By Brian Hartz
One Ocean Advocacy Instagram
@brian.hartz@ncps-k12.org
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #1:
Welcome to the official Instagram page of the One Ocean Organization! We are a Nonprofit organization created to advocate for issues and efforts regarding the well being of our ocean. We only have one ocean and we must do all we can to ensure it’s protection from pollution and other human activity. All of mankind cannot live and prosper without our ocean’s, making it imperative and crucial that we do whatever we can in order to protect it from man made pollution. Many of the marine life right here on American shores that many of us know and adore, especially the manatee, are at some of the highest risk of becoming endangered species. Because of the actions of humans in the past, many aquatic species were almost thrusted on the verge of extinction, including the long head sea turtle. However, it is because of the actions taken today that are dramatically curbing the pollution in our oceans that many of our aquatic biomes and species are rebounding. The following instagram posts will delve deeper into the problems our oceans face today and how we can work together to ensure their security, as well as ways in which you all as global citizens can contribute to efforts pertaining to the clean up of our oceans. We are one planet, one people, and one ocean. Working together will ensure there is hope for a bright future ahead!
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #2
Perhaps the biggest immediate threat to our oceans currently is man made pollution in the form of plastic pollution. The mass consumption and use of plastic has made it harder to dispose of which can result in it finding its way into our oceans through poor management and regulation of waste. The current estimates show that at least 8 million pieces of plastic are entering the oceans everyday. Two thirds of this garbage comes straight from land based sources. Most of the garbage comes from industry spills, badly managed landfill sites and bins near the coast or by being flushed down through home’s septic system. The remainder of the garbage is lost at sea such through containers going overboard or lost fishing gear. According to the best estimates available, there are approximately 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic, weighting 269,000 tons. Some people ask whether or not this plastic can disintegrate and thus no longer pose a threat. The simple answer is no. Plastic is strong, flexible and durable making it extremely difficult to break down easily. Just a single plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to disintegrate in a marine environment. Every single piece of plastic that has ever been released into the ocean is still somewhere is the sea still floating around! Now, some will also ask how this affects the ocean and the aquatic life that lives in it. For wildlife such as fish, dolphins, seabirds, and seals it can be deadly as they become tangled in the garbage or consume it because they mistake it for food. In regards to what it means more particularly for humans, 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption now contain plastic. The question is no longer whether humans are consuming plastic, but how much plastic is safe for humans to consume. All of this points out just how plastic pollution is not just harming the ocean life we are working to protect, but also poses a danger to the health of humans as well.
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #3
According to the United nations, at least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine debris and as much of 80 percent of that waste is plastic. Many aquatic sea species including fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, resulting in suffocation, starvation, and even drowning. Research indicates that species including half of all sea turtles worldwide have ingested plastic. Some starve after doing so, mistakenly believing they have eaten enough because their stomachs are full. Plastic pollution on scattered surfaces can also affect turtles’ reproduction rates by altering the temperature of sand where incubation occurs, endangering the species even further. In regards to seabirds, it is estimated that plastic is currently killing millions of seabirds in a single year through ingestion that takes up room in their belly and results in starvation. Scientists have estimated that 60 percent of all seabird species have eaten plastic and at the current rate of pollution can rise to as high as 99 percent of all birds. In addition to the immediate threat imposed by the plastic, it can also encourage the growth of pathogens in the ocean. Scientists concluded that 89 percent of all coral have a chance of contracting a pathogen resulting in diseases and death of the ecosystem. This is compared to a four percent chance that a coral reef will not come in contact with a disease causing pathogen. All of this information reveals just how dire the current situation is unless we take drastic action to curb pollution released into the oceans.
Unless action is taken soon to address this urgent problem, scientists predict that the weight of ocean plastics will exceed the combined weight of all of the fish in the seas by 2050.
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #4
Perhaps the most effective way of bringing about real change is to become a marine life activist! Activism in the American political system will ensure that our cause will be addressed by policy makers while raising awareness among other concerned citizens. Participating through civil society in the form of other nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups that push a pro ocean agenda, as well as political participation through electing candidates that support protecting our oceans are all effective ways in ensuring the security of our seas. We may disagree on how we should go about solving this problem, however we as Americans all understand how vital the ocean is to us. This issue has the ability of bringing us as Americans together in a common cause for the betterment of the ocean we all share and cherish.
