I was waiting at the park before tennis practice because I had come straight from school. As I walked toward the courts, I saw a dead squirrel: run over by a car. The small carpet of fur, covered with blood, stomach open to the world, guts spilling into the surrounding grass dyed crimson. I looked away, disgusted with the horrid sight before me. I continued the walk, noticing the plastic in the pond, the bottles on the sidewalk, the plants littered with bits of trash: dying of suffocation from all the pollution. Then the memory arose.

It was the summer of 2021, my family went down to a beach near us to enjoy the sunny day. I was playing around in the water and building sand castles, just having a good time with my family. The sand running through my toes, the salty water and sticky sand making my skin feel like sandpaper. I went to wash off in the water, but as I did I walked through a small patch of garbage. I remember the slimy feeling of the seaweed, mud covered plastic, it made me feel gross and contaminated. Later, my dad offered to play catch with a frisbee. We walked into the shallow water and started playing catch. The disk floating through the air, the water splashing when we dove to catch the off-course throw. Soon however, I felt something brushing against my leg. At the time, I thought it was just a fish and moved away. Soon though, I felt it again, tickling just above my knee. This time I reached into the water to swat it away. That’s when I felt the thin, flexible ring of plastic.

The dead fish floated up to the surface of the water, a plastic six-pack ring around its head. Its blank eyes seemed to follow me, the stink of fish filling my nose. When I saw it I freaked out and swam away to the shore. I no longer wanted to swim in the water, feeling unclean, feeling dirty. My stomach sank when I thought about all those times I’ve thrown away plastic and wasted materials. After seeing the fish though, I began to notice all the other signs of pollution; plastic bottles, other animals choked by plastic, and especially people actively polluting. 

I came back to myself. The details of the memory were fuzzy, but the feelings were spot on. For the rest of the day I thought about how the future of Earth will be a dark one, covered in plastic and trash. After practice, when I went home, I dreamt of dead fish and turtles choked with plastic, squirrels ran over, dead in the grass. The future is grim, but we can still turn it around. With hard work and dedication, we can end plastic pollution and save Earth from the world-wide extinction destined to occur.

Plastic pollution has been found all over the world, from the Mariana Trench to the peak of Mt. Everest, however nowhere else is plastic pollution as severe or as concentrated as the plastic floating around in our oceans. Mountains of plastic destroy the ocean, killing fish, suffocating plants and animals alike, making its way into our own bodies, demolishing biodiversity and ecosystems across the globe. The IUCN, a global authority on the conservation of nature reports that “At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year”(1). To some people this may just seem like an issue for animals and plants in the ocean, but plastic pollution will ultimately end all life on Earth, humans included. Developing countries that rely on income from fishing and tourism will be negatively affected because fish will die and no one wants to see a polluted ocean. People who eat the fish become contaminated and are much more likely to have health problems. Although this is most prominent in developing countries, large core countries suffer as well. Plastic affects everyone and everything on Earth, it has no discrimination against color, race, gender, ect. It pollutes, and it kills, and it contaminates. Laura Parker, an author for National Geographic states that, “Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world”(1). With this much uncontained plastic, unwanted health problems, ingested plastics, and ecosystems destroyed around the globe are almost a guarantee. With all of these problems there is a fix. This pollution has passed the bounds of one country or continent. Due to the increasingly detrimental effects of single use plastics on marine and human life, the United States needs to make international agreements with other countries over the globe to eliminate the production and pollution of single use plastics which will make our way of life much more sustainable for us and the rest of earth's life forms.

Plastic pollution in our oceans continues to worsen due to many factors of human cause. Plastic became popular and mass produced around the 1950s. It established itself as a useful, everyday item that everyone wants, needs, and uses for all occasions. Plastic items were produced at such a high level we didn’t know what to do with them, plastics that were convenient but only usable once, that was our solution. Our society didn’t see any problems with plastic, in fact everyone loved plastic, until over a decade later when it became clear that if not properly dealt with it could become a huge issue. The Center for Biological Diversity, an organization that works to protect the Earth and the life on it reveals that “Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable”(1), morover, “many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down”(1). There are hundreds of organizations in America trying to stop plastic pollution and other environmental issues, but nothing that will truly eliminate or even permanently reduce plastic pollution in the oceans. Plastic pollution continues to expand across the world and is becoming more severe at the same time. It stems from many different causes, some of which are out of our control, but most of which are completely within our grasp to stop. People pollute directly into the ocean from boats and ocean highways, we dump our garbage in the ocean, industries produce so much plastic that our weak management and disposal system can’t handle it. The U.S is especially bad with our plastic pollution. The Center for Biological Diversity divulges that “Americans use an average of 365 plastic bags per person per year”(1), in comparison, “People in Denmark use an average of four plastic bags per year”(TCBD 1). Huge amounts of single use plastics are contaminating ocean ecosystems everyday.  There is a hunk of plastic in the Pacific Ocean that “has 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic [and] weighs a total of 80,000 tonnes”(1), reports an author for the UN. They also state that “The patch is [now] twice the size of Texas or thrice the size of France”(1). Plastic pollution has gotten to a potential world-wide extinction level threat.

