worse, and at least 10 percent of the species had ingested micro plastics.

■ According to the United Nations, at least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine debris, and as much as 80 percent of that litter is plastic. It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year.