Pollution of the oceans is a global problem of today! Of course, there are volunteers who clean the shores of debris, save marine animals, and fish out plastic from the waters of the seas and oceans. But can they do it alone? How to stop harming nature and leave a healthy Earth to our descendants? Let's figure it out.
The role of the oceans in the biosphere
What does the phrase "world ocean" mean? An ordinary person will answer that this is the water shell of our planet. Yes, this is the main part of the hydrosphere. Of the 510 million square kilometers of the earth's surface, 361 are seas and oceans. Half of the water surface of the Earth is occupied by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean - a quarter. Indian - 21%. And the Arctic Ocean accounts for 4% of the world's oceans.
The oceans are the "lungs of the Earth". Why? Because they are the biggest sinks of carbon dioxide. This ability is vital for global climate regulation. In the last decade, the oceans have gradually lost this ability. This is due to the acidification of their waters. In addition, these processes threaten marine life, biodiversity is declining, food chains and entire ecosystems are being disrupted.
The oceans also serve as the stove of the planet. It is the seas and oceans that capture the bulk of the solar heat on Earth. Water has a high heat capacity. In warm weather, ocean water heats up more slowly than land and therefore cools the air. In winter, on the contrary, the warm water of the ocean warms the cold air. It affects the weather and climate on our planet.
The oceans are the source of food and livelihood for several billion people on the planet. And what riches the world's oceans store! And we are not talking about sunken ships with chests full of gold. The main wealth is not in the holds. They are hidden by the ocean itself. According to scientists, it contains an average of 50% magnesium, 15% iron, as well as nickel and cobalt. These priceless deposits are found at the bottom of the ocean in the form of salt deposits. It also contains precious metals. For example, tens of millions of tons of gold are in the dissolved state.
Pollution and its consequences
We can talk a lot more about the role of the world ocean, about its importance in the life of the planet. Why, knowing all this, does a person harm him so zealously? Why does a person not understand that his own health depends on the health of the world's oceans?
Water is one of the main sources of life on Earth. She, like a barometer, reacts to a critical situation and signals us about the problem. And people remain deaf and blind. The number one environmental problem is chemical and processing plants dumping waste from their manufacturing processes directly into the ocean. And these industries are run by people who, like everyone else, may not get clean drinking water tomorrow.
Oil tanker accidents, offshore oil production, the release of chemicals into rivers and seas that carry them to the oceans. All this upsets the balance in nature, and it suffers from our irresponsibility.
The second problem, the physical one, is rubbish. Millions of tons of plastic waste drift on the surface of the world's oceans, and 80% of this garbage fell into the ocean from land and 20% was dumped from ships. Garbage harms marine animals and birds by releasing toxic substances into the water.
Marine animals take plastic particles for food and die from them. Accumulating in the food chain, plastic components endanger life and the person himself. They are kind of invisible killers.
Solution
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for "reconsideration of man's relationship with the natural world, including the world's oceans." The coming decade has been declared the decade of ocean science. The UN hopes that thanks to him it will be possible to accelerate action to study and protect the oceans. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO plays a leading role in this work.
But this is not enough. We urgently need to take concrete action. Close harmful enterprises or oblige them to install cleaning equipment. Penalize non-compliance and reward those who fight pollution.
We have been hearing the calls of environmentalists for decades. But, since politicians and financiers determine our lives, nothing changes. They will not invest in something that does not give political and economic benefits today.
The way out is in the integral formation of society. In order to change the nature of a person, it is necessary to change his worldview. We need a state educational program, advanced training courses to build corrected relationships in society and the entire support system. So that each person was well, and not one at the expense of the other.
Humanity has destroyed the Earth, and now it's time to admit it. Indeed, in any part of the world, the terrible consequences of the technological and industrial race are manifesting. It's time to stop it, make a serious calculation and fix what can still be fixed.
There is no other way for mankind. We need to understand what we need to do, how to behave, what new world we must enter and what new systems to build.
Excellent material, thanks to the author.
Let the relationship between people and nature become thoughtful, cordial, integral,
Of course, the correct conclusion was made. People, like the world ocean, must live according to the laws of nature, then all six oceans and the entire environment will begin to flourish, recover, and life on the planet will become different.
So, people will become more serious about nature and not pollute it themselves, they will be more attentive to the environment and then there will be no pollution.