SEA
TURTLES
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, die each year from ingestion or entanglement in marine debris and ocean pollution. The manmade waste that is directly or indirectly disposed of in oceans and rivers makes up this marine debris. Sea turtles and other marine creatures mistake plastics and other garbage as food (such as jellyfish) and ingest it. This mistake causes blockages within their digestive system and eventual death. Worldwide, as many as one trillion plastic bags are used each year, using 100 million barrels of oil to make.
Turtles can be killed directly by ingesting plastics, through blockage of the intestines or through piercing of the intestinal wall. They can also die because of toxic chemicals that were used to create the plastic, or that were absorbed during the plastic's journey through the ocean.
To combat this and to make a difference, consumers buying products should say no to single-use plastics, like supermarket bags and disposable water bottles. And microbeads, which are present in many cosmetic products, are a big pollution source and are already on their way to being banned in products.
By Natasha Blackburn-Friesinger
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