The Beginning of Our End

A paper detailing the need to care for our oceans

Tyler R. Flowers
Table Of Contents

Table of
Contents…………………………………………………1
Images
Used………………………………………………………….1
AbstractIntroduction……………………………………………
……………..2
The Status of Our Oceans…………………………………….2
Saving Our OceansMoral
Obligations………………………………………………….4
Will it Really Work?What You Can
Do…………………………………………………..5
Conclusion..........................................................................6
References………………………………………………………
……..76

Images

Image 1……………………………………..23
Image 2……………………………………..23
Image 3……………………………………..3
Image 4……………………………………..5

Abstract Introduction
I’m sure you have heard that seventy percent of earth is covered by oceans,
and that we are currently destroying them. You as well as everyone else have
heard it for so long that it has seemingly become a part of our way of life. There is
an endless list of groups dedicated to saving our oceans and climate, but almost
nothing is ever done to truly change our trajectory. Oceans provide us with food,
they regulate our climate, and produce most of the oxygen we breathe (unep.org),
and should be treated like they do. Right now, we possess an excessive amount of
habits that will eventually ensure that oceans will not be able to provide these same
necessities. The purpose of this paper will be to detail the current status of our
ocans and present some possible solutions for the problems we are facing.

The Status of Our Oceans

The Cause
Some of the most destructive habits we possess in regard to our oceans
include air pollution, oil spills, overfishing, and unregulated waste management to
name a few. Each one of these harms life in the ocean and destroys habitats taking
us closer to a point we cannot return from. Right now, the most ocean pollution
comes from land based activity, eighty percent to be precise. Each day, we add 8
million more pieces of plastic waste to the ocean. There have been “trash islands”
created in our oceans from all the plastic and garbage that we dump. I have
included some pictures below that show some of these areas.
In the last century, our ocean waters have increased in temperature by 1.5
degrees . This may not seem like a lot but most of that increase has happened in the
last few decades. It also seems like a much more prominent issue when you realize
that NYC will be underwater if an increase of 9 more degrees happens. Added to
our oceans now having “trash islands” developing from all the microplastics that
are in the ocean, this is from the 5.25 trillion pieces of micro or macro plastics that
have made their way into the ocean as of 2023. With each day bringing 8 million
more pieces of plastic.

Some of the more prominent negatives we contribute in relation to the

destruction of earth's oceans would be oil spills, coral bleaching, overfishing, and
global warming. Every one of these kills off ocean species, decreases oxygen
production, and takes us closer to the point of no return. Could you imagine living
in our world with no more of your favorite marine delicacies like shrimp or crab
legs, lobster tail or calamari? What about a world where there isn’t enough oxygen
to go around for the human population? Below are some pictures of some of the
most polluted parts of the ocean, could you imagine every part of our oceans
looking this way?

(images on next page)

The Effect
It is easy to see the effects of our treatment towards the oceans. In the last
century, our ocean waters have increased in temperature by 1.5 degrees fahrenheit.
This may not seem like a lot but most of that increase has happened in the last few
decades. It also seems like a much more prominent issue when you realize that
NYC will be underwater with an increase of 9 more degrees fahrenheit. Added to
this, we have issues such as a decreasing oxygen production and coral bleaching.
This is from ocean acidification caused by our pollution. Without change there
will eventually not be enough oxygen produced to support the demand. Coral
bleaching will also cause many issues in relation, they are home to species that
produce oxygen and once they are destroyed there will be no place for these ocean
species as well as other fish that use coral reefs as protection from predators and a
home. Below is an image detailing where most of the current ocean pollution
comes from.
Right now, the most ocean pollution comes from land based activity, eighty
percent to be precise. Some of the best ways to start repairing our oceans would be
to switch away from plastic to something that is biodegradable, reduce our waste,
also reduce vehicle pollution by switching to electric cars, conserve water, use less
energy, fish responsibly, and respect healthy ocean habitats. Every one of these
can be achieved either through legislation or development of new products that are
environmentally friendly. All it takes is for people to be invested in the care of our
planet. In America, if we vote for green politicians, it will become a trend and
priority for all politicians.

*map of where most of the worlds plastic waste is generated*

Saving our Oceans

Everyday Life
There are many things that we can do in our everyday life to help start the
repair of our oceans. Some of the best ways to start would be switching from
plastic to something biodegradable, reducing our waste, reducing vehicle pollution
by switching to electric cars, conserving water, using less energy, fish responsibly,
and respecting healthy ocean habitats. It seems like a lot to take in, but once we
start healthy habits it will be much easier to maintain. In certain states they have
already started replacing plastic bags with paper bags in grocery stores and instead
of just having trash cans outside they are required to have recycling bins as well. It
is not unachievable, it will just take work. There is a visual representation included
below.

