Every year, over 1 million seabirds, and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution. This has caused many animals to go extinct or become endangered. Some animals have become critically endangered, that it’s almost unrepairable. One of these animals is the Sea Turtle, over 1,000 sea turtles are killed every year from plastic bags alone. There is so much plastic in the ocean, that people have estimated a bag filled with plastic straws, would go across the entire ocean.

Some people may not realize when they affect the animals in the ocean. Toxins and poisons can make it into the ocean’s water and can affect our water supply as well. This affects the aquatic animals because they can’t breathe oxygen. Instead they are forced to breathe in the water that is filled with trash, and other chemicals which cause diseases.

It’s not always people throwing the trash into the ocean. Things littered on the ground, can be blown into the ocean as well. Large piles of trash can be swept into the ocean when the wind is strong enough. Water pollution is currently happening in nearly all of the world’s lakes, rivers, and streams. Most people have decided to take action by protecting the areas that are the most polluted. Certain fundraisers have been created to make sure that people have to pay for the trash that they litter which can cause more damage to the ocean.

Michelle N, a student at AdVenture STEM, believes that she is creating a portion of the pollution. She also believes that paper straws aren’t the best but it’s better to use paper straws rather than plastic straws, which cannot be recycled.

People think that by creating more laws against littering, people will be less likely to take the  risk of having to pay money for throwing a piece of trash on the ground. They will also pay more attention to how it affects everything on earth.