According to National Geographic, the world’s oceans cover roughly about 71% of earth’s surface. These oceans have been around for approximately 4 billion years, which gives it quite a long time to develop and change. Over the past few decades though, the oceans have been dwindling and beginning to perish due to many reasons. Three of the biggest threats to the oceans include climate change, plastic pollution, and overfishing. Although many may think plastic pollution is the biggest threat to the ocean, I believe that climate change is a much deadlier threat around the globe.
Climate change is a bigger problem than we as humans realize. In accordance with the Columbia Climate School, an institution devoted to climate research, they mention just how serious the effects of climate change can be. Climate change is the root of many issues and not only affects the ocean, but also causes higher inflation, greater health risks, an increase in global greenhouse gases, and a rise in disfigurement of ecosystems across the globe. The biggest effects climate change has had on the oceans directly is rising temperatures and increased acidification which both cause discomfort among the ocean environments. According to the United Nations, “Increased ocean temperatures risk causing the mass migration of species, resulting in the global homogenization of biodiversity” (Lovin). In addition to threatening marine life, rising ocean temperatures lead to a decrease in oxygen, which will affect the atmosphere and our daily lives. Lovin also goes on to talk about how ocean acidification breaks down the coral reefs, which can cause detrimental effects on tourism, marine life, as well as ocean zones. In my opinion, climate change is the biggest threat because the way in which it negatively affects the ocean also causes all other aspects of the world to suffer, including us as we rely on the environment to fulfill so many of our needs.
The second biggest threat to the ocean is plastic pollution. Plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, straws, and many other single use items have accumulated in the oceans. These plastic items take decades to degrade and oftentimes are ingested or tangled up with marine life, causing harm. According to the United Nations, “…since the 1950s, the world has lost 50% of its global coral reefs and 90% of its big fish” (Musau). Because of this, it is arguable that plastic pollution is not the biggest threat to the ocean because it takes many years for the plastic to accumulate and really start to wreak havoc, whereas climate change is a much more time sensitive issue.
The third major threat is overfishing. Overfishing harms the stock of fish in the ocean and can lead to bigger issues in the long run. As Perry Coty mentions, the smaller amount of fish, the less algae get eaten, leading to damage of the coral reefs. Without the coral reefs, an entire community that relied on each other is destroyed. Another setback of overfishing is the amount of waste that is created in the supply chain. To sum it up, overfishing is a major issue that needs to be addressed, but it is by far not the most important.
In conclusion, there are a vast number of threats to the ocean. Obviously, all issues are valid, but some are more important than others. While plastic pollution and overfishing are important and need to be stopped, climate change is on the top of the threat list because it not only is time sensitive, but also has the potential create chaos for all aspects of the world.
Works Cited
27, Renee Cho |December, et al. “10 Climate Change Impacts That Will Affect Us All.” State of the Planet, 2 Jan. 2020, news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/12/27/climate-change-impacts-everyone/.
“Climate Change Poses a Threat to Our Oceans.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/climate-change-poses-threat-our-oceans.
Musau, Zipporah. “Plastics Pose Biggest Threat to Oceans | Africa Renewal.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-july-2017/plastics-pose-biggest-threat-oceans.
National Geographic Society. “Ocean.” National Geographic Society, 4 Sept. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ocean/.
Perry Coty, et al. “Perry Coty.” Compelling Journalism, New Ideas and Global Exploration, 8 Aug. 2021, www.global-geneva.com/overfishing-the-greatest-threat-to-our-oceans/.