It is a well-known fact that nearly 70% of the earth is filled with water. Oceans and seas form an indispensable part of our existence. This factor of indispensability has not only helped us tremendously but has also led to us exploiting the oceanic resources without any second thoughts.

Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities. From plastic bags to solid wastes’ - most of the waste we produce on land eventually reaches the oceans, either through deliberate dumping or from run-off through drains and rivers. Materials like plastic are non-degradable, which means they will not be absorbed and recycled. Waste material is often mistaken as food by marine animals. High concentrations of plastic material (particularly plastic bags), have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of many marine (and little land) species, including: whales, dolphins, seals, etc. The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This leads to a marked depletion of oxygen available to mammals and other fishes causing them to die in their natural habitat. Also, in case the dumping ground is closer to areas where fishing is a main scale activity and if the toxic substances get consumed by the fishes which gets deposited and accumulated in their fat tissues, then the humans consuming these affected fishes can face unwanted complications. This issue which may seem small can also lead to eutrophication. In addition, it can cause human disease and lead to beach closures. The scale and the magnitude of the ocean dumping are not just vast but are so huge, that our entire civilization could be wiped out with the intensity of careless dumping.

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”- Robert Swan

I say stop believing it and start showing it, sign this petition and start the rescue of our planet today!

Inact a law prohibiting people from polluting the marine environment in any possible way.Refuse excess packaging; Re-use and recycle as much as possible. Very little plastic produced each year is actually recycled and majority of it ends up in the oceans.