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #5
A cornerstone that links both economic theory and the preservation of our oceans is the “Blue Economy” economic model. The Blue Economy is a term in economics relating to the exploitation and preservation of the marine environment. Its scope of interpretation varies depending on the particular organization advocating for it. The Blue Economy is not just a mechanism or model for future economic innovation and development. In the conventional model that involves marine life, large-scale industrial nations have seen the development of their ocean economies through the over use of marine resources that include shipping, commercial fishing, and the oil, gas, minerals and mining industries. Often these ventures occur without the future health or productivity of those same resources in regard. Similar to the ‘Green Economy’, the blue economy model aims for improvement of human wellbeing and social equity, while also significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The Blue economy provides for an inclusive model in which coastal states that sometimes lack the capacity to manage their rich ocean resources can now begin to extend the benefit of those resources to all. Realising the full potential of the blue economy means inclusion of all people in various aspects of the economy and participation of all affected social groups and economic sectors. The blue economy is not just about market or financial opportunities. It also provides for the protection and development of more, lesser developed resources that are considered ‘blue’ resources such as traditional ways of life, carbon sequestration, and coastal resilience to help disadvantaged countries mitigate the often devastating effects of climate change and plastic pollution. This economic model provides a framework for how we can ecorporate marine resources into our global economy while protecting the integrity and well being of marine life.
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #6
Many may not realize it, but our lives truly depend on how we as the human race treats our oceans. We must acknowledge that we as human beings belong to something bigger than ourselves. We all want to leave behind a better future for those we care for the most. In order to ensure the next generations prosperity, we need healthy oceans. The ocean is the single largest ecosystem on planet Earth, and thus it is our life support system. Oceans are responsible for half of the oxygen we humans and contain more than 97% of the Earth’s water. Oceans are the ecosystem to the species that provide at least a sixth of the animal protein people eat in order to survive and sustain our communities. Living oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce the impacts of climate change. The massive diversity and productivity of the world’s oceans is incredibly important to humanity and preserving it is in our own best interests. Our security, our economy, our well being all require healthy oceans. Everyone who plays a part in its security and protection is working to save the ocean for all of humanity and future generations. Whether you live on the coast or in the heartland and eat seafood or not, you and the future of all those you love and care for depends on the actions taken today that protect and save our oceans. Be an activist, volunteer, and get involved! The mission of the One Ocean Organization to promote ways in which we can work together for a common cause in order to protect our common, global ocean.
One Planet, One People, One Ocean. Join us today!
Best,
The One Ocean Team
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #7
Now many of you may be asking how you can help play a part in the effort to help clean our oceans. Here some ways in which you can help in those efforts:
- Demand Plastic free alternatives when shopping
- Reducing your carbon footprint can help reduce coral loss by increased ocean acidity derived from greenhouse gases
- Avoid Ocean Harming products
- Eat sustainable food
- Vote on ocean issues
- Contact your local representatives and lawmakers
- Explore the ocean! Go to the beach, enjoy, and do some cleanup if you see any trash. Grab a friend to help!
- Cleanup any trash YOU leave behind on the beach
- Share ocean pictures on social media to spread awareness and the beauty of the sea with friends and family
- Join or create an ocean/beach cleanup team and get to work! Our oceans wellbeing and health count on it!
Our oceans take up 71 percent of the planet and are home to species and ecosystems that we rely on for our food, livelihoods, climate regulation and more. The oceans, however, are facing challenges if we do nothing. But we will do something about it and it can be done! Follow some or all of these steps to save our oceans and need our help. Saving the oceans can seem like an overwhelming task, but if we all pitch in and work together, we can make a big difference.
https://www.instagram.com/oneoceanadvocacy
Post #8
Advocacy for 4Ocean Organization
To get more involved please consider looking into participating in the efforts of 4Ocean who are at the forefront of cleaning our oceans of plastic and transforming them into bracelets. It can be as easy as simply buying a bracelet to join the movement and help their efforts
Work Cited:
- “Ocean Plastics Pollution.” Ocean Plastics Pollution, www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/.
- “Endangered Species Due To Pollution.” Natural Energy Hub, 1 Mar. 2018, naturalenergyhub.com/pollution/endangered-species-due-pollution/.
- “The Blue Economy.” The Blue Economy, www.theblueeconomy.org/.
- “We’re Changing the Fate of the Ocean with Your Help. Here’s How.” 4ocean, 4ocean.com/progress/.
- Howard, Jenny, et al. “Marine Pollution, Explained.” Marine Pollution Facts and Information, 2 Aug. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-marine-pollution/.
- “Ocean Pollution.” Ocean Pollution | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts-education-resources/ocean-pollution.