Effect on Humans

Humans often believe that the great Pacific garbage patch does not affect the humans very much because the garbage patch is located in the center of the pacific ocean thousands f kilometers away from the coasts. However, these people are wrong. In fact we humans harm and pollute ourselves.

Studies have shown that over 35% of all fish in the pacific ocean contain large amounts of plastic in their bodies. These are to a large extend fish that we humans are fishing out of the ocean and eat. This means that we humans eat our own trash which has turned into plastic particles in the bodies of our foor.

We do not only pollute our environment and harm marine mammals, such as dolphins and turtles but also ourselves.

Furthermore, the polluted fish do not only contain small amounts of plastics. In many of the tested fish an alarming number of 83 pieces of plastic were found. Since plastic is found all over the northern pacific ocean, fish often mix plastic up with plankton.

Furthermore, studies which were performed in the southern Pacific ocean at the coast of Brazil have shown that also the fish there contains amounts of plastic. The scientists have found out that these fish have had smaller fish in their stomaches which links to that the garbage from the northern garbage patch travels through the entire ocean due to fish being eaten by other fish and passes the garbage on in the food chain. In general scientists were not able to calculate the impact on the entire food chain however, it is clear that the garbage moves up in the food chain and in the end also affects the human. 

Humans should strongly consider alternatives and solutions to this problem before it is to late. Humans depend on the oceans because of the treasures it offers such as food and alternatives to produce energy. We should strongly think about the consequences which are brought along due to our disresponsibility.

The picture below shows a fish which had many little pieces of plastic in his body and died. Because of the garbage all over the ocean covering all plankton and algea due to 45kg of garbage for 1kg of plankton fish often have no choice but eating plastic because of hunger.

Green Sangha

https://greensangha.org/tag/litter/