An ocean full of trouble

Everyone is aware that our environment is in a fragile state. Pollution in the ocean has been a major issue that not only affects the oceans, but is affecting the rest of Earth as well. Our oceans are facing imminent threat of mass extinction and need our help now.

A recent report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) was released and warned on the serious condition of our oceans. The report concluded that the world’s oceans are in more trouble than we had previously thought.

“The findings are shocking,” said IPSO Scientific Director Alex Rogers. “As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications become far worse than we had individually realized. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level.”

The conclusions of the report were presented to the United Nations and were conducted by a group of marine experts and scientists from various backgrounds. The report states that the impact humans have had on the planet in recent centuries is most likely going to cause a mass marine extinction.

If the oceans are facing such a threat, this would mean that the rest of the planet is in a lot of trouble. We depend on the ocean for 70 percent of Earth’s oxygen. They are also responsible for rain; if we didn’t have rain, we wouldn’t have food.

The report stated that overfishing is a large contribution to ocean threats. It would be easiest for governments to reverse overfishing to help regulate the problem. Fisheries should also be managed more responsibly in order to make sure they are only taking out fish they need and not doing any illegal trading.

So what can we do to try and help this major problem? Individuals can switch to cleaner energy such as wind or solar power. Recycle and lower consumption of glass and plastic containers to help prevent plastic debris from being dumped into the ocean. If you do eat fish, make sure what you are eating is harvested in a sustainable way.

The situation demands global action in order to reduce pollution. We have heard environmental threats before but hopefully this new report will change the minds of government officials so they can make it a point to begin to tackle this serious problem.