Acidification, Plastic Pollution and Death are Our Gifts to Marine Life

World Wildlife Day, is celebrated every year on March 3 as proclaimed by the United Nations on 20 December 2013.

The goal of this day is to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. World Wildlife Day has now become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife.

World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2019 under the theme “Life below water: for people and planet", which aligns with goal 14 of UN Sustainable Development Goals. So, this year is dedicated to marine life and its benefits and threats. The ocean contains nearly 200,000 identified species, but real number might be more than million. 

Another important fact about marine life is the market. The market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at US$3 trillion per year, about 5% of global GDP and more than three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. 

Marine wildlife plays a key role for human civilization and development for million years, from providing food and nourishment, to material for handicraft and construction.

Some facts about marine life

• Ocean pollution kills more than one million sea birds each year.
• Discarded fishing nets kill approximately 300,000 dolphins and porpoises every year. The dolphins and porpoises get tangled in the nets and die.
• Much of the waste that is dumped into the ocean will wash up on the coast polluting everything it comes into contact with, including beaches, animals, and sea life.
• There is an ocean garbage site off the coast of California twice as large as the state of Texas. It is called the North Pacific Gyre and is the largest garbage site in the ocean in the world
• Although oil spills pollute the ocean, they only account for approximately 12% of the oil polluting the ocean.
• Toxic metals reach the ocean and contribute to ocean pollution, destroying reproduction, behavior, growth and the biochemistry of the ocean's marine life.
• Radioactive waste and industrial waste such as acids and toxins often reach the ocean adding to the pollution and substantial loss of marine life.
• The ocean's oxygen content is depleted by the runoff of fertilizer that causes an increase of algae growth.
• There are dead zones in the oceans that have been created by pollution making life in those zones impossible for marine or plant life.
• It is estimated that every square mile of ocean has more than 45,000 pieces of plastic floating in it.
• There are 25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea.
• According to a study done by the University of Georgia, 18 billion pounds of plastic trash winds up in our oceans each year.
• A recent survey found ocean pollution is more common in deep waters (more than 2,000 feet deep), with the most common offenders being plastic bags, metal cans, fishing equipment, glass bottles, shoes, and tires.
• Approximately 4 billion pounds of trash per year enters the ocean.
• There are about 500 dead zones in the ocean, which covers a similar size as the United Kingdom.
• Over 100,000 marine animals die every year from plastic entanglement and ingestion.
• Carbon emissions harm the oceans as well as the air. If our behavior continues as is, the surface water of the ocean could be 150% more acidic than it is now.
• Oil spills only contribute to 12% of the oil in the ocean. 36% of the oil comes from runoff sources from cities and companies.
• Ocean noise pollution is an issue, too. Ships, tankers, and shipping containers emit sounds like high-intensity sonar and air guns. This noise pollution injures fish, disrupts their habitats, and more.
• China and Indonesia are the world’s biggest contributors of plastic pollution in the ocean. Combined, they account for one-third of total ocean pollution.
• The waste in the ocean takes a long, long time to decompose. Styrofoam takes 80 years, aluminum takes 200 years, and plastic takes 400 years.
• There’s enough plastic in the ocean to circle the Earth 400 times.
• Chemicals in heavily polluted waters can make their way back to us and cause serious health issues like reproductive problems, hormonal problems, kidney damage, and nervous system damage.