Life Below Water: Contributions to Combat Various Polymers

Document Type

Presentation

Type

Information Motivating Public Activism (IMPACT)

UN Sustainable Development Goal

UNSDG #14: Life Below Water

Start Date

29-4-2020 11:15 AM

End Date

29-4-2020 11:30 AM

Abstract

Lethzeylee Gutierrez and Naveena Mutharasan on UN SDG Goal 14: Life Below Water United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, aims to sustainably manage and protect marine life and coastal ecosystems from pollution caused by humans. A clean ocean is essential to both animal and human lives due to the fact that the oceans produce over half of the world’s oxygen and store 50 times more carbon dioxide than the Earth’s atmosphere. Ocean pollution not only affects us but the life within the aquatic ecosystems. Different plastics can cause entanglement, suffocation, and eventually death. Unfortunately, animals in the oceans can also confuse plastic for food and end up consuming it. These plastics can consist of multiple harmful chemicals that can lead to their death. Looking at different plastics and the amount of each type that ultimately ends up in the waters is a crucial part in understanding the severe effects they have on the ecosystem. The consumption of plastics by marine animals can also have a negative impact on humans from consuming a marine animal that has ingested plastic, with potentially deadly chemicals, over its lifetime. This can and has been extremely hazardous to a person’s health. Furthermore, marine life is essential to human life due to the dependence people have on it relative to location. Specifically, the marine animals of the Pacific Ocean are heavily relied on and have all found a way to survive but there is still approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution finding their way into our ocean daily. By analyzing the different types of plastics and the level of contribution by people in cleaning up the Pacific Ocean specifically, we can eventually help prevent the severe levels of pollution in aquatic ecosystems worldwide.

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Apr 29th, 11:15 AM Apr 29th, 11:30 AM

Life Below Water: Contributions to Combat Various Polymers

Lethzeylee Gutierrez and Naveena Mutharasan on UN SDG Goal 14: Life Below Water United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, aims to sustainably manage and protect marine life and coastal ecosystems from pollution caused by humans. A clean ocean is essential to both animal and human lives due to the fact that the oceans produce over half of the world’s oxygen and store 50 times more carbon dioxide than the Earth’s atmosphere. Ocean pollution not only affects us but the life within the aquatic ecosystems. Different plastics can cause entanglement, suffocation, and eventually death. Unfortunately, animals in the oceans can also confuse plastic for food and end up consuming it. These plastics can consist of multiple harmful chemicals that can lead to their death. Looking at different plastics and the amount of each type that ultimately ends up in the waters is a crucial part in understanding the severe effects they have on the ecosystem. The consumption of plastics by marine animals can also have a negative impact on humans from consuming a marine animal that has ingested plastic, with potentially deadly chemicals, over its lifetime. This can and has been extremely hazardous to a person’s health. Furthermore, marine life is essential to human life due to the dependence people have on it relative to location. Specifically, the marine animals of the Pacific Ocean are heavily relied on and have all found a way to survive but there is still approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution finding their way into our ocean daily. By analyzing the different types of plastics and the level of contribution by people in cleaning up the Pacific Ocean specifically, we can eventually help prevent the severe levels of pollution in aquatic ecosystems worldwide.