Paving the path to a brighter future
Updated: May 31, 2020
We are among a global crisis. The rising affair of plastic in nature, specifically in our oceans, is a tremendous issue that needs to be stopped. Every minute, about a dump-truck load of plastic, goes into the oceans, corrupting beaches, harming wildlife, and contaminating our food and water supply. In hindsight, we are polluting the ocean with around 12.7 million tonnes of plastic a year. As a result the damages we are doing to marine life and our ecosystem is becoming borderline unfixable. To put this into perspective, below are some eye-opening statistics about ocean pollution.
More than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals die from plastic pollution every year.
100% of baby sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs.
There is now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean & 46,000 pieces in every square mile of ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes.
Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic makes their way into our oceans.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is around 1.6 million square kilometers – bigger than the size of Texas.
The world produces 381 million tonnes in plastic waste yearly – this is set to double by 2034.
50% of this is single-use plastic & only 9% has ever been recycled.
88% of the sea's surface is polluted by plastic waste.
More than 1 million plastic bags end up in the trash every minute.
For an ecosystem that covers 70 percent of the planet, oceans get no respect. Our actions over the last 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years to come. When our very existence depends on the state of our waters, isn’t it time that we treat our oceans better? This is why Love Blue’s mission is a crucial factor in putting an end to this destruction and restoring the waters we all cherish and love greatly. Our ocean unifies us worldwide so why not try to protect our Earth's life support and work together to stop the ongoing threat that affects us all. We are on the front lines of ocean protection and have the power to advocate for change. Love Blue’s beach cleans are extremely impactful, restoring, and healing in ensuring a future where plastic no longer pollutes our oceans. So why not take action now and join the Love Blue movement!
Written by Lexi Kofman
Works Cited
“100+ Plastic in the Ocean Statistics & Facts .” Edited by Fran Collins, Condor Ferries, 2020, www.condorferries.co.uk/plastic-in-the-ocean-statistics.