Exploration 6: Gabrielle

      An environment issue that I feel is important is pollution in the ocean. Pollution in the ocean mainly harms the wildlife that lives in the ocean like fish, whales, coral reefs etc. Right now, coral reefs are degrading due to warming and acidifying seas, which is from too much carbon dioxide. They are also degrading due to toxins coming from us humans. When someone throws a plastic bag into the ocean, they are not realizing what they are really doing. By throwing a plastic bag into the ocean, the plastic harms and can even kill the marine life, causing the food chain to decrease which just causes an everlasting problem in the oceans ecosystem.
      Right now, the toxins and pollutions are harming marine life and will continue to harm marine life in the future if something is not done. Today it is hard to stop people from polluting but a solution that can help the pollution problem in the ocean is instead of companies making plastic items, they can make biodegradable items like toothbrushes and bags. Although this will not clear up pollution in the ocean 100%, it can help decrease the amount the amount of pollution and hopefully in the future they can find bigger solutions. Today we worry about what is in and what color of an item we want, but instead we should be focusing on the design of items and how it can be a positive or negative for the environment.
      There is a lot we can do to help make a difference in the environment. For example, switching from everyday plastic items to biodegradable items. It is small steps like this that will make a difference.

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/
http://inhabitat.com/the-top-5-green-issues-humanity-should-be-thinking-about-in-2013/2/

Pictures like this one, show how humans use the ocean as a personal trash can.