Ocean plastic pollution doesn’t affect just one community or country, it affects the entire world, all life on planet Earth. The plastic pollution, as mentioned before, “threatens ocean health, the health of marine species, food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change”(1), claims a writer working for the IUCN. People will no longer tour the ocean because of the pollution, communities whose income is based on tourism won’t get enough money. The economy will collapse without tourism, fishing, and other important things from the ocean to feed into it. When plastic is dumped into the ocean it breaks down into tiny microplastics that are swallowed by fish and other marine life. It goes up the food chain and eventually ends up being consumed by humans. “The plastic typically used in bottles, bags and food containers contains chemical additives such as endocrine disruptors, which are associated with negative health effects including cancers, birth defects and immune system suppression in humans and wildlife”(TCBD 1). The fact that we are consuming small bits of plastic that can cause so many awful effects on humans and other animals is quite disturbing. We have produced and polluted so much plastic that it has ended up inside our own bodies and the bodies of other animals across the globe. Laura Parker states, “Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels destined for our dinner plates”(1). It seems that we are destined to reap what we sow in the form of plastic pollution, which means the only option left is to cut it off from the source.

All single-use plastic items should be replaced with reusable plastic items to create a less destructive lifestyle. Single-use plastics are much less effective than reusable plastics or other materials in both manufacturing as well as how eco-friendly they are. As of 2019, “single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year”(Laura Parker 1). Single-use plastics, as the name suggests, are only used once then are thrown away. Many people think that they get recycled, but in truth only a miniscule percentage of plastics are recycled. The vast majority are thrown away, then go on to be polluted into the environment. These plastics may seem short and fleeting to us because we only see them once, then never again. However, in a study by the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization focused on improving Earth’s environments and ecosystems, the author claims that “It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade”(1). Not only this however, they go on to explain that the bags don’t fully break down, but that they “photo-degrade, becoming microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment”(1). These microplastics get into food and water supplies, causing health problems in humans and animals alike. The plastic bags fly around before they fully turn into microplastics, spreading the pollution even farther. According to Laura Parker, a well known and widely trusted writer for National Geographic, “The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place”(1). She is correct, if we reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean to begin with, pollution will decrease significantly and the oceans will be saved along with the rest of Earth. In her article Parker continues to explain why this is the most viable option. She goes on to say that her solution is the correct one because many of the single-use plastic products “such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years”(1). If we can really substitute all the single-use plastic items for reusable items, we could eliminate vast swaths of plastic pollution from the oceans. With all of the environmental groups and movements already in motion, we could entirely eradicate plastic pollution from our oceans.

Single-use plastic items are the single largest cause and issue of plastic pollution in the oceans. Due to these single-use plastic items, marine life is dying, which also affects humans. This plastic can choke fish and other species when they try to eat the plastic. The fish and other animals that die because they eat plastic often end up on our dinner plate. In fact, “About 34% of dead leatherback sea turtles[s] have ingested plastics”(CFBD 1). These sea animals with plastics instead of stomachs die and wash up on our shores, sink to the ocean floor, and decompose, leaving the plastic where their lifeforce flickers out. This plastic builds up and can cause even more problems. Parker divulges that “89% of plastic litter found on the ocean floor are single-use items like plastic bags”(1). The overwhelming amount of single-use plastic products in our oceans is mindblowing. These single-use plastics on the ocean floor as well as the plastics floating through the top of the oceans are causing severe health issues in marine animals. Many “Marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris, which causes severe injuries and death”(IUCN 1). These animals decompose and leave the remnants of the plastic they ate around, usually in the form of microplastics. These microplastics have been found in humans, loins, zebras, most marine species, and many other animals on land and water. However, the chain begins and ends with humans. We produce the plastic that causes all the issues, then we eat and drink the food and water contaminated with the plastic we made ourselves. An article from the UN states, “Every year, more than a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals are killed by plastic debris”(1). If we don’t stop producing and polluting plastic at the rate we currently do, every animal on Earth will be doomed to a fate of death by pollution.

