Page 12 - Singapore Sample
P. 12
ಸಿಂಗಾರ ಸಿಂಚಿಕೆ ೧೪
PLASTIC OCEAN - Ocean isn’t World’s Trash Can
Plastic pollution in the seas affects human beings
in different ways. In addition to the risks from
polluted marine waters, ingestion of plastic by
fish and other marine beings also in turn causes
harm to people who consume marine food. Plastic
contains a lot of substances which might
otherwise be hazardous.
A lot of plastic debris in the ocean breaks down
into smaller pieces and is ingested by marine life
and it is thought that a significant amount sinks
to the seabed but a lot of it just floats around.
Thanks to the sophisticated modelling of ocean
currents using drifting buoys, we can see where
how much of this ends up. Huge amounts of
I am going to begin the topic by explaining how plastic end up in 6 garbage patches around the
plastic gets into the ocean. world, the largest one being in the North Pacific.
Mainly, there are three ways by which plastic gets THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH
into the Ocean. A truckload of plastic gets measures 1.6 million square km, which is 3 times
dumped in the oceans every single minute, but the size of France. The patch contains 1.8 trillion
how does it get there? pieces of plastic which equals 250 pieces for every
1) Litter – Plastic bottles and packaging littered human being. The total mass amounts to 80,000
on our streets and beaches can get blown into tons, which is 4 to 16 times more than the
drains and rivers and flow into the oceans. previous estimates. 92% of this mass is made out
2) Down the plug hole – Everything, from our of the larger objects, all of which are destined to
microbeads in our toothpastes to synthetic fibers fragment into dangerous micro plastics over the
that shed in washing machines and wet wipes next few decades if left out under the affect of
flushed down the loo, reaches the drains and ends sun and waves. Also, findings showing that
up flowing into the oceans. pollution in the patch is increasing exponentially
3) Landfill - Mountains of plastic in open dumps indicate that the plastic is unlikely to go away by
can be blown away and end up in the oceans. itself. These results paint a new picture of the
The more plastic that is produced, the more problem and provide a baseline for the cleanup
likelihood that they will end up in our oceans. It of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which has
flows on ocean currents all over the world; even started in 2018.
uninhabited islands in the pacific and the arctic
are becoming dumping grounds for plastic. It is Following are few tips to use less plastic
estimated that between 4 to 5 million metric tons and start reducing plastic waste in your
of plastic enter the oceans each year; this figure everyday life!
is only likely to rise. A 2016 report predicted that
by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will 1. Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic
outweigh the amount of fish. A normal plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade.
bottle takes about 450 years to break down 2. Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from
bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. You
completely. So, the components of a bottle save money and unnecessary packaging.
dropped today will be polluting the waters for our 3. Stop buying plastic water bottles and use a
great…great…great-grandchildren! reusable bottle or mug for your beverages, even
when ordering from a to-go shop.
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