PLASTIC TRASH IN OCEAN
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DID YOU KNOW
plastic trash found on the surface of the ocean only accounts for 5% of the total marine litter?
(Ocean Conservancy, 2015)
The remaining 95% may not washed up onto the shore, but continue to float in the ocean, posing as a threat to marine creatures, and eventually us humans.
CASE STUDIES
Man surfing through a wave of trash in Indonesia. (Source: Huffington Post)
A boy is carried to safety across a deluged street in Quezon city, a Manila suburb. (Source: Times)
Plastic waste washed up on the shore of Punggol Beach, Singapore. (Source: Flickr)
Known for the beautiful beaches, Indonesia is also the biggest source of plastic waste in Southeast Asia. Tourists may find not only shells and crabs on the shores, but also their equally iconic “Indomie” used packages.
Following closely behind Indonesia, the Philippines is the world’s third biggest dumper of plastic into oceans. 20% of the plastic waste produced ends up in the ocean each year (Ocean Conservancy, 2015), leading to clogged sewers and deadly floods eventually.
Singapore, while having better waste management than the other two countries, still faces increasing waste production but stagnant household recycling rates. (NEA, n.d.)
JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST
plastic in the ocean
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sylvia is a psychology student in NTU who decided to take up Conservation Psychology to find out how she can help to convince more people to actively care for the environment.
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Sylvia would not call herself an outdoor enthusiast, simply because she is not athletic enough and can barely walk on flat grounds without tripping. But she enjoys nature and loves to spend her free time at the beach.
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Often noticing the plastic waste that washed ashore, she decided to embark on this topic in hope that her efforts could better the situation, if even just by a little.
NTU CONSERVATION PSYCHOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
What has our
become?
OCEAN
A manta ray and a green sea turtle feed in the midst of plastic bags, milk jugs, and other debris floating off one of Oahu's highest-rated beaches. (Source: Onebreathphoto.com)
Campaign photo from #MermaidsHatePlastic
Photo by Von Wong.