How One Person Can Make a Difference

By Ana Luglio

Although I attended the Ramapo environmental event, I wanted to learn even more about the environment. I came across a TED Talk called “A drop in a plastic ocean: how one person can make a difference” by Emily De Sousa.

Emily, the founder and owner of the sustainable travel blog “Airplanes and Avocados", in the beginning explains her love for the ocean. She recalls how when she participated in her first scuba dive in Hawaii, she was expecting to see such bright coral that stretched for miles while a diversity of marine life lived among it. Unfortunately, she was disheartened to see that the corals looked as if the life had been sucked out of them and there was hardly any marine life at all.

She explains plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to marine life, we currently “produce over 300 million tons of plastic annually” (De Sousa). She believes that plastics only become harmful in the sense that we as humans use/abuse them. Recycling is highly important, only 25% of the 300 million tons that we produce annually is recycled. Many plastic products cause millions of casualties among marine life. She describes how plastic bags and plastic straws have caused large amounts of death among sea turtles by getting entangled in these objects.

Coral reefs are also highly affected by plastic pollution in the oceans since, although many forget, they are also living creatures that are sensitive to pollution as well. Emily presents the idea of how larger animals like whales and sharks are also at risk due to pollution because when they consume smaller fish species, they are also consuming the plastic that the fish have already ingested which eventually accumulates. This leads to toxic related issues and liver failure to animals that are at the top of the food chain which is highly concerning for the ocean and humans.

Since we are a part of the food chain, we are also directly at risk due to plastic pollution in the oceans. Plastic never truly goes away, when it is broken down it only breaks into smaller and smaller pieces known as microplastics. Most fish have consumed microplastics which leads to the humans who are eating that fish. Although the action to carelessly dispose of a plastic product is quick the consequences last a lifetime. An interesting fact I learned was that despite being taught how important trees are for oxygen, I never learned how oceans provides most of the earth’s oxygen. In theory if our oceans die, so will we. That being said, “it is currently estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than there are fish” (De Dousa). If we continue at this rate by then fish will become a luxury that only the richest can buy, causing a major destruction to the coastal communities who rely on fishing for food and income by forcing them to move elsewhere to find work.

It is acknowledged that plastic is a necessary and important part of our future, however, we must learn how to live with it in a responsible and sustainable way. This includes maximizing recycling, maximizing production, and using reusable products. In order to succeed in creating a sustainable future that includes plastic products, we must stop the single use cycle and instead work towards a circular economy regarding recycling. Change starts with one person doing their part that leads to a collectively better future.

Works Cited

Tedx Talk. “A drop in a plastic ocean: how one person can make a difference.” Youtube. Emily De Sousa. 13 April 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UqkgRGPqsk&ab_channel=TEDxTalks