[INFORMATIVE] Is Mankind Killing the Ocean? An In-Depth Look at Overfishing, Marine Pollution, & Climate Change

Is Mankind Killing the Ocean? An In-Depth Look at Overfishing, Marine Pollution, & Climate Change

By: Maaida Karim

We are killing our oceans by overfishing , polluting the oceans, and causing climate change due to deforestation, lack of plants, ozone layer depletion, forest fires etc and due to climate change, Global warming is caused which is causing harm to our oceans.

Is overfishing really that harmful?
Overfishing is catching too many fish that their kind becomes endangered or too depleted to recover. Many might think it is a local problem or so but instead overfishing has been a global problem for some time now, and there has been a rapid increase in it. In Asian countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, etc.

As we know sushi is common and widely eaten in Asia but not only sushi, other kinds of seafood are also quite widely available in Asia. One of the main causes why overfishing is increasing in Asia, due to the amount of consumption of seafood, in other words, we are eating our oceans away.

Marine pollution might be the end of the oceans!
Marine pollution is all the trash and chemicals from land which was discarded into the ocean but that is what we see and now if we were to take an in-depth look at it we see that many marine animals die due to all the trash like plastic bags, plastic bottles, shoes, wrappers etc and not just trash but also all the chemicals which were discarded by factories etc. Many marine animals accidentally swallow these chemicals which leads to their death and many also get stuck in all the trash which harms them and if it keeps on going like this then at one point all the fish may die. In order to stop this killing spree of fish, we should do the following things:

Try to recycle our trash by making DIYS or reusing them like either using plastic bottles to make some unique projects or use them for storing water

Try to avoid throwing trash in oceans or anywhere else like on the road and instead; we should throw it in either trash cans or recycle cans.

Volunteer to clean public places or the beach to help save our Earth. If everyone volunteers to do so then at some point we might be able to Protect it.

How is Climate Change Destroying Our oceans?
Climate change is a big issue that destroys all of our environment, not only oceans, but many people are still unaware of how it can ruin our environment. Due to climate change, there are many problems that occur such as extreme droughts and even forest fires due to global warming.

As for oceans, due to the extreme heat from the sun due to ozone depletion, overheating occurs due to which many ice glaciers melt and marine heat waves are caused, as well as high sea levels. To reduce global warming and the sudden changes in climate, we should do the following things:

• Plant more trees.
• Take care of trees and give them water to grow.
• Don’t cut down trees
• Avoid using non-biodegradable products such as plastic bottles, plastic bags etc and instead use other eco-friendly alternatives such as hydro flasks, tote bags. paper straws, paper bags etc.

Instead of following the fast-fashion trends and overconsuming things, we should buy things which are more efficient and will go a long way instead of buying useless things we don’t need.


Sources
OCEANS SURROUNDING ASIAN COUNTRIES AT CRISIS POINT! By Dr Susan Bliss Educational Consultant,

https://www.gtansw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Oceans-surrounding-Asian-countries-at-crisis-point.pdf.

How is climate change impacting the world’s ocean by United Nations,

How is climate change impacting the world’s ocean | United Nations.

Science Mini-Encyclopedia by Miles Kelly, book.