Mosaiko

Good News, Bad News About Oceans

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With World Ocean Day on June 8, we have been reading up on the topic of trash that is dumped in the world’s oceans. Here are a few things we found:

Good news: People are the source of trash found in the oceans, which means people can stop trash from entering the oceans.
Bad news: Laws to stop people from polluting the oceans don’t work because they don’t motivate people to change their behavior.
– From Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st Century, National Academy of Sciences

Good news: There are no giant islands of plastic trash floating in the oceans.
Bad news: There are tons of small bits and pieces of plastic floating in the oceans, which end up in fish and work their way up the food chain — maybe into you!
– From Discovery News

Good news: Plastics decompose in the ocean.
Bad news: Decomposing plastics release toxic chemicals.
– From National Geographic News

Good news: Trash that sinks to the bottom of the ocean provides shelter for some fish.
Bad news: Lost fishing gear continues to trap and kill fish and other marine life.
– From Discovery News

Good news: Living creatures are everywhere in the ocean — even where heat would melt lead, seawater is frozen to ice, and light and oxygen are lacking.
Bad news: The amount of marine life is steadily declining, even noticeably within a single human generation.