Single-use plastic production and pollution will only be reduced or eliminated though international agreements, organizations, and laws. Plastic pollution in our oceans has become a worldwide problem. It is no longer an issue that even a few countries can independently fix. The US must work with other countries across the globe to put fines on littering, stop producing single-use plastics, and eliminate plastic pollution from our beautiful oceans. “Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. But once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the world”( Laura Parker 1). These ocean currents are vital to the oceans in many ways, they transport water with different temperatures, they are used by marine life at times, and they help keep the oceans how they should be. However, when hundreds of tons of plastic are dumped into them, they end up taking that plastic with them. This leads to the entire world being infested with plastic pollution; every ocean, every continent, every person. On an uninhabited island between Chile and New Zealand, “scientists found plastic items from Russia, the United States, Europe, South America, Japan, and China”(Laura Parker 1). These plastics were “carried to the South Pacific by the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean current”(Laura Parker 1). The ocean currents can end up moving the plastic pollution from core countries to poorer, less developed countries. These less developed countries usually don’t have very good plastic disposal systems, which results in all the plastic continuing to pollute the environment. However, they are not the only countries that have trouble getting rid of plastic in a more eco-friendly way. Parker reveals that the developed countries  “also [have] trouble properly collecting discarded plastics”(1). This is especially prominent in countries with low recycling rates. The idea that core countries are doing a lot is shattered with just a bit of research into plastic pollution in our oceans. The US can’t handle our own plastic pollution, why should other countries be able to handle theirs? The only way to turn this around is for the US and other countries all over the world to band together and eliminate single-use plastic production, replace all single-use plastic items with reusable items, and finally purge the plastic from our irreplaceable oceans.

Due to the effects of single-use plastics on all life, the countries of Earth need to step in. All the single-use plastics should be replaced with alternatives that are more environmentally friendly. If all the countries come together to make agreements and laws on the production and pollution of single-use plastics, the mass amounts of pollution could be greatly reduced or even eliminated. Single-use plastics account for much of the plastic pollution in our oceans. However, since they are only used once, they are much less effective and much more numerous. The amount of single-use plastics in our oceans is astounding. They are used only a single time, but persist in the environment for hundreds of years. If plastic pollution is not eliminated or massively reduced, all life on Earth is doomed. The ocean ecosystems will run out of food and die, which will reduce the food for animals on land, which will make them die out too. Humans will be included in this. We will run out of safe food to eat, safe water to drink, and even safe air to breath if this continues. Plastic will permeate the depths of the Earth, the insides of all living and nonliving things, resulting in the annihilation of the world as we know it. Overall, if the countries of Earth don’t band together to make global laws, agreements, and treaties about the production, distribution, and disposal of single-use plastics, the Earth and all life on it will die out due to the sheer amount of plastic pollution from humans and our carelessness.

Works Cited

“10 Facts about Single-Use Plastic Bags.” 10 Facts About Single-Use Plastic Bags, www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/plastic_bag_facts.html#:~:text=The%20plastic%20typically%20used%20in,suppression%20in%20humans%20and%20wildlife. Accessed 19 May 2023.

Beth Gardiner      •            July 16, et al. “Ocean Justice: Where Social Equity and the Climate Fight Intersect.” Yale E360, e360.yale.edu/features/ocean-justice-where-social-equity-and-the-climate-fight-intersect. Accessed 19 May 2023.

“How Is Climate Change Impacting the World’s Ocean.” United Nations, www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/ocean-impacts. Accessed 19 May 2023.

Imbler, Sabrina. “In the Ocean, It’s Snowing Microplastics.” The New York Times, 3 Apr. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/04/03/science/ocean-plastic-animals.html.

Logan, Michelle. “Ocean and Climate Change.” The Ocean Foundation, 18 May 2023, oceanfdn.org/ocean-and-climate-change/.

“Marine Plastic Pollution.” IUCN, 20 July 2022, www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution#:~:text=Impacts%20on%20marine%20ecosystems,stomachs%20become%20filled%20with%20plastic.

Parker, Laura. “Plastic Pollution Facts and Information.” Environment, 3 May 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution?loggedin=true&rnd=1683565110924.