This January, I went on a school trip to Brazil. There, I learned the horror plastic pollution has caused to the marine ecosystem. On the first day, we watched baby sea turtles hatch and learned that only about 1 in 1000 of them will survive and grow up to be adults. Many died before even reaching the ocean. In addition to that, plastic kills about 500-1000 sea turtles per year from ingestion or getting trapped. Nearly all species of turtles are now classified as endangered, and some are even critically endangered, like the hawksbill. Not only is plastic killing the sea turtles, it is also causing the death of over one million marine animals per year. The root of all these problems still trace back to us. Though the problem of plastic pollution is already decimating the environment, the only thing we can do is stop using it. We can alleviate the increase in plastic by refusing plastic straws, utensils, and donating to charities helping this cause.
