Biodiversity Threat 2: Pollution

Description

One of the persisting threats in the ocean are the foreign contaminants that humans have put there. For centuries the ocean was believed to be an endless void, something other and distant. Now we have a growing understanding of the extent that we rely on the ocean for survival. Thanks to research and further exploration, humans are also seeing that the pollution we have been dumping into the ocean all this time is still there, and continues to find its way there through various methods.

There are lots of different forms of pollution: run-off from agriculture or urban centers, light pollution, chemical pollution, noise pollution and of course plastic pollution. These pollutants have major impacts on the biodiversity of ecosystems around the world, physically threatening individuals, species, and entire food chains.

Human action has both a positive and negative impact on the health of the ocean. As pollution is a direct result of human activity, we have already identified the many sources. Now we need creativity and collaboration to create solutions


Learning Objectives

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

  • #4 Quality Education
  • #14 Life Below the Waves

Ocean Literacy Framework

  • #6 The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected


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