“Sooner or later, we will have to recognise that the earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans.” - Evo Morales. Oceans are so prolonged and distant that the world thought ocean pollution wouldn’t make any visual or environmental difference. Soon enough disasters started happening more frequently. Ocean pollution has numerous reasons to its hazards, forms of pollution’s, effects, and the processes of cleaning up.

Ocean pollution is also known as marine pollution. In scientific terms according to the organization, Conserve Energy Future, upon the article “What is Ocean Pollution?” states that “Ocean pollution is the spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste, and chemical particles into the ocean.” Most of the oceans have some kind of ocean pollution around the coasts that is causing a threat to the earth. According to the article “Which Countries Create the Most Ocean Trash?” written by Robert Lee Holtz on the Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2015 explains that the top sources of ocean pollution are coming from the countries of China and Indonesia. Those two countries contribute to one third of trash being distributed to the sea and the trash is not getting there by accident. One third of all forms of ocean pollution comes from people throwing garbage and plastic bottles into the oceans just to get rid of their trash. The problem to ocean pollution is that the pollutants collect at the ocean’s depth where ocean marine animals are consuming them and eventually dieing. That can then lead to problems in the food chain as well. Over the last few decades ocean pollution has dramatically changed due to new studies that have formed. Chemical pollution’s top three largest providers include: Runoff, oil, and garbage
Ocean pollution has always been a problem. It can go as far back as the Roman Times. The article, “Marine Pollution” on National Geographic claims that in the last three centuries industrial discharge and runoff from land-based activities such as farming and in coastal cities that manufacture items have increased. Runoff from those areas into the ocean can cause extra nutrients. The WFF Panda organization explains the issues of runoff into the ocean. Runoff contributes to 36% of the ocean pollution. Cities are the biggest suppliers. There are chemicals in the air and when it rains chemicals wash down into the ocean giving the coastal areas too many nutrients. Having more than enough nutrients can lead to eutrophication, which is “Flourishing of algal blooms that deplete the water’s dissolved oxygen and suffocate other marine life.” Once it gets far enough into the ocean, fish and marine animals start to consume plants. Chemicals don’t break down easily so they stay in the animal’s body until they eventually die which dangerously affects the food chain.

Oil spills are responsible for 12% of the oceans being polluted. Until the 1970’s factories that heavily use chemicals and oil, use to deliberately dump the contaminated chemicals into the ocean to simply get rid of them in the easiest way. Dumping of the most toxic chemicals was then banned in 1972 at the London Dumping Convention. Oil spills from ships are the most damaging form of pollution. It is not the most common but when the ships spill the oil that is called Crude oil it takes years and millions of dollars to clean up. Crude oil is extremely toxic and suffocates marine animals once the fish are within the oil. Even though this form of pollution doesn’t happen very often it is one of the worst types to the environment.

Another chemically based pollution is solid garbage. People have been getting rid of their garbage by throwing it in the oceans such as: plastic bags, bottles, shoes, and packing material. According to the Post Consumers organization it takes about 450 years for a single plastic bag to biodegrade. Many sea animals and birds think the plastic is food and the plastic tends to block their airway. As more people litter and throw garbage into the ocean it puts more animals in risk of dying. Sewage can also wash back up the the shore and cause eutrophication.
There can be a solution to the polluted oceans. Helping out with organizations is the best way to support ocean pollution. There are many organizations and conservations to be apart of in order to keep the ocean clean. According to the Green Living organization contributing money to help scientists learn the best way to stop ocean pollution without harming the people is a great way to be apart of an organization. Many organizations are free to be apart of in every state. Even going down to the ocean to see the damages that have been done due to chemicals being disposed and to help clean the beaches up with conservation groups is another way to help the oceans stay healthy. Getting the message of the effects of ocean pollution to people all around the world might make them think to contribute in helping out. Large scale options to helping out with ocean pollution could be more regulations on industry and to have proper sewage treatment. It treatment happens not nearly as many marine life will be affected.

Even though ocean pollution is not happening around us many forms of water pollutions are.  Surprisingly, some of the best solutions for ocean pollution can occur at home by just adopting a green lifestyle. The effects of these pollution’s are harming marine life, coasts, and the health of our lives. So sooner than later we will have to recognize earth’s rights by keeping the ocean’s clean of waste. Since ocean’s provide a home to a large variety of marine plants and animals it is our responsibility to keep the ocean’s healthy of chemicals.