Exploration 6 - Zach

One environmental issue that plagues the planet would be the littering or trash-dumping into the oceans. Throughout the oceans, especially in the Pacific, there are Garbage Patches that contain an abundance of human trash and waste that float in the water. This trash is then cycled throughout the ocean currents and is dumped on islands, and on coastal regions. The people living on those islands have to clean up the trash that is scattered about their beaches and coasts, but it also becomes a problem for marine animals and their ecosystems. This is a global problem, and nearly all countries that boarder the oceans are involved, because they are the ones littering into the oceans.

As mentioned, the people who live on the coast or on islands are effected most by this garbage dumping into the oceans. If this dumping continues, ocean pollution may become worse and certain marine animals habitats could be threatened. Most of the garbage are plastic materials, so they do not disintegrate or decompose in the oceans for a very long time, and thus, float with the currents and affect life and other human habitats. Certain third world countries that boarder the Pacific coast, do not have the resources or the potential to clean up the garbage, so their coasts become heavily polluted.

A solution for this global problem would be for people to cut back on the purchasing of plastic packaging, grocery bags, plastic cups, or any plastic material that most people take advantage of. Now, while this solution is simple, it is difficult for most, seeing that we live in a world, where it is cheaper to make things off of plastic. Another solution would be to keep storm drains cleaned because it is the storm drains run to the oceans, and pollute them. These are just two ideas, of preventing ocean pollution and many of them can be done, but do get the majority of the population to be involved is the hard part.

http://saveourshores.org/what-we-do/pollution-prevention.php