Our earth, as Carl Sagan so eloquently described it, is a pale blue dot in the vast universe that surrounds us. This small blue planet is where all life we know and have ever known struggles for its survival.
Our blue planet is covered by more than 70% water and it is thanks to this abundant liquid, life on earth is possible. Ninety-seven percent of the earth’s water is found in oceans and seas and these are considered earth most important life support system. Oceans have a huge influence on earth climate and without them our earth would not be habitable. To understand more about the oceans affect on climate and weather see this video created by NASA. The oceans are also one of our most important oxygen sources, tiny marine organisms called phytoplankton produces approximately half of the oxygen that we and all other animals breathe daily.
More and more we are starting to understand just how important the oceans are and how little we actually know about them. Today we know more about the surface of the moon that we know about the bottom of the ocean. We are also in the process of starting to understand the huge impact our everyday actions have on the wellbeing of our oceans and the general global ecosystem.
It doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that water pollution is a big problem all around the world today, our complete disregard for destroying something that is absolutely essential for life on this planet is nothing short of astounding.
The ocean suffers the consequences of all the carbon dioxide we release in to the atmosphere. Around 30 – 40 % of all the Co2 emissions we generate dissolves in to oceans, rivers and lakes, when Co2 reacts with water it forms carbonic acid starting a process called ocean acidification, we are as we speak slowly but increasingly turning our oceans into acid.
One of the biggest problems the oceans are facing today and will continue to do so in the future is the high amount of plastic trash that every day finds it ways in to the oceans, according to Sylvia Earle (Oceanographer and National geographic explorer-in-Residence) over 300 000 marine mammals are killed every year by either ingesting or getting tangled in plastic.
This video is created by Ocean Conservancy to generate awareness about the importance to change individual behavior to lower the negative impact our actions have on the ocean.
To reach a more in depth understanding of how this plastic pollution affects the oceans health as well as our own we at Mora Water Systems truly recommend watching this documentary: Inside the Garbage of the World.
With impacting images, scientific information and interesting interviews this documentary gives a wide view of the problem and as how we as consumers can be part of the solution.
It is clear to us at Mora Water Systems that we need to change our habits and the way we treat our planet, the only home we know. Therefore we will in the next series of articles share the actions and ideas of some individuals and organizations that are actively working to protect the oceans; generating awareness, changing habits, finding solutions. Creating together a worldwide movement that struggles to clean our ocean from plastic waste. We call them our ocean heroes.