ABOUT THE ISSUEMarine PollutionOver 630,000 tonnes of plastic rubbish enter the world's oceans and waterways each year. This is equivalent to 100,000+ African Elephants each year.Your discarded rubbish will find its way to the ocean through drains, dumping and many other forms.
This rubbish, referred to as marine debris, is harmful to marine flora an fauna and their ecosystems. An example of marine debris harming animals is when endangered turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfishes and suffocate as they attempt to eat the plastic. |
Plastic never biodegrades to nothing. The sun and waves break it down into tiny piece witch are then mistaken for food and eaten by tiny see critters. The plastic in the tiny critters makes it way up the food chain, ultimately into our mouths. These plastics are called micro-plastics and are near impossible to retrieve.
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Our solution
1. Educating the general public about marine pollution and what you can do to change it via this website.
2. Getting the Australian and NSW Government to take notice of our cause and take more action to protect the seas via our change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/government-of-australia-clean-sea-s-a-movement-to-reduce-marine-debris
2. Getting the Australian and NSW Government to take notice of our cause and take more action to protect the seas via our change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/government-of-australia-clean-sea-s-a-movement-to-reduce-marine-debris
Stakeholders
A lot of waste ends up in the ocean. The United Nations have shown interest in
helping to end it. In 2011 they spread awareness of the issue by printing it in their 2011 edition of the United Nation Environment Programme year book. It was identified as the main thing that was destroying our oceans and said that it was a problem that needed to be stopped.
Governments around the world have also expressed interest in spreading awareness of this issue. However the Australian government needs to do more to prevent marine debris from entering our oceans especially because we have rare specie of sea life that needs protection.
What can I do?
Beach clean ups
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Raise awareness
You can tell others about this cause and show them our website. This will help spread the word and encourage more people to act.
Sign our petition
at www.change.org/p/government-of-australia-clean-sea-s-a-movement-to-reduce-marine-debris
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More Information
If you want to know more or see what else you can do we recommend you visit these other sites that are also devoted to saving our oceans.
- ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/pristine-seas/critical-issues-marine-pollution/
- www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-pollution
- wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/pollution/
- www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/ocean-pollution
- www.csiro.au/en/Research/OandA/Areas/Marine-resources-and-industries/Marine-debris