Moral Obligations
While there are a lot of people who think we should take action, there are
also a lot of people that are ignorant of the situation we are in with our oceans.
Most people simply just do not care enough to want to do anything more than they
have to in order to help our oceans. We have been spoiled by our luxurious
lifestyle and technology, now people are addicted and can’t bear to lose any part of
our spoiled way of life. You could try to have an argument such as “Well the
ocean will just regenerate over time” or “We could just plant more trees to replace
the oxygen”, but seeing as we cut down fifteen billion (yes, with a b) trees each
year, and that the oceans will not regenerate with us continuously poisoning them,
both of these arguments are invalid.

Whether you are religious or not, you should see our planet as a gift and a
privilege to live on. Everyone should live their lives helping more than they hurt,
looking out for our neighbor, and taking care of the world around us. The way I
see it, humans are the most dominant and intelligent species on this planet, but we
still may not be smart enough to stop our self-destruction. We are constantly
killing each other and the environment around us. If we are going to end up
destroying ourselves then it is what it is, but I have seen people better than that and
truly believe that every person has the ability to get behind saving the world. This
is and always has been our only home, we need to stop being ignorant to these
pressing issues and start doing what we have to in order to ensure ours and our
oceans survival.

What can you do? // Conclusion

Oceans are more than essential to our lives, and we are currently doing
everything we can to destroy them. It is important that we take action and start
reversing the damage done. If done correctly, marine life could recover by 2050,
give or take a decade for the correct legislation and processes to be put in place.
We would have to start now, mailing our representatives and voting for more green
politicians that are willing to do what is needed. We need to switch to
biodegradable waste, reduce our waste, also reduce vehicle pollution by switching
to electric cars, conserve water, use less energy, fish responsibly, and respect
healthy ocean habitats. All of this could be achieved within the next decade. Yes,
it may cost us more money or mean that we cannot use plastic bags or water bottles
anymore, but it would be worth it just to see blue water on our coasts. We have
every opportunity now to save our oceans and ensure future generations will have
the ability to experience the luxuries we did and know how to take care of our
planet.
Moral Obligations
Whether you are religious or not, you should see our planet as a gift and
understand it is a privilege to have. Everyone should live their lives helping more
than they hurt, looking out for their neighbor, and taking care of the world around
us. Humans are the most dominant and intelligent species on this planet, but act as
if we are not smart enough to stop our own self-destruction. We are constantly
destroying the environment that provides us with everything necessary to live, in
other words, biting the hand that feeds us. If we are too entitled and unintelligent
to stop ourselves then there is nothing we can do, but I believe and have seen that
there are people who care about our environment and the future of our planet. All
that would be required from you is to care and treat our environment with respect,
which isn’t much to ask for the benefits that will come from this behavior.

Legislative Action
 Legislative action will be the only way to ensure that change is made, and
certain states and countries have already started with this. New York puts a tax on
all bottles and cans that can later be returned to the consumer through recycling.
Another way we have seen legislative action aiding this issue in New York is by
making sure that there is a recycling bin to go along with every trash can on the
street, this along with heavier fines for littering have helped decrease pollution.

Will it Really Work?

Everyday Life
Switching our disposable products to a biodegradable material will allow
waste to decay. Plastic waste will take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to
decompose while paper products will do the same in much less time. This means
less waste making its way into the ocean and less waste staying around in the
ocean. Reducing our waste, and using less water and electricity will lower the
amount of pollution making its way into our environment. If power plants can
burn less and landfills are not as full it will put less trash and harmful air into the
atmosphere and environment. By fishing responsibly and respecting ocean habitats
we will make sure not to cause any imbalances in the food chain and ecosystem.

Moral Obligations
When everyone is on the same page, having the same attitude towards
recycling and the different measures that need to be taken in order to preserve our
way of life, it will be much easier to transition as a society. Not to mention, in the
same way that being able to comprehend your own mortality makes you more
cautious about your actions, if everyone understands that we will destroy our way
of life if changes are not made, they will be more willing to make those changes. It
is of utmost importance that everyone understands why we are doing what we are
doing so that it will be accepted and supported by the public.

Legislative Action
In the areas that have adopted legislation to lower plastic waste, the rate of
recycling has increased to up to seventy percent of total waste. While in New
York the recycling rate is only at eighteen percent, there has still been an
improvement. The further we take this legislative action the more we will see
improvements, if at the very least we can get pollution down to a maintainable
level, that is still a win. Over time we will continue to improve our methods and
eventually be able to completely dissolve any pollution we generate.

Conclusion
Oceans are more than essential to our lives, and we are currently doing
everything we can to destroy them. It is important that we take action and start
combatting the damage done. If done correctly, marine life could recover by 2050,
give or take a decade for the correct legislation and processes to be put in place.
We need to start now, by mailing our representatives and voting for more green
politicians that are willing to do what is necessary. By taking action in our
everyday lives, maturing our moral understanding related to the topic and by
promoting legislative action, we can save our oceans and ensure future generations
will have the privilege to experience these same luxuries we have been able to.

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