Healthy Essay, Healthy Planet

By Shaik Faizah

Dive in. The sun-rays sparkle in the slight waves as you sink further and further. Schools of fish pass by. Clownfish, sea-turtles move along, showing blithe disregard to any drifter nearby, their curious colours dimming as you get further down. As the waters darken, a whole new elysian world beckons you closer. Bioluminescent beings hide and hunt in these waters and silent caves. You have left the familiar corals, rocks and lucid thoughts of what you’ve seen and imagined behind, yet there are more transcending sights to be discovered below. The cramped cities, the pressures of the world fade as you explore the unspecified parts of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, the oceans. Lantern fish, squids and jellyfish glow in their own light and look bewitching beyond measure. Those dancing fireflies and the flickering monitors and screens with which you have grown up do not hold a candle to these magnificent beings who own the dark domains below filled with sights no words can ever describe. The new alien world you just experienced was one of the darkest and the deepest layers of the ocean known as the aphotic layers, devoid of light. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what the oceans of the earth truly are.

These bodies of water were formed millions and millions of years ago and cover more than 70 percent of the surface of the planet and host an approximate 200 million species of animals, plants and other microscopic beings from the zooplankton to the huge blue whale, the largest mammal in the world. And still, more are to be discovered.

Notwithstanding the beauty and harmony of the water giants, their significance to the well-being of the rest of the planet is immeasurable.

Water is the sum and substance of life. No life on earth would ever exist without it. And oceans consist of a whopping 97 percent of it. And so is the largest resource and ecosystem on the planet. They generate almost half of the world’s oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, decreasing the impact of climate change. They provide at least a sixth of the animal protein consumed by humans (Why Should We Care About The ocean?, National Service-NOAA, June 18, 2020, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/why-care-about-ocean.html). It contributes to a large part of the industrial sector, tourism and travelling industries. They absorb heat from the sun; regulate wind patterns and have innumerable more benefits that impact the earth on a vast extent. Despite not containing freshwater, they make up for it by the fact that they have such a large impact on the earth that without it, earth alone would cease to exist and would remain a barren planet, devoid of colour and life.

Human activities first began near water. Civilisations rose near rivers, trade ships commanded the seas, new lands were discovered beyond oceans, and man rose with the guidance of the where the waters led him.

Yet, disappointingly, it is the life which it gave birth to, that is destroying it to its last leg today. Man. Humans have, on their rise to dominate the entire food cycle, knocked the very thing keeping them alive, nature. Trees knocked down, waters spoiled, air contaminated and other beings poisoned. Where has the harmony in nature gone? Where is the man who would cherish other beings, worship every drop that quenched his thirst, praise every breath of air he could still breathe?

Oceans are now the most polluted resources of the earth. Garbage now line beaches and sea beds, the once clear waters are filled with oil and several species that once ruled the seas have gone extinct.

All rivers move to the oceans, where the collected garbage in their path is deposited. This garbage contains biodegradable materials which dissolve in the water and the plastics, which remain in the oceans, not dissolving till centuries. These plastics disturb the natural environment and when consumed by the species as food, suffocate them.

Annually, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic are deposited into the oceans. This, if not stopped, will lead to more than 250 million tonnes of these major pollutants in just 10 years ( The Problem With Plastics, Ocean Conservancy. June 18, 2020, https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean/ ) . These plastics have not stopped to just the oceans. Plastic is denser than water and so cannot sink. This has led to large groups of accumulated plastic across the world known as plastic accumulation zones. One of which is the Great Pacific Plastic Patch (GPGP). It is located between Hawaii and California and spans to an area of about 1.6 million square kilometres and weighs more than 80,000 tonnes (THEOCEANCLEANUP, June 2020, https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/).

Plastic are not the only issue. Global warming, due to the rise of Greenhouse gases has also affected toe health of these oceans. The year 2018 was the hottest year for the oceans ever recorded in history. When the temperatures rise, so do the ocean levels due to the melting of ice caps. Warmer waters lead to a range of consequences, which may include discoloration of water, higher temperatures that can be survived by sea species and more. Moreover, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas also in excess amount turns water into a more acidic form (Munez, Christina, NationalGeographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/ocean/, June 18, 2020)

And the animals within have suffered too. Humans have caught, hunted and killed for so many years for his own pleasure that the wildlife in the oceans started to get extinct. Thousands of corals have died, exotic species are extinct and more are on their way. The vaquita, the world’s rarest marine mammal has been preyed upon to such an extent that there are now only nineteen left in this world. The harmony in nature, the co dependence has started to fade away. Man started to forget his own fellow beings, in the path of his own glory.

The oceans have never been in a worst state as now. Man had started to fail in protecting in his own home. The sacrifice that nature had taken for man had turned to no avail. But, a few decades ago, humans finally realised how deep they had fallen into their own arrogance and selfishness. We finally realised how bad we had taken care of our own mother. Organisations have been formed to protect the oceans like the Ocean Conservancy Foundation, Surfrider Foundation and more. There have been increased efforts to remove plastic and protect marine animals.

Yet this is not enough. Every man has to unite, no matter who he is and where he’s from. Man has to break down all barriers to protect his essence. If this does not happen, there would be no hope and pure desolation. We need to remember that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. That we are one with nature. We need to accept our past mistakes because this is our last chance. Our last chance to do what we were born to do. To protect our own. Understand that a drop of water to a thirsty man is a billion times worth more than a bag of gold. Loran Eisely once said that ‘If there is any magic on this planet, it is contained in water’. Protect this magic, protect these oceans and protect your planet. For a healthy and prosperous life is one which is dedicated to protect this exotic planet, earth. Save these oceans from a dark end, for a healthy ocean leads to a healthy planet.

By Shaik Faizah