This year’s Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastic. Which will you choose?
In this year alone, nearly 4 million tons of plastic have been dumped in our OCEANS. That accounts for one garbage truck per minute. By 2050, it’ll be four. If that happens, there will likely be more plastic in our oceans than fish.
A new predator threatens our seas
It’s a sad image: a sperm whale washes ashore, bloated and dead. Cause of death? Gastric shock to its internal organs after ingesting over 60 pounds of plastic. This sperm whale wasn’t the first.
Though sperm whales are the largest predator in our oceans, plastic is the deadliest. Each year, 100,000 marine animals are killed due to ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic. For those animals that can escape getting caught in lines and six-pack rings, many experience lacerations that become infected, causing them to die.
The problem with plastic
The issue with plastic goes beyond waste. Producing plastic requires fossil fuels that need to be fracked from the ground, directly emitting carbon emissions, such as methane, into the environment. This creates a domino effect that eventually ends with a dangerous rise in the Earth’s temperature.
Additionally, trillions of microplastics, found everywhere and in everything, are threatening marine life. This could lead to a huge disruption in Earth’s ecosystems, disruptions that, scientists warn, could happen sooner than we think.
Pledge to a plastic-free future
Be a part of the solution this Earth Day. Take action to clean up our planet and save marine species from painful fates. Set up a monthly donation today; your gift will help leading marine conservation organizations.
