Ocean Pollution: The Plastic Island

Ocean pollution: The plastic island

The seas and oceans represents 71% of water that covers the surface of the Earth, this forms the habitat not only of fauna species, but also of plant species (which includes the entire marine flora), bacteria and microorganisms, of the samemode can be used as an important source of natural resources (energy, food, minerals, etc.) But unfortunately humans have been in charge of contaminating and degrading this resource that is fundamental for the life of all living beings.

Pollution in the marine environment is the one that affects the seas and oceans, includes what occurs on the coasts, in the ports, on fishing platforms and maritime navigation (either by ships or by any other means ofTransportation that needs this means), occurs by the introduction or dumping of toxic substances and solid waste that is not common in this, its main cause is the anthropic activity, since due to the immensity and depth of the oceans, evenLittle man believed that he could use it to pour cheats and chemical substances in quantities without this having important consequences, he believed that the solution to waste and substances was to "dissolve them", that is, pour them into the seas and oceans in order to get rid of themwithout measuring the consequences or risk that species run (both fauna and flora) that inhabit it.

Some of the pollutants (either in liquid or solid state) generated more common from anthropic activity that are spilled into the waters are pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, hydrocarbons, wastewater, plastics and other solids.

To avoid pollution and ensure the sustainable development of this, international agreements such as the Marpol, Convemar, IMO, among others were made, among others.

The main roads of contamination of marine ecosystems include the direct discharge of waste in the seas and oceans, the runoff due to rain, the discharge of pollutants in the atmosphere (which when mixed with the water found in theClouds, makes these pollutants become heavier, that is, they become acids and fall to the ground in the form of acid rain), pollution from ships (both those used for the transport of hydrocarbons, and those thatThey are used to conduct chemicals, etc.) and marine mining.

There is so much the pollution in the oceans and seas that in the North Pacific there is an island which is called with the name of the “plastic island” with more than 100 million tons floating to drift, according to investigations it is affirmed that if notMeasures are taken in this regard will not be the only island full of plastic, garbage and waste, it is also estimated that this island is the size of a state such as Coahuila de Zaragoza, a Mexican state that includes a total area of 151,595 km² which would be approximately5 times the department of Santander in Colombia but, in the future it could be that of a contine.

The laws are created with the purpose of preventing, controlling and combating the events or incidents that represent an obvious risk and that pollute the marine environment, such as the discharge of hydrocarbons, hazardous and harmful waste (in any of the states of the matter) thatThey end up being harmful not only for humans but also for animals and plant species that they find this medium and that can be declared as their own habitat.