Summer is finally here. Temperature is high, the heat is unbearable so we tend to search for the refreshing sea in order to cope with it. With this in mind, I decided to write this article.
During this season in which we seek comfort and relief from the heat at the beach, we must treat the coast with respect and responsibility. We must have fun while also making sure that next generations will be able to enjoy this planet. The ocean is a treasure and that’s exactly how we should treat it when we go there. This means that we shouldn’t leave behind are garbage! Garbage only belongs to trashcans. The hostesses of the sea, fish, and all organisms that live there, end up surrounded by plastic that they might even end up consuming.
If one day, the fish ceases to exist, then what will happen with our sea? Around 10 million tones of trash end up in our planet’s oceans, every single year. Responsible for the pollution are not only tourists and visitors but also human activity taking place at the shore. Some examples from the most harmful materials polluting the ocean are: glass, metal, ropes, cigarettes, etc.
Moreover, in 1950 mass plastic production increased from 1,5 million tones per year in today’s level: 280 million tones per year. The 1/3 of this plastic is used in consumable products that are being thrown away often.
Plastic, as it’s probably known, never degrades, since the salt combined with the sun, results in it becoming even smaller pieces.
For this whole situation there are three main solutions:
- Treating the ocean in the same way we treat our home, with huge respect, since it’s full of life.
- We must replace all sorts of plastic with other biodegradable materials such as paper.
- We must stop thinking only about what profits us, and start thinking about the greater good. Climate change for instance, which is making our planet hotter every summer, is threatening the life in the poles, especially for the polar bears.
All sorts of human cooperations must function with policies that are friendly towards the environment. Each net that ends up in the sea is a serious threat to all the animals that live there. We must understand that money has no value in comparison to life.
Should we just try and focus on other solutions? YES! We must change our mindset completely, to honor not only ourselves but also our future children, our planet’s animals. We must stop buying plastic. We can change the way things work. We must not throw another piece of trash on the ground. If we see someone do something disrespectful towards our planet, we must speak up, because otherwise we will be as guilty as them…
In conclusion, this summer we should try and change. Instead of just throwing away something we will recycle, and we will not use something plastic again. We can, if we work all together, save our planet! We need to act now or it might be too late! Who’s with me?
With lots of hope and ambition,
Mairy Vidali