It is important to save our seas. First things first, we want the future generation to enjoy its benefits as much as we enjoy them today. Earth has 326 million trillion gallons of water or in simplest form, about 70% of the planet is covered in ocean that has an average depth of 1,000 meters. We owe our existence to these great bodies of water. Just imagine life without them.
Seas in peril spells human lives in danger. We jeopardize the survival of our future children each time we pose threat to the intricate ecosystem of the seas. The destruction of the seas manifests a thousand-fold effect on our lives. Such destructions will ultimately claim our lives in two ways. The seas will either perish by natural death or worse, they will overflow, flood (verb) and directly take us.
The rise of the sea level, they say is due to the melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers. However, these frozen water account to only 1.6% of total water on earth. The increase is mainly due to the trash we produce. Whether we intentionally throw them to the bodies of water (whether or not expression is no longer acceptable), the garbage finds its way to the seas as dictated by the natural law.
Do you have any idea of how long will the garbage stay in the seas?
A piece of plywood dumped yesterday will stay in the sea till 2014. A cigarette butt thrown today will float till 2015. The styrofoam cup we used in drinking coffee will decompose until 2029. The tin can that was used to contain your favorite tuna meal will inhabit the sea till 2061. A plastic bottle stranded will stay till 2461 and a glass bottle will decompose until Year 1,002,011. This is according to the research done by the Ocean Conservancy the organization behind the annual International Coastal Cleanup. The garbage threatens the lives of the marine resources. What will be left are “dead seas”.
How does the garbage make the sea level rise?
Prove it yourself! Imagine a bowl of water. Try to put a glass bottle. Does it float or does it sink? The glass bottle is denser than water. It sinks! Does the water level rise? Yes, the water level rises. How high or how much? Now, try to put a Styrofoam cup. Does it float or does it sink? The styrofoam cup is less dense that water. It floats. Does the water rises. Yes, the water level rises. How high or how much According to Archimedes Theory of Displacement or Buoyancy, an object that floats displaces the amount of water that has the same weight as the object. If it sinks, it displaces an amount of water that has less weight than the object. Believe it! It doesn’t matter whether the object sinks or floats. It definitely makes the water level higher.
Now, think big! Imagine the sea as a bowl of water. Imagine how much garbage does the people of the earth produce.
We must act now. An individual step can initiate a big group action. Do not patronize non-biodegradable products. The law of supply and demand states that as demand decreases supply decreases. Believe that the production of these hazardous materials will eventually stop. Participate in activities aimed on saving our seas. Join in the International Coastal Cleanup held every September of the year. You can even start an innovative way of saving our seas or our planet as a whole!
I will leave you with the following lines from Smashing Pumpkins Song- Apples + Oranges.
What if the sun refused to shine?
What if the clouds refused to rain?
What if the wind refused to blow?
What if the seas refused to wave?
What if the world refused to turn?
What if the stars would hesitate?
Thank you!
HODGEPODGE 