Plastic pollution is destroying our ocean and if we don't do something about it soon the effects will be irreversible. In society today pollution is a big problem. Pollution affects the many different ecosystems of the world. One of these ecosystems is the ocean. There are many different types of pollutants that hurt the ocean such as chemical, noise, and plastic pollution.  The pollutant that impacts the ocean the most is plastic. Plastic pollution is a huge problem all over the world.  Most of the plastic in the ocean ends up there because of humans. People use plastic all the time in their daily lives. People use plastic water bottles, plastic bags and many more plastic items almost everyday. People use plastic without thinking about the consequences it will have on the environment. Plastic isn’t biodegradable, meaning that it doesn't break down so, once plastic is made it is here to stay. Since plastic doesn’t decompose it has a lot of time to eventually find a way into a body of water. Since all rivers lead to the ocean, plastic eventually makes its way into the ocean, even if it is from an in-land source. This results in high levels of ocean pollution. Plastic isn’t meant for the ocean so it throws off the oceans natural processes and ends up causing serious harm to the species that live in the ocean. 

Plastic is everywhere in the ocean; right now there are millions of pounds of plastic all across the ocean. Researchers have found that by this point in time plastic pollution has reached all parts of the ocean, including the Mariana Trench which is the deepest part of the ocean. The ocean which covers 71% of the world is so deep and vast so the fact that plastic has reached all parts of the ocean shows just how much plastic there truly is in the ocean. It is predicted that by 2050 the weight of all of the plastic in the ocean will be greater than the weight of all of the fish. The fact that something that doesn’t belong in the ocean will soon weigh as much as fish, which are actually meant to be there, should prove just how bad plastic pollution is. This shows that plastic pollution is a serious problem that needs to be fixed.

Plastic pollution is very dangerous for marine life and due to the high levels of plastic in the ocean it is easy for marine life to come into contact with it. These animals can't tell the difference between food and plastic so they are easily hurt by it. They can ingest it thinking it is food, the plastic then takes up room in the animals stomachs making the animals think they are full, leading to them starving. Even if an animal doesn’t eat plastic it can still ingest it through eating other animals such as smaller fish that may have plastic in their stomachs.  Marine animals can also become easily entangled by plastic, leading to suffocation. These aren't the only problems that plastic pollution causes. Not only is plastic found in the ocean but it is also found on beaches. Tourists come to beaches and leave plastic and other litter on the beach. High levels of plastic pollution on the beach can still affect ocean animals even though it is on the beach and not in the ocean. One example of this is shown with the reproductive rates of turtles. Plastic can raise the temperature of the sand where the turtles lay their eggs which affects the incubation of the eggs. Plastic pollution is seriously impacting marine life and is causing the oceans biodiversity to decrease rapidly.

Not only does plastic pollution affect marine life it also affects coral reefs. This is due to the fact that plastic pollution increases the growth of bacteria in the ocean. Researchers have concluded that there is a much higher percent chance of corals that come into contact with plastic to contract diseases compared to corals that haven't come into contact with plastic. Since plastic can be found everywhere in the ocean it is very likely that all corals have had contact with plastic, which means all corals must have some bacteria. Due to this it makes sense that scientists have predicted that by 2050, 90% of the world's coral reefs will have died. If this becomes true it will affect the whole ocean ecosystem. Coral reefs are home to many animals and provide shelter and food for them. If coral reefs die the animals that live there such as fish might die too which would throw off the food chain and affect other marine animals that rely on fish to survive. 

We humans are the cause of most of the plastic pollution so we need to do something to try and fix it. If we don't start doing something soon the damage that plastic pollution has caused will be irreversible. One way we could try to make this situation better is by reducing, reusing and recycling. I know that this is a phrase that is said a lot but, if everyone actually did this our planet would be in much better shape. If we reduce the amount of plastic we use in the first place we won't have to worry as much about where it ends up. It is estimated that 40% percent of plastic is single use plastic so, instead of using single use items like plastic shopping bags or plastic snack bags we should try to use paper shopping bags and containers. Most beach pollution is also caused by tourists using single use plastic items so using alternatives to these would help limit pollution. If you need to use plastic you can always try to reuse it or recycle it. Recycling plastic would also help limit pollution since the plastic will be turned into something new. If we truly hope to make a difference, it will take a global effort. The United Nations is trying to make a treaty that will mandate countries to reduce, recycle and maintain plastic pollution. If this treaty is made countries will have to regulate plastic production from the manufacture stage to disposal. Plastic pollution is a big problem that causes serious harm to the ocean ecosystem. However, if we truly hope to save our planet we will also have to focus on limiting other pollutants. The ocean is a beautiful place and is home to many amazing and interesting creatures. We need to do something to save it before it is too late.