Tag: plastic-pollution

Guardians of the Sea: The Fight Against Ocean Pollution 

Artwork by Freya Kotter

By: Freya Kotter, 14, Austria

The ocean is a wonderful place. It is home to a huge number of species and it is crucial that we protect our oceans. If we don’t, it could lead to extinction of many species and creatures that we have not discovered yet, and cause an imbalance of the marine ecosystem. This would also affect us greatly as the ocean contributes to our lives as a whole by stabilising the water cycle and weather patterns, as well as giving us food. 

Plastic waste is a major contributor to loss of life below water as well as life on land. Plastic may be cheap and easy to produce but it takes decades to centuries for it to decay. This has become a real concern. Only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled (Geyer, Jambeck, and Law, 2017), 12 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year, 8 million pieces of plastic make their way to the ocean every day (Surfers Against Sewage, 2024). Scientists have also warned us that plastics in oceans will triple between 2015 to 2025 (Government Office for Science, 2018). This is a huge problem as this will cause a significant decline in marine life. 

Plastic fishing nets are one of the biggest threats to the marine ecosystem. They are one of the main reasons that so many species die either because they get trapped or mistake it for food. Fishing nets also damage coral reefs and other habitats as they drift off and get caught easily. To protect the environment from these nets we could enforce a law to mark equipment, so if it gets lost and is found they can pay a penalty fee. However, to avoid all this from happening we need to take action and stop using as much plastic. There are already alternatives to plastics like biodegradable plastic made from natural substances like algae. Many conventional plastic wastes end up washing up on shore and pollute the soil, causing some plants to absorb microplastics, making them essentially 1% plastic!  

Other threats to the ocean include overfishing and global warming. Overfishing is sometimes taken too far which can cause the food chain to become less stable and therefore the whole ecosystem suffers. Global warming is another major issue because it causes the oceans to rise and weather patterns to change drastically over a short period of time. This can cause flash floods and the oceans to become more vigorous and erode more land rapidly over a shorter time span. Global warming, plastic waste and overfishing all harm our oceans and present a huge threat to the health of our planet. I think we should try to change our perspective and minimise the impact of our behaviour on our earth.

References

Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782

Government Office for Science. (2018). Foresight Future of the Sea A Report from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5afab2f440f0b622e060e2b7/foresight-future-of-the-sea-report.pdf

Surfers Against Sewage. (2024). Plastic pollution: facts & figures. Surfers against Sewage. https://www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/plastic-pollution-facts-figures/

Echoes from the Deep

Artwork by Clayden Botes

By: Advika Gupta, 14, India/UAE

Growing up in Mumbai, the Arabian Sea was more than just a backdrop to my life; it was a part of who I was. Family outings to Juhu Beach, school trips exploring coastal biodiversity—it all ingrained in me a deep love for the ocean. But in 2021, that love took on a new urgency. The severe floods that year, which turned the lively streets of Mumbai into rivers, made me realize just how vulnerable our oceans—and by extension, our cities—are to the impacts of climate change. The relentless rain and rising sea levels left us feeling helpless as our home slowly submerged. In that moment, I realized that the ocean’s cry for help wasn’t just something happening far away. It was right here, affecting our lives in ways we could no longer ignore.


Now living in the UAE, I find myself surrounded by a different yet equally fragile marine environment. The crystal-clear waters of the Arabian Gulf have shown me the beauty of marine life but also its peril. I’ve travelled to various places, diving in the coral reefs of the Maldives, witnessing the bleaching of once-vibrant corals, and seeing plastic-choked beaches
in Southeast Asia. Each experience has deepened my resolve to act. The global scope of the problem is undeniable, but it’s the personal encounters with the degradation of these marine ecosystems that have driven me to take action.


Sustainable Development Goal 14, ‘Life Below Water’, is not just an abstract global objective, it’s a call to action that resonates deeply with me. In the UAE, I’ve joined local conservation groups focused on protecting the marine environment. One initiative that’s particularly close to my heart is our effort to restore seagrass meadows along the UAE coast. Seagrasses are often overlooked, but they play a vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. They provide habitats for marine life, act as carbon sinks, and protect against coastal erosion. Our team has been working to replant these meadows, and seeing them slowly come back to life has been incredibly rewarding.


I’ve also been advocating for the reduction of single-use plastics, organizing clean-up drives along the coastlines, and engaging with local schools to raise awareness about marine conservation. Seeing young students get involved has been incredibly inspiring. Some might wonder, can actions as simple as refusing a plastic straw or joining a beach cleanup really make a difference? But just as a forest begins with the planting of a single tree, these small, local actions are the seeds that can grow into a global movement, I hope. No effort is too small, and each one contributes to the broader fight to protect our oceans and combat the climate crisis.

As I look forward to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, I carry with me the stories of these places, the memories of these endangered marine ecosystems, and the hope that our collective efforts can turn the tide. Protecting our oceans is a shared responsibility that transcends borders. It’s about ensuring that future generations can experience the same beauty and wonder that I was fortunate enough to witness as a child in Mumbai and now in the UAE. Do you hear the oceans crying out for help? It’s up to us to answer that call with the urgency and compassion it deserves.