Message in a bottle

Sending Message In a Bottle

Sending message in a bottle - does it sound romantic? Unfortunately, there is no romance in it. In fact, there is no common sense to it as it refers to the pollution from plastics that is threatening our seas and oceans today.

Unlike other kinds of trash, plastics are not bio-degradable. On the contrary, they degrade with sunlight and break into smaller and smaller pieces without ever going away. Also, they are more durable than other materials which means they stay in the oceans for a longer period of time, slowly leaching chemicals into the waters as they break down. Further, the process of manufacturing plastics is expensive in terms of the resources used. It is estimated that more than eight percent of world's oil is used in plastic production and this too at a time when there is a lot of pollution from oil production. Also, oil deposits are limited and wasting it in producing something that is toxic to the environment is one of the biggest blunder of human civilization.

Other than the manufacturing process, the disposal also becomes an issue as people simply throw their waste in any place without regard to the consequences of their actions. The effects are more profound in this trend of disposing plastics in seas and oceans because these small plastic pieces are eaten by marine animals and this affects their health. It is estimated that over 100,000 mammals and one million seabirds die every year due to ingesting plastic or getting tangled in it. This is a serious problem at a time when we are facing many problems such as global warming that is affecting the existence of sea life naturally and the poor attitude of travelers is making things worse.

Plastics are a serious threat to our oceans and this alone contributes to more than 90 percent of trash floating in the seas. A lot of it gets washed on the shore and this presents a health hazard to those who visit beaches to enjoy its natural beauty. An example of such a place is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch off the coast of California where plastic floats on the sea. This is the largest ocean garbage site in the world and it is twice the size of the state of Texas. Another area is the Manila Bay in the Philippines where it is possible to walk on large sections of the water without sinking because these areas are choked with plastic bags, soda caps, juice cartons and other plastic-based debris. These garbage sites are also a testimony to the callous attitude of humans towards nature as a whole and specifically, to the natural sites they travel to.

Besides affecting marine animals and the aesthetic appeal of tourist sites, plastics are threaten human beings as well. In south Florida, for example, the toxic materials leached out by plastics can enter into public waterways during periods of heavy rain. This was witnessed in the Biscayne Bay area after heavy rains pounded the North Miami beach. It is unknown how much of toxins from plastics have permeated into potable water in many parts of the world, especially in the tropical regions that can witness periods of heavy rainfall.

Unfortunately, it is not just the seas, but also other natural areas such as deserts that are affected by plastics. Wild camels who inhabit these regions ingest this litter and this is killing them in large numbers. Recently, in Ras al Khaimah, more than 30 camels died due to eating litter and this has raised a lot of concern in UAE and other countries bordering the Sahara. People who visit these areas simply dump their garbage without any regard to the beauty of the place or the consequences of their action on nature. Studies show that it takes 500 to 1000 years for plastics to degrade which means even if we stop using them today, it is going to be a threat for the future generations.

This is why to counter this problem, some governments are enforcing strict laws to prevent people from polluting. An example of such a place is Singapore where there are strict laws for littering. People are fined $1000 and are also given “community work” which is to remove litter on the streets. The idea behind this punishment is to embarrass the litterers publicly. In other places, there are similar laws such as the one in New Zealand where there is a financial cost as well as a prosecution under the Resource Management Act of 1991. Such a prosecution can cause harm to the reputation of an individual or a business. Such laws are aimed to deter people from polluting the environment. However, this does not seem to be enough as is evident with the large pile-up of trash.

A better approach is to educate people about the negative effects of littering. Currently, there is little effort taken in this regard and this lack of awareness contributes to littering in a big way. This has to be a concerted effort between individuals, communities, businesses and governments as it is likely to affect everyone in the future. Therefore, let us join hands today to prevent littering and to protect the natural beauty of earth from plastics.