How can Education Change the Behavior that Leads to Ocean Pollution?

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Ocean pollution is one of the issues the whole world faces as a whole. Literally, every beach in the world tells a sad tale of how much human beings don’t care, and they paint a picture of how we treat our environment. When walking on any beach, you are sure to see plastics, Styrofoam cups, snack wrappers, flip-flops, discarded tissue, and everything else you can think of. This might seem like a normal thing; after all, “it doesn’t affect us,” but it does. It pollutes the ocean, and a polluted ocean leads to a polluted population, albeit how far-fetched the thought seems. 

Scientific studies have shown that approximately 6.4 million tons of trash find their way into the ocean annually via different pathways and routes. Although there is no permanent solution to this problem, there are different effective ways to prevent ocean pollution. 

If you are wondering a sure way on how to help save the oceans, education is the first thing that should come to mind. It might sound bizarre, but teaching students (of all grades, including college-level) about oven pollution and its effects can go a long way in helping to mitigate the issue.

If you are a college student that wants to write a dissertation on ocean essay topics or you are interested in an ocean pollution research paper, this post is perfect for you. In any field, even education, the topic of ocean pollution is a problem that WE can help reduce if we all do the right thing. It takes collective effort actually to see the change we are looking for.

Major Impacts of Ocean Pollution

Ocean pollution has many negative impacts on the environment, but here are some major ones that every part of the world faces:

  • Risks to marine life and humans alike.
  • Damage to aquatic vehicles like ships, boats, etc.
  • Unnecessarily high cost of cleaning debris from beaches, seas, etc.
  • Contaminated fish leads to polluted bait and catch.
  • The toxic stench coming out of the ocean.

How Education Helps Combat Ocean Pollution

Education is a powerful tool that can be used to reduce ocean pollution and help marine life. 

Children are more aware of the environment than we think, and their young minds have more love for it than we can fathom. Every education center should strive to inculcate the study of caring for the environment into their coursework.

Children are susceptible to behavior, and when a teacher poses a good example, the child is sure to follow. It is essential to instill a sense of awareness for the surrounding into children’s minds so that when they grow up, the concept of “environmental sanitation” will not be foreign to them. 

Going to school goes beyond getting a good grade and having graduation to be promoted to another class; it is about learning core values and how to treat your fellow human and the environment you live in. 

Some basic things children should know about how to reduce ocean pollution are:

Participating in Clean Up

Teachers can take the learning process up a notch by organizing practical classes where children can go to the beach or a park to help clean up. While doing so, teachers can explain why trash is hazardous and how trash that is miles away from the ocean can still end up in the sea. Having a practical class beats going to the library to read a book on pollution.

Never Releasing Balloon in the Ocean

Sure, balloons are cute, but they are harmful sea creatures that can mistake them for food or accidentally swallow them. Children should be taught not to litter at all, and even if they play with balloons, they should be popped and disposed of properly.

Having a Better View About Marine Life 

Teaching kids that fish are equally as important as cats and dogs will go a long way in making them realize how much the ocean means to the animals. When a child cares for an animal, that child never wants to see any harm come to that animal. This same logic applies when a child cares for animals that live under the sea.

Conclusion

Education is a good solution to plastic pollution and other types of pollution in the sea. Students should be taught that taking care of the environment is as essential as getting a diploma. A clean ocean is a win-win for everybody, land and water-based animals alike.

Teach your kids about good ocean hygiene today.